Contracts are being advertised to deliver the next major Bruce Highway upgrade planned between Brisbane and Gympie.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the $662.5 million upgrade between Caboolture-Bribie Island Road and Steve Irwin Way (Exit 163) would widen the highway from four to six lanes.
"The upgrade will also include the construction of 10 new three-lane bridges at five notorious creek crossings," Mr McCormack said.
"The Expression of Interest process is the next major step in this project, which will future-proof one of Australia's most significant freight corridors."
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the upgrade, expected to support up to 700 jobs during construction, was one of a series of major Bruce Highway projects that had funding locked in.
"The upgrade between Caloundra Road and Sunshine Motorway has really started to take shape and has transformed that key turn-off of the Sunshine Coast," Mr Bailey said.
"Later this year, construction will start on the final major upgrade between Cooroy and Curra, as well on the Mons Road and Maroochydore Road interchanges.
"Together, these projects worth more than two billion dollars and are set to transform about 140kms of the Bruce Highway from Caboolture to Curra in the coming years, keeping pace with growth and providing a quicker trip to the beach for visitors to the region."
Federal Member for Longman Terry Young said the Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way project would upgrade about 11 kilometres of the Bruce Highway from a four-lane to a six-lane, divided carriageway between the Caboolture-Bribie Island Road interchange and the southern end of Steve Irwin Way.
"Improving flood immunity on the Bruce is critical to supporting our freight network and maintaining access to our communities during severe weather events," Mr Young said.
"The Federal Government is proud to be funding 80 per cent of this project. It forms part of our record $100 billion pipeline of infrastructure projects across the nation getting people to where they need to be sooner and safer."
Andrew Wallace the Federal Member for Fisher said the project would deliver 10 new three-lane bridges at Lagoon Creek, King Johns Creek, Six Mile Creek, Rose Creek and Beerburrum Creek.
"Those bridges will be built to withstand 1 in 100-year flood levels," Mr Wallace said.
"Reducing the highway's potential to be cut off during major flood events is a key part of the design in this upgrade.
"These works will not only improve the highway's capacity and flood immunity, but also increase the shoulder width to allow vehicles to safely pull over in case of a crash or emergency while allowing traffic to continue to flow."
The $662.5 million Bruce Highway Upgrade Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way (Exit 163) project is funded on an 80/20 basis by the Australian ($530 million) and Queensland ($132.5 million) Governments.
This project is being delivered under the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program (BHUP), a program delivering $12.6 billion of works over a 15-year period.
