Extra lanes and side roads have been proposed for a congested stretch of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads on Wednesday outlined its preferred solution for the 19km section between Anzac Avenue at Mango Hill and Caboolture-Bribie Island Road at Caboolture.
The plan includes adding northbound and southbound lanes within the existing median to increase capacity from three to four lanes in each direction between Anzac Avenue and Uhlmann Road.
Between Uhlmann Road and Caboolture-Bribie Island Road, multi-lane, one-way collector-distributor roads are proposed on both sides of the highway.
TMR said these roads were the most viable option for that section, which includes three interchanges and multiple service centre accesses in close proximity.
“These roads will separate shorter trips from highway traffic and distribute it to the local road network while reducing the number of highway access points,” the department stated.
TMR said it considered adding lanes through the northern section but ruled it out due to the number and spacing of interchanges and access points.
“Frequent traffic merging and weaving actions through this section cause significant disruption to traffic flow, and investigations confirmed additional traffic lanes alone would not meet the needs of this rapidly growing region into the future,” it said.
The preferred option was informed by technical investigations and community feedback from October and November 2023 and is now available to view on TMR’s website.
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Property acquisitions are likely.
“By identifying the preferred solution, it enables TMR to discuss future, sensitive property matters with adjacent landowners where impacts could not be avoided,” it said.
TMR said it was prioritising engagement with affected landowners and encouraged residents and motorists to have their say by September.
The Australian and Queensland governments have committed $34 million to develop business cases for the upgrades, with $27.2 million from the federal government and $6.8 million from the state.
Additional funding has been committed for detailed design and construction between Anzac Avenue and Uhlmann Road, with total funding requirements to be confirmed once a construction contract is awarded.
