The Liberal National Party has pledged $440 million towards a $33 billion upgrade to almost 1500km of Queensland's major coastal highway.
Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington has promised to immediately launch a $50 million study on widening the Bruce Highway into a four-lane road between Curra, north of Gympie, and Cairns if she's elected premier on October 31.
The LNP estimates a full highway upgrade will take 15 years and cost $33 billion, 80 per cent of which they want the federal government to fund.
"The LNP will build a faster, safer and more resilient Bruce Highway," Ms Frecklington said on Sunday.
"Our plan for the Bruce is bold and ambitious, but I believe Queensland must start building for the future.
"That's why the LNP's economic plan also includes the New Bradfield Scheme, as well as five new regional dam projects.
"Only the LNP has a plan to get Queensland working again."
When asked if the state's $440 million share of the funding would be taken from existing government programs and projects, the opposition leader said, "Not at all".
Deputy Opposition Leader Tim Mander said unlike Labor, the LNP would be able to work with the Morrison government to secure funding.
"We will lock that deal in," he said.
The LNP leader said long stretches of the road are slow, dangerous and prone to flooding and improving the highway will boost productivity.
She promised that regional companies will be prioritised during the tender process and tenders will be scaled to allow local small and medium-sized businesses to bid.
The LNP estimates construction work would create an estimated 6820 full-time jobs per year.
Ms Frecklington also said there would be a uniform speed limit of 110km/h along the whole length, which would dramatically cut travel times.
The Bruce Highway runs through Mackay, Proserpine, Bowen Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns, which are key electoral battlegrounds between Labor, the LNP and One Nation.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called the announcement "pie in the sky stuff" from the LNP.
The premier claimed that Campbell Newman's previous LNP government had only built a single infrastructure project - a new government office block at 1 William Street in Brisbane.
"They built a tower for themselves, they didn't care about Queensland, they didn't care about regional Queensland," she said.
Queenslanders go to the polls on October 31.
Australian Associated Press
