The Bruce Highway is Queensland’s major north–south corridor, connecting coastal population centres from Brisbane to Cairns. The highway is part of Queensland’s Priority Freight Network and forms part of the National Land Transport Network.

With Queensland’s freight task expected to double between 2010–11 and 2025–26, the highway will have to accommodate a significant increase in freight volumes. The highway plays a key role in connecting regional centres and facilitating significant freight movements.

The problems identified along the Bruce Highway include: safety concerns, poor flooding immunity, poor connectivity to regional centres and capacity constraints around key economic clusters.

The problems identified along the highway are largely driven by increased traffic volumes associated with population and economic growth, resulting in congestion around key economic hubs. This diminishes Queensland’s freight productivity.