The Gregory Highway is a state highway in Queensland, Australia that serves the major coal-mining centres of Central Queensland.Queensland Government - Department of Transport and Main Roads - Maps
/ref> The highway was named after Augustus Gregory, an early explorer.

Route description

The highway runs southward from Quartz Blow Creek, a point west of

Mount Surprise Mount Surprise is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Etheridge, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Mount Surprise had a population of 169 people. Geography The town is located in the Gulf Savannah in Far North Queensland ...

on the Gulf Developmental Road, via Charters Towers, to Springsure, over away. The northern section of is designated by the state government as the Gregory Developmental Road. The shorter southern section between Clermont and Springsure () is designated the Gregory Highway. As of 2015, the first between the Gulf Developmental Road via Einasleigh to the Lynd Junction are unsealed and may be corrugated. The next section to Charters Towers has been upgraded from single lane to mostly dual-laned

bitumen Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

. The road is used by many road trains. File:Gregory Highway, QLD, Australia.jpeg, High quality road section File:Gregory Highway 2, QLD, Australia.jpeg, Example of poorer quality road section

Northern Australia Beef Roads upgrades

The Northern Australia Beef Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project for the Gregory Developmental Road.

Road widening

The project to widen the road south of Charters Towers is expected to be completed in early 2023 at a total cost of $5.79 million.

Roads of Strategic Importance upgrades

The Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, last updated in March 2022, includes the following projects for the Gregory Highway.

Corridor upgrade

A lead project to upgrade the Townsville to Roma corridor, including sections of the Carnarvon, Dawson and Gregory Highways and surrounding state and council roads, at an estimated cost of $125 million, commenced construction of some work projects in 2020. Planning continues for other projects.

Intersection upgrade Capricorn Highway

A project to upgrade the intersection with the Capricorn Highway in at a cost of $7.9 million is scheduled for completion in mid-2023. This project was targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government.

Pavement strengthening and widening

A project to strengthen and widen sections of pavement on the Gregory Developmental Road between Charters Towers and The Lynd at a cost of $15.3 million is planned to be completed in mid-2023. This project is targeted for "early works" by the Queensland Government.

Other upgrades

A project to widen and strengthen of pavement between Marble Creek and Christmas Creek, at a cost of $45.41 million, was due to be completed in late 2023. A project to upgrade a culvert near Porphyry Road, at a cost of $5,1 million, was due to be completed in late 2023.

Proposals

The Queensland Inland Freight Route is a proposal to upgrade the existing highways from Charters Towers to . This would involve significant upgrades to the Gregory Highway between Charters Towers and Springsure.

List of towns along the Gregory Developmental Road/Highway

* Einasleigh * Charters Towers * Belyando * Clermont * Main street, Capella, 2016

* Capella *

Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr. and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991) ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York, p ...

* Springsure

Major intersections

References

{{Road infrastructure in Queensland Highways in Queensland