The final link in the Townsville Ring Road project has been completed and is now open to traffic, six months ahead of schedule.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, said the new road was great news for the entire region, producing safer driving conditions, more efficient freight movement and less congestion in the city.
“Today’s opening is the final piece of the puzzle in a 22 kilometre road project which is expected to remove 10,400 vehicles a day from nearby Woolcock Street. Not only will the ring road reduce local congestion, it will also address the high risk of an accident occurring on the existing Shaw Road section,” he said.
“Negotiating with heavy vehicles is difficult at the best of times, and this project will improve the movement of freight traffic to and from the Port of Townsville. This is a great outcome for road safety, and with less congestion on the local road network, a great outcome for residents too.”
Queensland Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety, Mark Bailey, said the $200 million project, which commenced construction in March 2015, would provide a significant boost to the Townsville economy.
“This project had a strong focus on local employment by sourcing local products and services. This allowed the construction team to save on transport costs and keep money within the community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister Assisting the Premier on North Queensland, Coralee O’Rourke MP, said the new road would pay ongoing dividends for the local community and North Queensland for years to come.
“The Townsville Ring Road will support the future economic growth of the North Queensland Region, providing a freight bypass, better access to the Port and improved travel times and reliability for industry,” she said.
The Bruce Highway – Townsville Ring Road – Section 4 project is a jointly funded project with the Australian Government contributing $160 million and the Queensland Government contributing $40 million.