Bush Summit: Qld’s most dangerous highways exposed
Queensland’s deadliest highways have been exposed in a bombshell report, with eight sections of five other highways proving even more lethal than the Bruce Hwy.
Five national highways across regional Queensland have been identified as needing more funding to improve safety to reign in the number of fatal and serious crashes.
Analysis by RACQ of fatal and serious injury road crash data, found the notorious Bruce Highway had the most dangerous sections of roads, which had average daily traffic of 1000 or more vehicles per day, from 2019-23.
But RACQ also found that eight sections of five other highways – the New England/Cunningham, Flinders, Gore and Warrego — were even more dangerous than some stretches of the Bruce.
EVERYDAY AUSSIES AT TODAY’S BUSH SUMMIT NEED TO KNOW THEIR CONCERNS ARE BEING TAKEN SERIOUSLY. READ OUR EDITORIAL AND JOIN THE DISCUSSION
One heartbreaking Warrego Highway crash still haunts Stacey Benz, who held her mother May Bowen as she took her last breath after a crash with a truck at Oakey on May 7, 2020.
Ms Benz was travelling with her husband and two children, metres in front of her mother, and saw a crash in her rear-vision mirror as she turned off the highway on to Toowoomba Road.
“I’d run down. Mum was still alive at that time but unconscious. I just held her while she took her last breath and died there on the side of the road,” she said.
Ms Benz said she had not driven through that section of the highway since the crash, calling for urgent action to build an overpass to improve safety at the intersection.
“It’s quite a confusing area,” she said.
“Let’s do something to protect somebody else down the track, and every single tear was worth it to make sure that no one else has to lose their mum this way.”
The Bruce, New England, Warrego and Cunningham highways were all ranked among the 10 worst in the RACQ’s 2024 Unroadworthy Roads Survey.
Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg said he knew regional Queenslanders relied on more than just the Bruce Highway, with improvements to other high-risk corridors including the Mount Lindesay, Flinders, Cunningham, Landsborough, and Warrego highways ongoing.
He said this year’s record $42 billion Queensland Transport and Roads Infrastructure Program included a $25.5bn investment for road improvements alone.
Among this was a $369m boost to road maintenance funding.
“The number of fatal and serious crashes our highways is a tragic reminder of why the safety of our high-speed corridors remains a top priority for the Crisafulli Government,” he said.
“Every life lost is one too many, and my thoughts are with the families and communities affected.
“We will continue to listen to communities and deliver the infrastructure that keeps Queenslanders safe and connected.”
The Courier-Mail’s Help Our Highway campaign pushed the federal government to provide an additional $7.2b as part of a new $9bn package to significantly improve safety and upgrades on the Bruce Highway, while also restoring a historic 80:20 funding split with the state.
Twenty-one people have died on the Bruce Highway so far this year, in a heartbreaking but stark reminder of the urgent need for safety upgrades.
Data obtained from the Department of Transport and Main Roads shows that between January 1 and July 31, there have been 20 fatal crashes and 21 deaths along the 1,673km highway.
Just five days into that period, the federal and state government announced a $9bn investment package to urgently fix the beleaguered road, following a horrific 2024 where 42 people died in 34 fatal crashes and at least 444 people needed to be hospitalised.
Mr Mickelberg said the number of fatal and serious crashes was a tragic reminder of why the safety of the critical corridor remained a top priority.
“This investment is not just about bitumen and bridges – it’s about saving lives. We’re targeting the most dangerous sections of the highway with proven safety measures like wide centre line treatments, audio-tactile line marking, intersection upgrades, and new heavy vehicle rest areas. These upgrades are designed to reduce the most common causes of fatal crashes on the Highway – being run-off-road and head-on collisions,” he said.
Since the federal government agreed to an 80:20 funding split with the state in January and pledged $7.2 billion in extra investment, more than 40 projects have gotten underway with more in development.
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said that would go a long way to improving the safety of every road user, because every life lost was “heartbreaking”.
“Every dollar spent on the Bruce has road safety improvements front and centre, and we’re working closely with the Queensland Government to make the benefits of this investment a reality,” she said.
An initial $300m was earmarked for early works on 16 priority projects between Gympie and Innisfail, and a further seven projects in the pre-construction and design phase.
One project – pavement strengthening at Hencamp Creek north of Townsville – has already been completed.
RACQ head of public policy Michael Kane said the organisation’s priority was on ensuring upgrades target high-risk sections first, and on achieving a minimum three-star safety rating across the entire highway
“Queensland is having another horrific year on our roads, and the tragic death of 21 people in just seven months on the Bruce Highway is a stark reminder of the urgent need for safety upgrades,” he said.
“RACQ welcomes the progress under the Federal and State Government’s $9 billion joint package and supports the early works now underway to fix the Bruce.
“Every fatality is one too many, and we remain committed to advocating for safer roads that save lives.”
As of August 21, 192 people have died on Queensland roads so far this year, up from 188 over the same time least.
RACQ traffic and safety engineering manager Greg Miszkowycz said Queensland’s national highways were face mounting pressure from rising freight volumes and increasingly severe weather, and annual maintenance funding needed to be bolstered to meet the challenge.
“What’s needed is sustained investment in climate-resilient infrastructure using modern technology, to reduce future damage and lower overall cost in the long term,” he said.
“A priority list for safety upgrades on regional highways must also consider crash density, crashes per kilometre, to ensure funding delivers the greatest safety outcomes.
“Lower-volume roads such as the Barkly, Landsborough and Flinders are ranked lower on need for safety improvements due to their overall lower volume of traffic and crashes.
“But there are other reasons to continue to invest, such as flooding and maintenance improvements, to ensure community, tourist and freight routes remain open and are fit for purpose.”
To guide future strategic planning and transport provision, TMR has developed a suite of Regional Transport Plans (RTPs), which define intended development over a 15-year period.
TMR is undertaking a review to update all RTPs across the state with South East Queensland, Wide Bay Burnett, Fitzroy, Central West, and Mackay Isaac Whitsunday regions under way, and the Darling Downs and South West, among others, to commence next year.
QLD’S WORST REGIONAL ROADS
1. Bruce Highway: Rough, narrow, lacks overtaking opportunities and is prone to flooding and road damage/potholes.
2. Kennedy Highway: Narrow, rough, winding and slippery road with a lack of overtaking opportunities on the Kuranda Range section, which has also had landslips caused by Cyclone Jasper.
3. Mount Mee Road: Particularly the southern section from Dayboro to Mt Mee, is in extremely poor condition, having poor shoulders and lacking safe overtaking and passing opportunities.
4. Brisbane Valley Highway: Potholes, rough, narrow and requires many more overtaking lanes.
5. New England Highway: In very poor condition. Rough with potholes, an uneven/rutted surface. Flooding was also a concern.
6. Warrego Highway: Very poor condition due to damage caused by rain/flooding and heavy vehicles, especially between Dalby and Roma.
7. Yakapari Seaforth Road (Mackay): Rough, narrow and lacking overtaking lanes.
8. D’Aguilar Highway: Narrow, rough due to potholes and lacks overtaking opportunities, especially between Woodford and Kilcoy.
9. Peak Downs Highway: Rough, narrow, lacks overtaking opportunities and has poor shoulders.
10. Cunningham Highway: Rough, potholed, has poor shoulders and lacks overtaking opportunities.
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Originally published as Bush Summit: Qld’s most dangerous highways exposed
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