The Bruce Highway is Queensland’s major north-south freight and commuter corridor. It connects coastal population centres from Brisbane to Cairns and forms a key part of the National Land Transport Network. At the Bruce Highway’s southern end, the highway intersects with the Gateway Motorway, a key freight route that allows traffic to bypass the Brisbane CBD.

The section of the Bruce Highway between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue (north of the Gateway Motorway and the Pine River) is a six-lane motorway, with insufficient capacity to meet travel demand during peak periods. This is leading to problems of congestion, safety and reduced freight productivity. These issues are consistent with the nationally significant problems faced along other sections of the highway, as outlined in the Bruce Highway upgrade listing on the Infrastructure Priority List.

Additionally, the absence of north-facing ramps onto the highway at the Dohles Rocks Road interchange leads to further congestion on the surrounding road network.                                                                                                                

The proposal aims to ease congestion and improve safety and productivity by widening the Bruce Highway from six lanes to eight lanes between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue and providing on and off ramps at the southern end. It represents one of three upgrades being planned as part of the Gateway Motorway and Bruce Highway upgrades, which also includes the Bruce Highway - Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road project and the Gateway Motorway - Bracken Ridge to Pine River project.

To date, the Australian Government has committed $200m to the project for Package 1. Further funding is sought for packages 2 and 3.