WORK to widen the Bruce Highway south of Townsville to accommodate for the new housing development at Elliot Springs is complete ahead of schedule.
The $9 million project to widen and strengthen a section the road near Julago and Nome is part of a broader pavement widening package works between south of Home Hill and Ingham, being delivered under an $8.5 billion, 10-year Bruce Highway Upgrade Program
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Barnaby Joyce said the $9 million project would improve the safety, access and reliability of the highway.
“Building a better safer Bruce Highway is all part of keeping our coastal Queensland communities connected, improving driver safety and giving businesses every opportunity to succeed. More than 7,000 vehicles use this section of the highway each day – many of them heavy vehicles – and these works have made the pavement more resistant to wear and tear,” Mr Joyce said.
Dawson MP George Christensen said the works would help save lives.
“Two sections of the highway, between Three Sisters Road and Billabong Sanctuary, and between Billabong Sanctuary and the Sunbird Motel, have been upgraded. One-metre-wide centreline treatments and audio tactile line marking have been applied as part of this project, both of which greatly reduce the risk of head-on collisions,” Mr Christensen said.
“Not only have we delivered for Queensland motorists, but I’m proud to say the works were completed well ahead of schedule.”