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The Queensland government has called on the Commonwealth to pitch in $1 billion for urgent upgrades to the Bruce Highway, which has been labelled a national disgrace.
The money would be used to fix sections of the road with the poorest safety record, including Gin Gin to Benaraby, St Lawrence to Mackay, Mackay to Proserpine, and Bowen to Ayr.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Queensland Premier Steven Miles met in Cairns today. (ABC News: Conor Byrne)
Premier Steven Miles has spoken with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, proposing the Commonwealth fund 80 per cent of the targeted road safety package.
The 80:20 arrangement — similar to the highway's funding ratio prior to last year — would see Queensland contribute $250 million for the upgrades
Transport minister Bart Mellish said it was fair for the Commonwealth to fund the lion's share.
"No other state has these large urban centres connected by the one road so we think 80:20 is absolutely the way to get this going," Mr Mellish said.
At least 39 people have been killed on the Bruce Highway in the past 12 months.
The Bruce Highway was closed after a multi-truck crash south of Miriam Vale at Gindoran in August. (Supplied: Queensland Fire Department)
Modelling by the Department of Transport and Main Roads indicates it would cost about $9 billion to achieve a minimum three out of five-star safety rating along the entire highway.
"What we've done from that is picked out the sections that we think purely on a safety basis would be the first cabs off the rank if we have a targeted Bruce Highway safety package," Mr Mellish said.
He said the money would be spent on adding more overtaking lanes and rumble strips, wider centre lanes, safer right-hand turns and roadside safety barriers.
Bruce Highway funding has become a sticking point between Queensland and the Commonwealth.
The previous 80:20 funding split was controversially reduced to 50:50 last year.
Speaking alongside the premier in Cairns, Mr Albanese said he would look at Queensland's funding proposal.
"We don't agree to a billion dollars on the basis of a question at a press conference," Mr Albanese said.
"We will give consideration to any proposals through our budget process."
The Bruce Highway is shared by transport operators and tourists travelling the coast from Brisbane to Cairns. (ABC News: Russel Talbot)
Motorists are between three and five times more likely to die on the road than in crashes on the Pacific Motorway or Hume Motorway, according to research by the RACQ.
It has prompted grieving families and crash survivors to advocate for crucial upgrades to improve safety standards.
Josh Cooney from the RACQ said urgent action was required from both levels of government, particularly the Commonwealth.
"The Bruce Highway is the backbone of this state and it's broken," Mr Cooney said.
"People are losing their lives, people are getting maimed on this highway."
.The Bruce Highway is notorious for the bad condition of its road surface. (ABC News: Russel Talbot/Facebook)
Mr Cooney called on the federal government to reconsider the 80:20 funding deal, which he described as appropriate for a national highway.
"Any effort to fix the Bruce is going to be undermined by this changed funding split," he said.
"We don't see how the Bruce Highway can have these two-star sections upgraded to three-star sections on a 50:50 funding split."
Queensland opposition leader David Crisafulli said the Commonwealth should never have been allowed to walk back from the original funding deal.
"The state government lay down when Canberra savagely reduced that funding to 50:50," Mr Crisafulli said.
"It's a national road and Canberra needs to cough up and we intend on making that one of the defining issues of the next federal election if we were to be elected in October.
"That road doesn't have to be the goat track it is.
"It's a national disgrace."