Abbott opens tenders for Qld highway work

The federal government has opened the tender process for a dangerous stretch of Queensland's Bruce Highway, just days after the state's worst Easter road toll in 20 years.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his deputy, Infrastructure Minister Warren Truss, made the announcement in Kybong, near Gympie, on Thursday morning.

Early works tenders will now be sought for the Cooroy to Curra upgrade which aims to ease congestion, improve safety and move freight vehicles more easily.

As many as three people had died on the stretch in the space of a few weeks, Mr Truss said.

Eight people lost their lives on Queensland's roads over Easter - a figure police said was a sad indictment on the state's road safety record.

It was also well above the 20-year average of 3-3.5 deaths each Easter.

The upgrade is part of a wider $6.7 billion federal government scheme to improve the 1700km Bruce Highway.

This includes flood proofing, lane upgrades and improving intersections.

Mr Abbott said the work was critical in keeping the "lifeline" route operating, even in Queensland's extreme weather conditions.

"If the Bruce Highway goes out, half of Queensland is cut off," he said.

Construction on the Cooroy to Curra section will begin early 2016.

It's hoped it will be completed 18 months to two years later.