General News
18 September, 2026
‘Accelerate’ Innisfail bypass
THE state government has been urged to immediately accelerate progress on the long-delayed Innisfail bypass.
THE state government has been urged to immediately accelerate progress on the long-delayed Innisfail bypass.
Regional business advocacy group, Activate Innisfail, has accused the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) of stalling, voicing fears that the crucial infrastructure project may have been quietly sidelined despite years of public investment.
According to Activate Innisfail president Suzanne Russell, the planning study for the proposed bypass has dragged on for nearly nine years, with no concrete results for the town.
“The word on the street is that the government has dumped the bypass idea altogether and is focusing only on upgrading Henderson Drive to access from the Tablelands to the Port at Mourilyan,” Mrs Russell told The Observer.
She noted that the $9 million allocated for the planning study – primarily funded by the federal government – was meant to directly resolve heavy Bruce Highway traffic cutting through the heart of Innisfail.
“The bulk of the $9m for the bypass study was allocated by the federal government nearly nine years ago specifically to address Bruce Highway traffic through Innisfail – nothing to do with the Port at Mourilyan,” Mrs Russell emphasised.
“While Activate Innisfail fully supports the priorities and needs for our major port development at Mourilyan Harbour, it is fair to say we’ve been conned on this occasion by the TMR.”
Mrs Russell argued that TMR should have funded separate studies rather than redirecting attention away from the town’s core corridor issues.
“From the start, they should have allocated separate money for a Henderson Drive feasibility study, not steal it from Innisfail,” she added.
The advocacy group warned that continuous delays in constructing a bypass will leave Innisfail bearing a heavy financial burden in the future.
“Innisfail deserves a ‘please explain’ from the government about this whole bypass exercise and how they could spend $9m with nothing to show for it after nine years,” Mrs Russell said.
She expressed concern that once a bypass is eventually constructed, the existing national highway through town will be handed back to local government control in a heavily-degraded state.
“By the time a bypass is built, the national highway through town will be in such a dreadful state, handed over by the state government, which will then force the council to compete for grants to maintain it for them and eventually we will have 10 kilometres of former national highway being funded 100% by ratepayers,” she warned.
Information published on TMR’s official website about four months ago indicates the planning study for the ‘Bruce Highway (Innisfail-Cairns), Innisfail bypass, plan and preserve corridor’ project is currently expected to be completed in early 2027.
According to TMR’s project outline, the study is jointly funded under the Bruce Highway upgrade program by the Australian Government ($7.2m) and the Queensland Government ($1.8m) on an 80:20 basis.
TMR states on its website that options are actively being investigated for a future bypass to “ensure the safety and efficiency of the Bruce Highway can be maintained in the medium to long-term.”
Key features of the project include reviewing existing transport networks, evaluating corridor options, preparing land requirement plans and defining transport solutions between Dillon Road to the north and South Johnstone Road to the south.
In its latest project update, TMR says it has completed technical assessments for the proposed corridor and “will liaise with the Australian Government about the outcomes of the study.”
“Once that process is finalised, we will engage with directly impacted property owners and publish the findings of the study.”
TMR also notes: “There is currently no funding available for construction.”
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