> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.carexplore.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# 17 Done, 16 Under Way: Where the Bruce Highway's $9 Billion Is Going
- URL: https://www.carexplore.com.au/17-done-16-under-way-where-the-bruce-highways-9-billion-is-going/
- Published: 2026-09-08T14:04:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-08T14:04:25.000Z
- Description: Traffic signals are going in at Mourilyan, pavement works are running between Bowen and Ingham, and more than 52 tenders are still to come this financial year.
- Author: Dylan Anderson
- Tags: Car News, Queensland, Road Safety, Road Works

Seventeen projects finished, 16 under construction and more than 52 tenders due before this financial year is out. That is where Queensland's $9 billion Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Program sits right now, and if you drive any stretch of the Bruce north of Gympie, orange cones are going to be part of your run for a while yet.

[QLD $9 Billion Bruce Highway Safety Upgrade Begins$9B in Bruce Highway upgrades kicks off with safety works from Gympie to Innisfail. Key projects include rest areas, overtaking lanes, and flood upgrades.![](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/icon/CarExplore-Favicon-282f1ac3-1e49-4a33-9e6a-f3fc4b4682f2.ico)CarExploreDylan Anderson![](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/2025/03/Bruce-Highway-Fix.webp)](https://www.carexplore.com.au/qld-9-billion-bruce-highway-safety-upgrade-begins/)

## The newest job: traffic signals at Mourilyan

Construction is due to start at the Bruce Highway's intersection with Mourilyan Harbour Road, south of Innisfail. Transport and Main Roads is installing traffic signals, a new signalised pedestrian crossing and footpaths, improved on-road cycling infrastructure and upgraded line marking.

Work is expected to begin from early September and be completed in mid-2027, weather and construction conditions permitting. The department says the upgrade will improve connectivity within the Mourilyan township while supporting freight access to and from the Port of Mourilyan.

## What changes for you while it is being built

Temporary traffic changes, including reduced speed limits, will be in place during construction. Transport and Main Roads says two-way traffic will be maintained wherever possible, but it is asking motorists to plan ahead and allow extra travel time. On a job running into mid-2027, that is not a one-weekend detour. It is the new normal at that intersection for the best part of two years.

## Where the $9 billion is actually going

Mourilyan is one piece of the $9 billion Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Program, funded on an 80:20 basis by the Albanese and Crisafulli Governments and delivering safety improvements at priority locations between Gympie and Cairns. Since the program was first announced in 2025, 17 projects have been completed and another 16 are currently under construction. You can read the full [ministerial statement here](https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/105982?ref=carexplore.com.au).

Pavement strengthening is also underway at 10 locations between Bowen and Ingham. The department says those works will improve the durability and resilience of the highway while supporting safer and more reliable journeys. Unglamorous, but it is the difference between a surface that holds and one that does not.

It is worth being clear about what this program covers. The Targeted Safety Program delivers key safety treatments to priority sections north of Gympie with a high safety risk. It runs alongside the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program, which covers the full 1,671.3km from Pine River to Cairns and focuses on capacity, safety and flood resilience.

> Installing traffic signals and improving the intersection will make it safer and easier for motorists travelling through Mourilyan, while supporting freight movements along one of North Queensland's most important transport corridors.

That is Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg, in the statement announcing the works.

## More worksites are coming, not fewer

More than 52 tenders are scheduled for release this financial year, so the pipeline gets busier from here rather than quieter. If your regular drive sits anywhere on the Bruce north of Gympie, plan on meeting more roadworks over the next couple of years, not fewer, and build the extra minutes into your trip before you leave rather than after you are already stuck behind a stop-slow paddle.

[QLD's Big New Bruce Highway Upgrades$500M in safety upgrades announced for Bruce Highway, improving road surfaces and reducing crashes between Gympie and Cairns.![](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/icon/CarExplore-Favicon-282f1ac3-1e49-4a33-9e6a-f3fc4b4682f2.ico)CarExploreDylan Anderson![](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/2025/11/QLD-Bruce-Highway-Upgrade-intersection.webp)](https://www.carexplore.com.au/qlds-big-new-bruce-highway-upgrades/)

*Source: Queensland Government ministerial media statement, Minister for Transport and Main Roads, 4 September 2026, and the Department of Transport and Main Roads ‘A better Bruce Highway’ program page.*