The Bruce Highway upgrade is now fully open for use, giving safety and improved travel times a boost at the Deception Bay Road interchange in Queensland’s south-east.
The $163.3 million project has officially opened to road users with all six traffic lanes now able to use.
The Bruce Highway Upgrade is the largest road infrastructure program to happen in Queensland. The aim of the upgrade was to improve safety, flood resilience, and capacity along the length and breadth of the highway between Brisbane and Cairns.
Starting on 1 July 2013, the program was initially developed as an $8.5 billion ten-year commitment jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments.
Related stories
- Sydney-first train testing begins under Sydney Harbour
- Fed Gov to review multibillion-dollar Infrastructure Investment Program
- New Deer Park station and road rail bridge now open
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said the benefits of the upgrade can now come to fruition.
“The two new, wider and larger bridges over the highway are getting local motorists home sooner and safely,” King said.
“The new active transport facilities have created safe routes for people walking and riding their bikes, giving greater incentive to leave the car at home and make active travel choices.”
The major interchange upgrade at Deception Bay Road, as part of the highway’s upgrade, included replacing the old, four-lane bridge over the Bruce Highway at Burpengary with two larger, wider bridges to accommodate six lanes of traffic.
The intersections at either end of the interchange were also upgraded, along with improved highway entry and exit ramps, including new loops.
Active-transport facilities have been built, including shared pathways, a pedestrian bridge and underpass to give bike riders and people walking connectivity across the highway.
Over coming months, final works are expected to be carried out to surface the road, install Intelligent Transport Systems and relocate the Heavy Vehicle Interception Site closer to the interchange.