Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 18 September, I was delighted to inspect and open the newly upgraded section of the Bruce Highway between Cabbage Tree Creek and Carman Road, north of Gin Gin in Central Queensland, in my electorate of Flynn. The 6.7-kilometre Cabbage Tree Creek to Carman Road section was opened to traffic last Thursday. The upgrade is a major milestone in the government's resolve to fix the Bruce. Completion of these sections removes one of the worst, if not the worst, black spot sections of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns.

The federal government provided $60 million towards the $75 million project, which involved a major upgrade of two sections of the Bruce Highway north of Gin Gin: 6.7 kilometres between Cabbage Tree Creek and Carman Road, and 3.7 kilometres across Back Creek Range, alias the 'Big Dipper'. The project is part of the Australian government's Infrastructure Investment Program, which is providing a record $13.4 billion to build Queensland infrastructure.

The national highway from Brisbane to Cairns has just got a lot safer and a lot more pleasant to drive. Not only is it a significant improvement for road safety; it will reduce travel times and improve the efficiency of freight movements through the area. The new alignment is flatter and wider and has removed the tight turns from this section that used to give it its notorious reputation.