A major Queensland highway could remain closed for days after a fatal crash caused an explosion that damaged the road.
The driver of a pickup truck was killed in a violent head-on collision with a B-type semi-trailer on the Bruce Highway near Bororen in central Queensland early Friday morning.
The truck driver suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to hospital.
The truck was carrying 42.5 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used in fertilisers, when it exploded after the accident.
The explosion caused a radius of damage of 500 meters and left a crater in the road.
A section between Gin Gin and Calliope has been closed since Friday and is expected to remain closed to motorists for days.
Transport Minister Bart Mellish said his department took over the site from emergency services on Sunday.
The road will now be reopened to either a single lane or two lanes in the “coming days.”
A major Queensland highway could remain closed for days after a fatal crash caused an explosion that damaged the road (pictured, emergency crews at the scene on Friday)
The explosion caused a damage radius of 500m and left a crater on the road (pictured)
“They are working around the clock to fix this section of the Bruce Highway,” he told ABC Radio.
“This has obviously had quite a big effect on the local area, with some pretty big diversions in place.”
Inspections are underway to assess the road and determine if it can be resealed and opened to motorists.
The Bruce Highway is notorious for its number of accidents and there has long been debate about the need for greater investment from the state government to reduce the number of accidents on the road.
The main artery is predominantly used to transport freight from Brisbane to the state’s north and truckers say the highway needs more funding than the current $4 billion over four years.
“We need a significant increase in capital investment on the Bruce Highway,” Queensland Trucking Association chief executive Gary Mahon said.