Queensland

Brisbane Valley Highway Upgrades Bring Safer Travel to Fernvale

By

Emma Kelly
15 January 2026, 6:30 am

The Brisbane Valley Highway near Fernvale, Queensland, is set for a $20 million safety and infrastructure upgrade to address rough road surfaces and improve safety for local families and freight operators. Funding will target a five-kilometre stretch of the highway to improve reliability for growing numbers of commuters and heavy vehicles using the route.

The project focuses on the section of road between Morden Road and the Esk–Kilcoy Road intersection. State MP for Nanango Deb Frecklington has championed the $20 million package. Department of Transport and Main Roads project documents say the works will include pavement strengthening, widening shoulders and installation of turn treatments at high‑risk intersections.

Somerset Regional Council has welcomed the funding as a response to population growth in Fernvale and the highway’s role as a freight route for livestock and grain. The council and local residents have long called for repairs to this section, which has been criticised for poor ride quality and elevated crash risk.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads says detailed design is progressing and construction is expected to begin in 2026, following completion of design work. Priority treatments at Fernvale and nearby high-risk intersections will include turn lanes and pavement strengthening; planners have also signalled potential overtaking lanes on parts of the corridor as part of longer-term upgrades.

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