Road crews spent the night repairing the two-metre wide hole in the road, and filled the damaged area with gravel on Thursday morning.

Queensland Police said they first received reports of a "sinkhole", on the highway between Bowen and Proserpine near the Whitsundays, about 7.15pm on Wednesday.

But on Thursday morning, a Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said void in the ground was not a sinkhole, rather a large "pothole" caused by water seeping through the pavement.

"We have done excavation and repairs throughout the night and our priority is the safety of all road users and reopening the road as soon as possible," she said.

"We are inspecting the road and expect it to reopen this morning.

Diversions were put in place via the Peak Downs Highway and Bowen Developmental Road.

There are reports the hole was indirectly caused by April's Tropical Cyclone Ita, with heavy rain causing damage to roads in the region.

One lane of the highway was initially closed but, when it became clear the hole was expanding, the road was closed altogether.

"It was reportedly about two metres and getting wider," a spokeswoman for Queensland Police Service said.

The Bruce Highway stretches from Brisbane to Cairns in the state's far north.

 

VIDEO: What is a sinkhole? What causes them? Furry Facts explains.