The Australian and Queensland Governments have announced the completion of the new Gympie Bypass, a long-awaited project which began 15 years ago.
The new Gympie Bypass is a significant improvement for transport operators, with heavy vehicles no longer needing to travel through Gympie, Queensland.
In addition to reducing travel times, the $1.2 billion bypass, funded by both the Australian and Queensland Governments, improves road safety and flood immunity.
The project has constructed a new 26-kilometre, four-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, just south of Gympie, and Curra.
It includes three new interchanges – at Flood Road, Gympie Connection Road and Curra.
There are also 42 new bridges at 23 locations.
Following the project’s completion, the Queensland Government is claiming that the Gympie community will begin to see the positive impact of fewer heavy vehicles over the next couple of weeks and months.
Freight efficiency is also expected to be improved.
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, further emphasised the project’s benefits for locals and travelling motorists.
“This stretch of highway will improve safety, flood resilience and capacity for motorists as well as meet the transport needs of the Gympie and Sunshine Coast communities well into the future,” she said.
“We know how important continued investment in major infrastructure upgrades is, and that’s why in this year’s Federal Budget we allocated a further $467 million towards several projects along the Bruce Highway like the Gympie Bypass to ensure they get delivered for Queenslanders.”
The Gympie Bypass is jointly funded, with the Australian Government contributing $929.6 million and the Queensland Government $232.4 million.
It is the final section of a 62-kilometre Bruce Highway program of works between Cooroy and Curra, totalling $2.5 billion.
Construction of the overall Cooroy to Curra program began in September 2009.
“This vital infrastructure project has been a long time coming for the locals and visitors who travel throughout the Gympie region,” said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“It is wonderful to see motorists will now be able to reap the benefits of a completed Gympie Bypass.”
While major construction for the bypass is finished, there will be some intermittent works over the next few weeks while the crew finishes some minor activities on the connections at either end of the highway.
Motorists can still also access Gympie from the Old Bruce Highway via the interchange at Woondum and from Curra in the north.
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