80-20 funding split to upgrade the existing Bruce Highway.

“You're gonna have a scramble in the next couple of weeks, all of a sudden the Bruce Highway will be Steven Miles's No.1 issue until the next crisis comes forward.

“You're gonna have a scramble in the next couple of weeks, all of a sudden the Bruce Highway will be Steven Miles's No.1 issue until the next crisis comes forward.

“We're serious about a longterm plan to fix the Bruce we are also serious about going to Canberra and getting the money that is required.”

In the three years since pledging to build the second highway, the state government has spent just $19m amid funding uncertainty from Canberra.

The route was one of those in limbo as part of the federal government's infrastructure review, but it survived the chopping block to remain at an 80-20 split.

One Nation's Keppel candidate James Ashby took aim at Transport and Main Roads for including cultural heritage investigations in its effort to reopen the highway, claiming it would take extra time.

“The fact that one of the hold-ups on repairing the Bruce Highway is due to Main Roads having to do a cultural heritage report is just insane,” he said.

“Stuff the cultural heritage report and get the repair crews in and fix the Bruce Highway so vital freight like medicines and fresh produce aren't being held up any longer.”

The eerie quiet in Bororen and Miriam Vale remained three days after the devastating fatal crash and explosion.

A pub had closed its doors for the day, while a grocery store was running low on fresh bread and milk and other products.

Other locals had either stayed home from work or taken the long detour to get to work in Gladstone or Boyne Island - a commute that would mean a three-hour round trip.

The man killed when his ute ran off the Bruce Highway and ploughed into a tree northwest of Rockhampton on Friday has been identified as father of six, Scott Cassidy, of Townsville.

Mr Cassidy died when the car he was driving veered off the Bruce Highway at Canoona and slammed into a tree in heavy fog early on Friday morning.

Sadly, Mr Cassidy had been on his way to Sydney for a family funeral at the time.

Mr Cassidy's death came just hours before a horror crash between a truck and a ute in Bororen, between Rockhampton and Bundaberg, which left a 21-year-old driver dead.

Mr Cassidy's devastated family is now begging for upgrades to the notorious highway, including light reflectors to give drivers a chance when caught out in dangerous conditions.

“Look at what my family is going through, it's not a nice feeling,” Mr Cassidy's eldest daughter Angela Cassidy, 33, said. “How do you tell your kids that they're never going to see their pop again? That was really hard.

“I don't want any other family to have to go through this ... so if this helps the Bruce Highway getting done, and we could help one family ... if there are reflection lights and it does go the other way, then we've done our job.”

Mr Cassidy, 50, was described by his family as “the life of the party” and someone “who held his family together”. He had three sons, three daughters as well as 11 grandchildren.

Ms Cassidy was at her sister's house when she received a phone call from her mother Renee telling her of the crash.

“My sister was in a bit of a panic and I just said to mum, who do I need to call, what do I need to do,” Ms Cassidy said.

“I was actually driving to the gym at the same time and I couldn't see anything, it was really scary driving so I couldn't imagine what it was like for him.”

Ms Cassidy said they were a tight-knit family, with parents and all six children - aged 16 to 33 - living in Townsville where Mr Cassidy and his son Justin ran a concrete business.

“He was the glue that held us together, and now I've got to be OK, and just be there for mum and my brothers and sisters,” she said, Ms Cassidy and her siblings have set up a GoFundMe to support not just their mother but also their brother who now must run the concreting business on his own.