Ring Road hits major milestones

MEDIA ASSETS

A second bridge over the Bohle River will open to motorists on Saturday morning after the completion of the largest piece of infrastructure on the Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) project.

The 199.6m bridge is the last of four bridges and overpasses. It consists of 96 piles (about 27 tonnes each) and 160 deck units (weighing a total 4752 tonnes).

The $280m Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) is duplicating a 6km section of the Bruce Highway through Townsville and delivering a new interchange at Beck Drive to improve access to the growing Upper Ross area.

The new Bohle River Bridge is the largest structure built as part of the project.

In a boost for Townsville motorists, several sections of the new, duplicated motorway will soon open to traffic.

The southbound entry ramp at Riverway Drive will reopen from tomorrow morning, following a three-month closure to reconfigure the ramp and improve safety and capacity.

A new, northbound, entry ramp will also open at Beck Drive on Saturday, providing access to the Ring Road for residents heading towards Hervey Range Road and north towards Ingham.

The Australian and Queensland governments recently committed an additional $50 million towards the project, reallocated from savings on the recently completed 13.5km Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade.

The additional funding was needed to meet the rising cost of building materials and to ensure a full project scope could be delivered to benefit all road users.

The $280 million Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) is jointly funded by the Australian ($224m) and Queensland ($56m) governments.

The project is estimated to support an average of 420 direct jobs over the life of the project..

Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King:

 “The Australian Government is committed to delivering a safer, more efficient, and more flood-resilient Bruce Highway in North Queensland.

“Projects such as the $280 million Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) are delivering vital upgrades that will benefit thousands of motorists, residents, and industry and freight providers, every day. 

“It is great to the see the TRR5 project making excellent progress and delivering better and safer road infrastructure for North Queenslanders.”

Quotes attributable to Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey:

"The project has progressed at an impressive pace since starting construction in June 2021, with several sections of new road now open to traffic.

“We know how big this is for North Queensland – for every local getting home, tourist travelling through and truckie out on that important delivery.

“Only Labor will deliver on the Bruce Highway to keep communities connected and prepare for growth.”

Quotes attributable to Senator for Queensland Nita Green:

“It’s pleasing to see investment in projects such as the Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) improve road safety and freight efficiency for all road users.

“Most notably, this project will include an upgrade to the nearby Beck Drive and Gouldian Avenue intersection – from a roundabout to a fully signalised intersection – to improve capacity and safety on this section of the local road network.

“This intersection upgrade will occur in early 2023, along with continued works to open further sections of the new Ring Road and rehabilitate the existing carriageway ahead of project completion which is expected in mid-2023, weather permitting.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper:

“This project is transformative for Townsville and will help increase safety on the road.

“I’ve been a long-time advocate for stage five of the Townsville Ring Road so it’s great to see this major milestone met for the community.

“Not only are these upgrade providing better services for the community but the project is also creating hundreds of jobs and supporting or local economy."

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Courtney Thompson - 0433 585 570