bruce highway road report please?

[v8falconsrule]

hi all, just a quick request... i am going to be travelling on qld's bruce highway from bundy north to townsville early next week.

how are the roads since the big wet? any big delays or particularly bad areas to watch for?

will be the first big trip for the g6, really looking forward to it too.

[2011G6E]

Erm...probably the best answer is to say "once you get onto the Bruce highway at Bundy, take care until you get to, oh, the outskirts of Townsville...it'll all be crap of one sort or another..."

Seriously though, watch it. They've been doing roadworks around Rocky down towards Mt Larcom, but there are still a lot of iffy bits of road. Watch the edges as the damn trucks have pushed up ridges that have turned into holes...quite amazingly big holes...in some places.

It's not too bad...but it changes the more heavy traffic it gets.

[flappist]

Go hard Ivan, if the fearless XY can make it surely the toybo will have no probs.
Just stay out of the water and watch out for potholes......and coppers between GinGin & Gladstone AND Marlborough to Sarina....

[v8falconsrule]

yeah we'll be leaving in the wee small hours, so will have eyes as big as dinner plates watching for potholes, wallopers and skippy roos.

how did the rally go tony? i imagine it'd be a blast to do an event like that.

[dave351cid]

they have been busy patching up between Miriam Vale and Calliope and its not that bad now, still a couple of unsealed patches south of benaraby today but they should be done by the time you come through. looks like they are getting ready to do a major reseal with lots of gravel stock piled so hopefully you miss that or there could be stone chips and tar spots.

they have been busy on the Finger Board road (back road from bundy / miriam vale) as well and should just about be finished it . they were resealing a lot of it this week i think so it should be fine by the time you come past.

watch out for a crappy green coloured nissan pathfinder wagon parked on the side of the road, thats an unmarked camera car from gladstone. also a marked white nissan patrol wagon camera car.
an unmarked white commodore ute and a dark burgundy/ brown XR6 sedan (unmarked also). plus the usual mix of candy cars and white patrol cars that are around . this is not a good area for stretching the speed limit.

[MrsLow006]

Bruce highway - I thought they stopped calling it that years ago - when the QLD govt decided to keep taking the rego fees off us up here but putting the money else where and the highway fell into disrepair to become the goat track it is. I tell you make sure you get a wheel alingement when you hit Townsville. Pot holes are a b.... and even harder to see at night. I swear I saw a B double disappear into a pothole outside Townsville the other day. Look up china cause that where he was likely gonna turn up. And the Popo have been hitting it hard - so saucer eyes on the speedo too.

[v8falconsrule]

yeah not likely to be pushing too hard, i'll have the automated 'smack around the head' speed alert bolted into the left seat too.

thanks all for the replies, pretty much confirmed my assumptions, which is a forecast of poholes and work areas, breifly broken up by intact roads....

[MrsLow006]

Originally Posted by v8falconsrule

yeah not likely to be pushing too hard, i'll have the automated 'smack around the head' speed alert bolted into the left seat too.

- I hope she gives you an extra one for bolting her to the seat

[MrsLow006]

Actually you should try and come up for the Ford vs Holden day in July
See my signature - Roads might have tar on them by then

[J.C.]

I have just travelled the Peak Downs highway from Moranbah to Mackay on Saturday and Tuesday. It's a mess headed in. Worse when travelliing back (trucks are generally loaded from Mackay heading inland and empty heading back).
The road from Mackay to Ayr was pretty good to be honest with some minor roadwork activity. Few small potholes here and there. Just don't travel where the majority of the traffic or trucks travel. Position your car just off the drive line.
Honestly saw more police cars then potholes, so sticking to the speed limit or thereabout is recommended. This allows for plenty of reaction time just in case you have to avoid a pothole or rutt, not to mention keep the boys off your back.

[bigbretty]

most of the holes have been fixed or patched between gin gin and miriam vale with a few more to go in bororen and on the way through. the worst areas are the actual wheel tracks, so be mindful of that when driving especially with what i suspect would be 19's on your G6E turbo?

[blackf6]

watch out for where the is soft patches of bitumen that have pushed up into a ridge. as if your car is lowered you can easily rip the front bumper off. and hit the wrong pot hole and you will damage a rim. probably advisable to drive during the daylight hours as your chance of spotting a pothole is better, and follow far enough back from the vehicle in front so you have time to react if they hit a pot hole. and if it is raining be extremally cautious as the pot holes will be hidden in puddles. most of the damaged road between st lawrence and bowen has been repaired at this stage.

[2011G6E]

Yep, forgot that vital piece of information...stick exactly to, or maybe a bit under, the speed limit between Miriam Vale and probably slightly north of Mt Larcom (especially the ten kilometers or so north of Mt Larcom...they sit there with almost clockwork regularity). It's a well known speed camera hiding zone, at all hours of the day and night.
Interestingly, you will note that the council helps them out by not slashing the side of the road much except for the areas where the camera van hides.

If you are coming up from Bundy via the Rosedale Road "back road" to Miriam Vale, watch the potholes and roadworks.

And make sure you stop for a sausage roll at Miriam Vale roadhouse as you leave town...

[4stanger]

Anyone from regional Queensland knows what to expect!
Recently ( last month or so) I have driven on the Bruce Highway to Brisbane and to Cairns (from Rockhampton). Road conditions are good & terrible, just drive to the conditions. The road networks in Cairns and Townsville are quite good compared to other regional cities. However the approach to Townsville from the south has been forgotten as the bridges between Ayr and Townsville are quite narrow. On the other side of Townsville heading north to Cairns there is a 4 lane highway for a good 10ks or so. Townsville forum members please explain why this doesn't happen on the southern approach to your city from Ayr?
To anyone travelling up this way, Please be aware, that with all the recent rainfall there would be an obvious population explotion with wildlife, wildlife are not very smart with vehicles travelling on the roads.
Also from Rockhampton north, there are bugger all overtaking lanes, so please be patient with your decision making with overtaking slower vehicles.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by Arnaldo

Anyone from regional Queensland knows what to expect!
Recently ( last month or so) I have driven on the Bruce Highway to Brisbane and to Cairns (from Rockhampton). Road conditions are good & terrible, just drive to the conditions. The road networks in Cairns and Townsville are quite good compared to other regional cities. However the approach to Townsville from the south has been forgotten as the bridges between Ayr and Townsville are quite narrow. On the other side of Townsville heading north to Cairns there is a 4 lane highway for a good 10ks or so. Townsville forum members please explain why this doesn't happen on the southern approach to your city from Ayr?
To anyone travelling up this way, Please be aware, that with all the recent rainfall there would be an obvious population explotion with wildlife, wildlife are not very smart with vehicles travelling on the roads.
Also from Rockhampton north, there are bugger all overtaking lanes, so please be patient with your decision making with overtaking slower vehicles.

The southern approach from ayr to townsville has finally been given money to be upgraded to 4 lanes from basically the turn off from the dump all the way to the 4lanes at the intersection of bowen rd and lavarack drive.

The roads have improved a lot actually from Ayr to Townsville, Only one section from memory is crap. Townsville to Ingham i can think of 3 small sections that are still crap.

The worst problem is that from Rocky to Cairns a lack of overtaking lanes!

[v8falconsrule]

thanks again for all your replies, i knew i could rely on you guys for good info.

[Big Bird 17]

I think the best advice is don't relax.Those low profile rims are going to love it.I hate driving my car around Mackay, all you do is weave around the potholes.I don't think the main highway will be very good because all the main inland highways are shocking.Safe driving.