Bruce Highway to get smart with Intelligent Transport System Infrastructure

14/12/2017

Bruce Highway to get smart with Intelligent Transport System Infrastructure

• Funding announced for transport technology system on Bruce Highway
• New system includes CCTV cameras, electronic signage and flood warning systems
• Project will reduce crashes, delays and improve flood immunity

The Australian Government has approved funding for a $56 million Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to deliver a safety warning system along the length of the Bruce Highway – giving drivers immediate updates on the status of the road ahead.

Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien said this state-of-the-art new system will be rolled out at strategic locations along the highway, including across the Wide Bay Burnett region.

The signs will include CCTV allowing for a live overview of incident- and flood-prone areas, as well as real-time flood warning systems allowing staff to open and close roads or update signage as conditions change.

It will also feature electronic signage to advise motorists of delays, emergencies, traffic conditions and other useful information, and a vehicle detection system will allow road operations staff to know real flow of traffic by counting vehicles and will be able to work with other systems to trigger an alarm when abnormal conditions are detected.

“This will reduce the duration of road closures during flooding, shorten travel times for motorists and reduce crashes by alerting drivers to conditions, making the Bruce Highway safer for all road users,” Mr O’Brien said.

“It’s important to keep road users informed of changing traffic conditions and these signs contribute to safer roads by assisting drivers to make better informed choices when accidents or disasters impact on traffic flow.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester was joined by Federal Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd and Federal Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry to announce the system and said delays and associated safety issues along the corridor were a major cause of driver frustration.

“The warning system to be delivered thanks to this investment will create a much safer and more efficient highway and help reduce frustration by letting drivers know about lane closures, accidents, flooding or any other major delays on the highway,” Mr Chester said.

“The Bruce Highway is one of the busiest highways in Australia and this important investment in traffic and congestion management will help change lives and save lives.

“The ITS infrastructure will consist of 473 items, including CCTV cameras to identify and confirm traffic incidents, electronic signage and Bluetooth detection systems and flood warning mechanisms.

“As part of the joint $8.5 billion, 10 year Bruce Highway Upgrade Program, this project will also significantly improve flood monitoring, which means road closures can be better planned and drivers will have more information to help them choose the best route.”

Implementation of the ITS infrastructure is expected to begin late 2019 and be completed mid-2021.

The Bruce Highway Road Operations Improvements project is jointly funded with the Australian Government committing up to $44.8 million and the Queensland Government committing up to $11.2 million.

The 10 year Bruce Highway Upgrade Program is funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, with the Australian Government contributing up to $6.7 billion.