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The $280m Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 project is now officially open to traffic, delivering four new bridges and four new interchanges in Queensland.
- Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk joined Transport Minister Mark Bailey and local MPs to officially open the completed Townsville Ring Road.
- The $280 million project is stage five of the Townsville Ring Road, and has supported 420 good local jobs over the life of the project.
- The project delivered four new bridges and overpasses and four new interchanges.
- Part of the Palaszczuk Government’s $89 billion Big Build, delivering almost $1 billion in transport infrastructure investment in the northern region over the next four years.
Thousands of motorists are benefiting from improved safety, reduced congestion, and better travel times following the official opening of the $280 million Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 project.
The Premier joined local MPs, Transport Minister Mark Bailey and Federal Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm to officially open the project.
Since construction began in mid-2021, four new bridges have been built and 22,000 tonnes of asphalt laid across six kilometres of highway.
“This $280 million project has supported more than 400 good jobs here in Townsville, and now over 17,000 drivers will enjoy a safer, more efficient and more flood-resilient Bruce Highway thanks to their efforts,” says Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“The project has delivered four new overpasses and bridges, as well as four new interchanges, meaning the entire 36-kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway through Townsville is now dual lane,” says Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
“The Townsville region is continuing to grow and change which is why infrastructure like this is so important – to open up new opportunities for housing and improve travel times for industry, tourists and commuters,” says Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The project reached a major milestone in September 2023 when the Ring Road was opened to dual lanes of traffic at 100km/h, followed by the reopening of Beck Drive to both directions of travel in early October.
The Ring Road project involved duplicating the six-kilometre, two-lane lane section of the Townsville Ring Road between Vickers Bridge and Shaw Road to four-lanes.
“Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 has been delivered as part of the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program, which is improving road safety, capacity and flood resilience along 1,677-kilometres of highway between Brisbane and Cairns,” says Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King.
“The $280 million, jointly funded project has injected investment directly into Townsville, supporting 357 local businesses and suppliers and 420 jobs over the lifetime of the project,” says Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King.
“The Townville Ring Road is an important Bruce Highway link that supports freight and industry in the region,” says Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King.
“With Townsville’s population and economy continuing to expand, these vital safety and capacity upgrades are helping to ensure the Bruce Highway meets the region’s strategic transport needs well into the future,” says Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey.
“Vulnerable road users like pedestrians and bike riders will benefit from improved active transport facilities with the addition of pedestrian crossings and green bicycle lanes to provide a safer road environment,” says Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey.
“TRR5 has also supported environmental initiatives to contribute to a circular economy, such as recycling over 11,000 tonnes of fill material for reuse locally,” says Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey.
The major infrastructure upgrade has delivered safety and capacity improvements to three existing interchanges, while a new interchange and four new bridges have been built to improve traffic flow and road safety on the Bruce Highway.
A section of Beck Drive has also been upgraded, delivering a new signalised intersection at Gouldian Avenue along with improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities.
The completed project will be a game changer for Townsville drivers, and was strongly advocated for by Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper.
It is a signature piece of transport infrastructure for the growing region, delivered as part of the Palaszczuk Government’s $89 billion Big Build.
“Townsville is continuing to grow so it’s incredibly important that as a government we invest in its future, and this project along with our investment in stages one and two of the Haughton Pipeline and the Port of Townsville channel upgrade, are about,” says Townsville MP Scott Stewart.
“The completion of this project will make a huge difference to people living in the Upper Ross region of Townsville which is continuing to grow,” says Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper.
“It means a safer and more convenient road for the area and is a project I worked hard to deliver for Townsville,” says Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper.
In North Queensland alone, the Queensland Government is delivering almost $1 billion in transport infrastructure and supporting 860 good local jobs.
This includes multiple safety upgrades to the Bruce Highway, the duplication of Bowen Road Bridge at Idalia and upgrading road and rail infrastructure at the Lansdown Eco-Industrial precinct.
Further Information:
- Four new bridges and overpasses constructed
- Four new interchange ramps constructed
- 22,000 tonnes of asphalt laid
- 4.5km of active transport infrastructure upgraded, including 3.5km of new shared pathways constructed
- Dedicated emergency services U-turn facility, upgraded crash barriers (including motorcycle protection guardrail) and five new Variable Message Sign (VMS) gantries to improve safety
- Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) upgrades
- Public Utility Plant upgrades
- New drainage lines and retention basins constructed
Source: © The State of Queensland 1997–2023
Image Source: © The State of Queensland 1997–2023
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