18 March 2015
ATN
Improved truck access to the Port of Townsville in Queensland has taken a step closer, with work beginning on the final section of a key road project in the state.
Construction has started on the last stage of the Townsville Ring Road between Shaw Road and Mount Low to alleviate local congestion and improve road freight movements.
The final piece of the road project involves an 11.5km section crossing the Bohle Plains.
“Once completed, the Townsville Ring Road will reduce congestion on local roads while significantly improving the movement of freight traffic to and from the Port of Townsville,” federal Queensland MP Ewen Jones says.
Queensland main roads and ports minister Mark Bailey says the new section will include 10km of dual carriageway highway and new grade separated interchanges.
“With a new connection to the Bruce Highway near the Mount Low Parkway, the Townsville Ring Road will extend all the way from the Douglas Arterial to Mount Low. Traffic will be able to bypass busy intersections, such as the Bruce Highway-Shaw Road junction,” Bailey says.
The Queensland Government the 11.5km road will provide a more direct route for through freight traffic and trucks heading to the port, while also improving flood immunity and travel time.
The Federal Government is providing $160 million towards the construction of the road, with Queensland chipping in $40 million.
Construction is expected to be completed in 2017.
The Townsville Ring Road is being built in four stages, and the Bohle Plains section will be built to motorway standard with a 100km/h speed limit.
The Queensland Government says the entire section will be upgraded to a four-lane, median-divided motorway in the future, similar to the first section of the project.
Courtesy of the ATN