Since when was the Bruce Highway in Maryborough a motorway?

[#130km/hforthehume]

When I first saw these erroneous "Start Motorway" and "End Motorway", I thought they were localised to this interchange.

- https://goo.gl/maps/SzV2h5e9Gt1JrCJL6

- https://goo.gl/maps/pmChYzZbYAsxvgc97

- https://goo.gl/maps/Z8N22ACbteFSSbnH8 

- https://goo.gl/maps/R48tLLFN172yktwu7

But upon further inspection, it seems there are more of these signs:

- https://goo.gl/maps/gi89BKmtGvt6hPM27

- https://goo.gl/maps/DZVj4r98qRPqUrYf8

- https://goo.gl/maps/aN2SwKtk8wdqfnVj8

What's more interesting to note is all of them are either on on- or off-ramps; none of them are on Bruce Highway at either end of the bypass. Is this all part of some long-term plan, or were all these signs erroneously installed? Or is it another two-lane motorway in the eyes of the Queensland government?

[AlienChex]

the QLD definition of a “motorway” has always been.. tricky. As long as it’s controlled access, it’s fine in their books. Bruce Hwy is a motorway from Brisbane to at least past Gympie now, I assume as they bypass towns they will continue the motorway name to match the standard and M1 number

[#130km/hforthehume]

Does the Queensland government have plans to extend the motorway north past Curra? I know they have plans to construct the four-lane controlled access Tiaro Bypass, but that's all I could find. I think they should extend the motorway north (w. no flat junctions) up to Maryborough, though (or even Rockhampton). 

[AlienChex]

I heard from a friend who worked in QLD gov, but they plan to eventually have motorway grade all the way to cairns. Not always four-lane, but a full controlled access freight highway the entire length. 

[Aevion]

I may be imagining things, but I vaguely recall there being motorway start and end signs on the highway about 20 years ago? 

I guess looking at the bypass, it's pretty much a motorway (albeit a dodgy one). I had some notes from newspapers and media releases taken down somewhere about some of these Bruce Highway bypasses at the time being deliberately built to motorway standard (Nambour and Cooroy were two other examples), but I seem to have lost those at some point in the gigantic mess that is my file keeping. 

This bypass is a very easy one to pick at, so I'll leave this post at that before I start ranting about it and its...... interesting design.

[#130km/hforthehume]

A fully controlled-access highway to Cairns seems quite ambitious when no road is fully controlled access between Sydney and Melbourne or Sydney and Brisbane (though arguably a controlled-access highway between Raymond Terrace and Port Mac seems doable). Either way, it is still interesting to see. I'm sure that would easily win the title of being the world's longest two-lane motorway.

That brings me to another question, would the new Mackay Ring Road be considered a "motorway"? It (currently) has one controlled-access entry/exit, and that's it. Would be very dubious to me, but it's Queensland, so I wouldn't be remotely surprised if there were Start and End Motorway signs.

[Aevion]

Pretty sure there aren't any start and end motorway signs on that road, but I suppose by Queensland standards it could be a motorway.

[AlienChex]

Probably not “motorway grade” but a much significantly better and safer grade than it currently is. Obviously not full four-lane carriageway like Syd-Brisbane or Syd-Melbourne, because there’s not enough demand, but a highway grade enough to make the journey faster and safer by bypassing small towns, fixing or avoiding dangerous intersections, and allowing for a consistent 100/110kmh speed

[Aevion]

I've never paid much notice to these seemingly-minor improvements they've been doing of late where they're widening the highway and adding wide centre lines. Now that I've seen some of them for myself on Street View, it's clear to me just how much they're actually improving the highway (minor realignments, realigning dangerous intersections, etc.). The new Haughton River section looks amazing too. 

I'd be particularly curious to see what they'd come up with to improve the Maryborough Bypass, especially the volleyball interchange.

[#130km/hforthehume]

After some digging, it seems like https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/bruce-highway-gympie-maryborough-tiaro-bypass-construct-four-lane-bypass/tiaro-bypass-bypass-faqs#G5 suggests that TMR does want to duplicate the highway between Curra and Tiaro, but needs funding to do so. Not exactly related to Maryborough, but I thought I'd bring this up.

[Riley Wilson]

it is because they do not have start and end highway signs and they use the motorway ones instead.