The Bruce Highway Upgrade Project consists of 7km of highway upgrade between Caloundra Road Interchange and the Sunshine Motorway from 4 lanes to 6 lanes along with the upgrade of Caloundra Road / Steve Irwin Way and the Sunshine Motorway to 4 lanes. In addition to this, the Service Interchange at Caloundra Road and the System Interchange at Sunshine Motorway are to be upgraded.  A new Service Road is to be provided to the west of the highway to provide access to the residences and Aussie World, as a result of removing the existing highway ramps at Pignata / Frizzo Road, along with Shared Path Provisions in accordance with the SEQ Principal Cycle Network.

HDR, as a Sub-Consultant to the Design Joint Venture, was involved in the option development and concept design on the mainline. HDR also supported the design of the interchanges, including a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) at Caloundra, which will be the first constructed in Queensland. In addition, there were 25 new bridges, together with drainage structures, fauna crossings and a pedestrian underpass. Bridges range from multispan deck unit bridges with insitu RC decks supported on driven piles to Super T Girder bridges, both simply supported and integrally supported on bored piles.

There were several significant challenges on the project, including:

• Minimising the impact on the environmentally sensitive area at the Beerwah State Forest.
• The hydraulically challenging Mooloolah River Flood Plain and the Sippy Creek Catchment, which controlled highway road levels.
• The existing concrete pavement on the northbound carriageway, was is in a generally poor condition, requiring appropriate mitigation strategies.

This project highlights HDR’s proven capability in delivering complex highway and interchange solutions, including innovative designs such as the Diverging Diamond Interchange and 25 new bridge structures. By collaborating closely with civil contractors and geometric designers, HDR optimised outcomes for constructability, safety, and performance and successfully contributing to one of Queensland’s most significant infrastructure upgrades.