A concept design for the Tiaro Bypass near Gympie, Queensland has now been completed, which shows how a new four-lane section of the Bruce Highway east of Tiaro could look.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the bypass will address safety, flood immunity and traffic efficiency issues, and cater for current and future traffic demand on the Bruce Highway.
“The draft concept design includes nine kilometres of new, four-lane highway, a concrete centre median, interchanges north and south of Tiaro, and improved highway flood immunity,” Joyce said.
See the Tiaro Bypass Design here.
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the project would be delivered as part of the Queensland Government’s roads and transport budget.
“We are delivering nearly $1.8 billion of road and transport infrastructure over the next four years in the Wide Bay, Burnett and South-West regions, including the $336 million Tiaro Bypass,” Bailey said.
“A big part of delivering major infrastructure like this is ensuring our plans meet the expectations and needs of the community.
“That’s why consulting with local stakeholders, like the Tiaro Community Working Group, has been such an important part of the planning process.
A number of key project features have been influenced by feedback from the working group to factor in the interests of the local Tiaro community and businesses.
Federal Member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien said the four-lane Tiaro Bypass that the community fought for will be a much-needed investment in road safety and will help open up the Fraser Coast economy.
“It’s important that this new section of the Bruce Highway is built to meet community expectations, now and into the future,” O’Brien said.
“I encourage everyone to look closely at the design and the access points and consider how traffic will flow both through and around Tiaro.
The joint investment in Tiaro will support an estimated 490 direct jobs over the life of the project, and when completed the new section of highway will support agriculture, heavy industry and manufacturing.
Assistant Regional Roads Minister Bruce Saunders said planning was now underway.
“A business case report detailing the project scope, cost and expected timeframes will now be undertaken, before we move into the detailed design phase,” Saunders said.
“It’s at that point we will understand when we can get on with construction of this important bypass, which will improve flood immunity, safety and traffic efficiency.”
Further information on the Tiaro Bypass can be found here.