Anyone who has driven from Brisbane to Cairns will be aware of the disgraceful state of the Bruce Highway.
In stark contrast to the main highways in the South East corner of Queensland, the Northern part of the Bruce Highway is potholed, patched, narrow excuse for a road that has many sections that flood, isolating communities for up to weeks at a time, whenever there is a good Tropical downpour. Such downpours occur EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
After years of neglect, the Labor Party in the lead up to the 2007 Federal Election, made the following undertaking to begin work on the much needed upgrade to the Bruce Highway:  

Press Release by Jim Turnour on his website: http://www.jimturnour.com.au
5 November 2007 

Cairns will be a big winner under Labor's $2.2 billion plan to upgrade the Bruce Highway, with nearly $200 million to clear congestion and reduce flooding in the Far North.

In Cairns today, Shadow Minister for Transport, Roads and Tourism, Martin Ferguson, said Labor's $2.2 billion package included $150 million to fix a 2km section from Sheehy Road to Ray Jones Drive and $40 million to raise the southern approach to the Mulgrave River Bridge.

Mr Ferguson said the Bruce Highway had been neglected for over a decade.

"Labor understands Cairns is booming.  An extra 7 500 people have moved here in the last five years alone, most to the corridor south of the city.

"The Bruce is the only road into the city, but under Mr Howard it's grinding to a halt.

"Labor's $200 million plan will fix a major bottleneck, boost safety and ensure Cairns isn't cut off for days after heavy rains.  It's an investment in Cairns' future."

Labor's plan will:

• Build a 3^rd inbound lane on Ray Jones Drive
• Construct road overpasses at Ray Jones Drive and Sheehy Road
• Eliminate rail crossings at Sheehy Road and Anderson Road
• Provide service roads either side of the Highway to enable Anderson Road traffic signals to be removed
• Set up a sophisticated traffic management system to monitor flows and manage traffic incidents
• Raise the southern approach to the Mulgrave River Bridge

Mr Ferguson said 50 000 vehicles a day use the Highway from Ray Jones Drive to Sheehy Road, and in the last five years there were 102 crashes resulting in 13 fatalities or serious injuries.

"This road needs to be fixed.  Cairns is home to nearly 125 000 people, but Mr Howard's package delivered next to nothing for the Far North.

"That's not good enough for Labor and that's why a Rudd Labor government would invest nearly $200 million in these two projects."

Labor candidate for Leichhardt, Jim Turnour, welcomed the $200 million plan and said the projects would be a major boost for Cairns commuters.

"An extra 2 000 vehicles a year use the Highway every day, creating gridlock in peak periods and queues of cars back along the Highway and Ray Jones Drive.

"Labor's $200 million plan will slash travel times, providing relief for thousands of frustrated motorists.

"It will also improve safety by eliminating two level crossings where cars conflict with trains and by providing an overpass at Sheehy Road for residents on the west of the Highway to access schools on the eastern side," Mr Turnour said.

"All too often I hear about near misses at this intersection.  Our plan will eliminate them by separating highway and school traffic.  Mums and dads, and kids on bikes will no longer have to battle with trucks and other traffic to get to and from school."

The project will also improve access to the Cairns Port via Ray Jones Drive, making it an investment in the city's economic future.

"This is the sort of infrastructure boost that will deliver benefits to the Far North for decades to come," Mr Turnour said.

Labor's $40 million plan to raise the southern approach to the Mulgrave River Bridge, 24km south of Cairns, will boost flood immunity in severe storms.

Mr Turnour said that when the Mulgrave River floods, the Bruce Highway can be cut for days.

"The Howard Government provided funding in 2006 to fix the Mulgrave River Bridge, but not the southern approach.  This means in a severe storm the bridge will be dry, but you won't be able to reach it because the road to the south will be under water.

"Labor will allocate an extra $40 million to do the job properly and build 2.5km of better Highway south of the bridge."

"Mr Howard has ignored the Bruce Highway for 11 long years and North Queenslanders are driving on a road that people in the rest of Australia would never put up with," Mr Turnour said.

Mr Ferguson said that today's announcements meant $640 million out of Labor's almost $2.2 billion plan for the Bruce would be spent from Sarina to Cairns - with more commitments to come for the North.  Labor's projects so far include:

• $60 million for up to 30 extra overtaking lanes between Sarina and Cairns, a 60% increase
• $90 million to realign the northern side of the Cardwell Range, improving safety and eliminating a train crossing
• $40 million towards the Gairloch Floodway near Ingham
• $55 million to duplicate the Douglas Arterial to four lanes
• $110 million to build four lanes from Vantassel Street to the Flinders Highway
• $95 million for the Townsville Port Access Road
• $150 million to upgrade the southern approach to Cairns from Sheehy Road to Ray Jones Drive
• $40 million to raise the southern approach to Mulgrave River Bridge

Labor will spend $155 million more on the Bruce Highway than the Coalition by redirecting some of the money saved by providing a $1.1 billion Ipswich Motorway upgrade instead of the Coalition's controversial $2.3 billion Goodna Bypass.