The sunshine state’s biggest-ever road upgrade program will get underway this year.

Queensland businesses, tradies and contractors are gearing up for the jobs bonanza, with the Palaszczuk Government continuing its record $23 billion roads and transport rollout.

Visiting the jointly-funded $812 million Bruce Highway upgrade on the Sunshine Coast, Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said shovels would hit the ground in 2020 on major projects along the length of the Bruce Highway as well as on billions of dollars’ worth of upgrades for the M1, Capricorn Highway, Ipswich Motorway and Smithfield Bypass.

“From Weipa to Coolangatta, the outback to the coast, thousands of tradies are getting on with the job of building new roads,” Mr Bailey said.

More than 21,500 jobs will be supported by the $23 billion roads and transport investment, including 13,500 jobs for regional Queensland.

“Queenslanders are already seeing major road projects nearing completion in places like Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Central Queensland, Wide Bay, the south east and across regional Queensland, but that’s just the tip of iceberg.

Mr Bailey said major projects getting underway in 2020 included:

$1 billion Bruce Highway upgrade Cooroy to Curra Section D– 576 jobs

$1 billion M1 upgrade from Varsity Lakes to Tugun near the NSW border – 837 jobs

$662 million Bruce Highway upgrade from Caboolture to Steve Irwin Way – 664 jobs

$481 million Bruce Highway upgrade from Edmonton to Gordonvale in Cairns – 466 jobs

$749 million M1 and busway upgrade at Logan – 721 jobs

$712 million Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A – 760 jobs

$550 million Sunshine Coast rail upgrade – 333 jobs

$301 million Bruce Highway upgrade at Maroochydore Road and Mons Road interchanges – 382 jobs

$110 million Mackay Northern Access upgrade – 154 jobs

$150 million Bruce Highway interchange upgrade at Deception Bay – 270 jobs

$44.5 million Springfield Central park ‘n’ ride upgrade – 44 jobs

Major projects already underway include:

$104 million Cairns Southern Access upgrade from Kate Street to Aumuller Street – 113 jobs

$514 million Haughton River Floodplain project at Giru, 40km south of Townsville – 544 jobs

$497 million Mackay Ring Road – 534 jobs

$121 million Rockhampton Northern Access Upgrade – 260 jobs

$75 million Capricorn Highway duplication, Gracemere – 187 jobs

$812 million Bruce Highway upgrade from Caloundra Road to the Sunshine Motorway – 680 jobs

$400 million Ipswich Motorway upgrade from Rocklea to Darra – 471 jobs

$195 million M1/M3 merge upgrade – 257 jobs

$152 million Smithfield Bypass in Cairns – 115 jobs

$197.5 million M1 upgrade from Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes – 257 jobs

$80 million Sumners Road interchange – 105 jobs

Warrego Highway upgrade at the Chinchilla open level crossing

“Not only are we building new roads, more than 6,000 tradies are helping to maintain the state’s 33,000km road network thanks to $1 billion for road maintenance.

“We built the $1.6 billion Toowoomba Bypass, $1 billion upgrade on the Gateway Motorway to link our ports with the Bruce Highway, and opened up the $512 million Logan Enhancement Project – and we’re not letting our foot off the pedal.

Mr Bailey thanked drivers for their patience to-date and urged drivers to heed the instructions of road crews as they upgrades get underway.

“We want everyone to get to home safely, including our hardworking road crews.”