The Bruce Highway returned to the top of RACQ’s Unroadworthy Roads list in 2022 after being overtaken by Kin Kin Road in 2020.

More than 1,500 nominations were received from drivers in response to the Club’s survey, which asked drivers to pinpoint problem stretches of road in their community.

Drivers highlighted issues on 556 different roads across the sunshine state, with the Bruce Highway receiving 267 nominations.

The Club’s Traffic and Safety Engineering Manager Gregory Miszkowycz said respondents pointed out a broad range of issues with the Bruce Highway.

“Our members have called out the Bruce Highway in a big way and their criticism stretches from south east Queensland to far north Queensland,” Mr Miszkowycz said.

“Even with significant amounts of funding being directed to the Bruce Highway over many years, recent rain and flooding, combined with heavy traffic, has resulted in potholes and other surface damage.

“People’s main concerns about the highway are that the surface is rough, some sections are too narrow, riddled with potholes, lack safe overtaking opportunities, and easily flood.

“There were some parts of the highway that received more nominations than others, especially around Rockhampton, the stretch from Mackay to Bowen and Ingham to Innisfail.

“We know there’s a lot of work being done on the Bruce Highway but RACQ is calling for these upgrades to be delivered faster, especially with the recent flooding which caused significant disruptions up north just weeks ago.”

Read the full report with interactive map

 Kin Kin Road, in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, received the second highest number of nominations from concerned motorists, followed by Old Maroochydore Road, also on the Sunshine Coast.

Mount Mee Road, at D'Aguilar, came in fourth and the Cunningham Highway, in the Darling Downs, took fifth spot.

Mr Miszkowycz said the most common problem highlighted by drivers was rough road surfaces, making up 78% of responses.

“All the roads in the top 10 list have many things in common: rough surfaces, poor shoulders, narrow lanes and a lack of overtaking opportunities.

“We had plenty of wet weather in 2022 leading to more potholes and road damage which is frustrating drivers.

“We need targeted investment to ensure road upgrades are dedicated to safety, maintenance, rehabilitation and resilience, especially with traffic increasing and more frequent and extreme weather events expected in years to come.”

RACQ has provided the survey results to the Department of Transport and Main Roads and relevant Councils in a bid to identify and fast-track upgrades to roads.

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