AFTER four decades of neglect, flood-proofing the Bruce Highway would require a $5.3 billion funding commitment, including $2.8 billion between Mackay and Cairns.

Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace yesterday released a report outlining the inadequacies of the 1600km section of the nation’s east coast highway between Brisbane and Cairns.

The report identified $800 million was needed to fix flooding problems in the Ingham area alone.

Mr Wallace said it would take a “generational” commitment to solve the Bruce Highway debacle.

The report showed that 36 spots between Mackay and Cairns had been cut in the past three wet seasons.

Mr Wallace said the report made sobering reading and called on both Labor and the Coalition at federal level to recognise the enormity of the task and  make a long-term commitment to pay for the work.

“The social and economic costs of flooding on the Bruce Highway are massive,” Mr Wallace said.

“The report shows the challenge regional Queenslanders face to reduce flood-induced closures on the State’s north-south artery.

“What we have experienced this wet season is a symptom of the neglect of our national highway in Queensland by both sides of federal politics for the past 40 years.

“People in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra wouldn’t put up with it, so why should Queenslanders?”

The report, prepared by the Main Roads Department Investment Funding Unit, dealt only with flood-proofing and the $5.3 billion figure did not take into account any other upgrades to the highway.

Most of the Bruce Highway is single lane each way.

The report comes at the end of one of the wettest spring-summer seasons on record, which had left North Queenslanders angry and frustrated.

And the heavy rains showed no sign of easing.

The report said the section between Brisbane and Gympie would cost $1.3 billion to fix, with a similar amount needed to
flood-proof the stretch between Gympie and Mackay. “A total of $5.3 billion is obviously a massive request,” he said.

“That’s why we need both sides of politics in Canberra to commit over a generation to fix this problem once and for all.”
The report set a maximum closure time of 48 hours for a one-in 50-year flood and identified 36 sites that did not meet that criteria, with eight sites causing major delays located between Mackay and Cairns.

They included Yellow Gin Creek, and the Haughton and Burdekin rivers south of Townsville, as well as the Herbert and Seymour rivers and Arnot Creek to the north.

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