Highway hell
Fewer Band-aid solutions and more serious planning to fix woeful Bruce Hwy is needed
Anyone who has travelled along the Bruce Highway — for a short time or a long journey — knows how problematic the stretch is to anyone getting behind the wheel.
NRMA Insurance surveyed more than 1000 people for News Corp to ask motorists to share their thoughts and concerns about Queensland’s major highway.
And reading Alice River bus driver Denis Moynihan’s thoughts, it appears there are more problems than there are potholes along the Bruce.
“Uneven surfaces, potholes and all the rest of it so, for example, the grey nomads and their caravans when they get along, they’re getting chucked around all over the road, particularly if their cars are a little bit light for the caravans,” he told photojournalist Evan Morgan.
He said the conditions of the roads were ‘crap’ compared to down south closer to Brisbane.
“The funding doesn’t seem to come much further north than Maryborough or somewhere like that.”
He’s spot on.
The Bruce Highway from Brisbane to Gympie is a breeze to drive. Plenty of overtaking lanes, rest stops and safety markers as a continuation of the generally wellmaintained and upgraded Pacific Motorway to the Gold Coast.
But from Gympie, north? Roads that look more like Swiss cheese, limited overtaking lanes and an undersupply of rest areas.
Elsewhere, driving through countryside Victoria, New South Wales and even Tasmania in parts, most major highways are two-lane, and often with a median strip separating the opposing lanes of traffic.
Many rural highways in other parts of the country also have plentiful rest areas, lighting and safety markers.
Over the coming week, the Townsville Bulletin will continue to highlight the safety concerns on the Bruce Highway, speaking to experts as well as motorists who traverse it regularly as we call for serious action on the road.
Do you have a horror Bruce Highway story to tell? Email letters@townsvillebulletin.com.a u or get in touch with us on social media to share your views.