Verification update: Sunday 1 November 2026, based on TMR’s 6:45am AEST state-controlled highways report and 7:00am AEST heavy-vehicle and Central West reports. This is a time-stamped snapshot, not a live clearance to travel. Conditions can change rapidly. Operators should check QLDTraffic and the applicable heavy-vehicle access conditions immediately before departure.
Flooding, soft shoulders and road damage have closed several Queensland freight routes, with other roads restricted to high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles, according to the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ highway, heavy-vehicle and district reports.
Roads listed as closed
- Dawson Developmental Road: Windeyer to Springsure closed to all traffic because of soft shoulders; Tambo to Springsure via Windeyer closed to all traffic due to flooding. At Claude River near Mantuan Downs, the road is closed to through traffic.
- Fitzroy Developmental Road: between Leichhardt Highway and Dawson Highway closed to all traffic; a separate Rhydding section is also closed because of rain-related hazardous conditions.
- Old Warrego Highway: Rangers Gully at Ranges Bridge closed due to flooding.
- Bulloo Downs / Bulloo Developmental / Tickalara roads: listed closed to all traffic due to boggy road damage.
- Kennedy Developmental Road: Lynd to Hughenden closed to all traffic due to flooding (TMR event 838411, updated 6:35am AEST, 1 November).
Restricted access — check vehicle-specific conditions
- Thomson Developmental Road: Jundah to Windorah restricted to four-wheel-drive vehicles only.
- Kennedy Highway at Barron River Bridge, Kuranda: subject to a 42.5-tonne gross vehicle mass (GVM) limit.
The official report also lists planned works closures on other routes. These should not be confused with flood-related closures.
What operators should check
A road marked as four-wheel-drive or high-clearance access only is not an assurance that a truck, combination or permitted heavy vehicle may use it. Check the current road report, applicable mass and dimension conditions, and any route-specific restrictions before dispatch. Do not assume an alternative route is suitable for a B-double, PBS vehicle or oversize/overmass movement.
TMR directs heavy-vehicle operators to its Conditions of Operation Database for vehicle-specific restrictions. It advises operators whose access applications are disrupted by emergency or recovery operations to contact the NHVR on 13 64 87 about the appropriate exemption process.
1 November update: Central West closures and verification gaps
TMR’s 7:00am AEST heavy-vehicle and Central West reports continue to list Alpha–Tambo Road as closed to all traffic: Alpha to the Blackall–Tambo council boundary, and the Tambo-side section from the Dawson Developmental Road turn-off to the Barcaldine council boundary.
The previously reported Landsborough Highway closures between Tambo and Blackall and between Barcaldine and Ilfracombe, the Warrego Highway closure between Morven and Charleville, and the Thomson Developmental Road four-wheel-drive restriction between Stonehenge and Longreach were not listed in the latest reports checked. Their current status has not been independently confirmed; absence from these reports is not confirmation of reopening or heavy-vehicle access. Check QLDTraffic or call 13 19 40 before relying on these routes.
Flood recovery access: TMR advises that movements in disaster-affected areas by vehicles normally operating under permits, schemes, guidelines or exemptions may require a Flood Recovery Permit. Operators should seek advice from the Flood Recovery Road Access Group on 1300 105 647 before travelling. No alternative heavy-vehicle route is endorsed by this article.
Sources and checking times: TMR State Controlled Highways and Motorways Report (6:45am AEST, 1 November 2026); TMR Heavy Vehicle/Freight Report (7:00am AEST, 1 November 2026); TMR Central West district report (7:00am AEST, 1 November 2026). Check QLDTraffic immediately before travel or call 13 19 40.