A major Queensland highway may remain closed for days after a fatal crash resulted in an explosion, damaging the road.

The male driver of a ute died in the fiery head-on collision with a B-double semi-trailer on the Bruce Highway, near Bororen in central Queensland, early on Friday.

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.

It exploded after the crash, producing a damage radius of 500 metres and leaving a crater in the highway.

A section between Gin Gin and Calliope has been closed since Friday. It is expected to remain shut to motorists for days.

Transport Minister Bart Mellish said emergency services had handed back the site to his department on Sunday. It will look to reopen the road to a single or dual-lane operation in the “next couple of days”.

“They’re working around the clock to get this section of the Bruce Highway sorted,” he told ABC Radio.

“This has obviously had a pretty big effect on the local area, with some pretty large diversions in place.”

The road is being inspected to work out if it can be resealed and opened to motorists.

The Bruce Highway is notorious for the number of crashes and debate has been long-running for greater state government investment to reduce the road toll.

The major artery is predominantly used for freight from Brisbane to Queensland’s north. Truckies say it needs more funding than the current $4 billion over four years.

“We need a significant uplift in the capital investment in the Bruce [Highway,” Queensland’s Trucking Association CEO Gary Mahon said.

-AAP