The Australian Government has given the green light to an enhanced design option to ‘future-proof’ the Warrego Highway West interchange as part of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (TSRC) project.
The modification will cost $450,000 and enable the interchange traffic bridge span to be widened in the future to accommodate construction of a partial cloverleaf overpass when the volume of traffic over the range makes it necessary.
The cost will be met by the Australian Government as part of its $1.137 billion commitment to the TSRC project.
The TSRC project involves the construction of a bypass route to the north of Toowoomba, running for approximately 41 kilometres from the Warrego Highway at Helidon in the east to the Gore Highway at Athol in the west.
The bypass will provide an alternate route and assist in managing increasing traffic volumes, all the while improving driver safety and relieving pressure on local roads.
Early preconstruction works are underway with major construction work on the TSRC project expected to start in April 2016 and to be completed in late 2018, weather permitting.
The Australian Government has committed up to $1.137 billion to fund the project and the Queensland Government is committed to providing the remaining 20 per cent of the construction costs.