Set to become the designated heavy vehicle route between the Bruce and Peak Downs Highways for multi-combination vehicles, construction of the 10km+ Walkerston Bypass has reached the halfway mark.
The Walkerston Bypass will deliver a new two-lane rural highway that connects the Peak Downs Highway west of Walkerston to the Mackay Ring Road near Paget.
The aim of the new road is to remove heavy vehicles from Walkerston and ease congestion, while also providing a direct route for heavy vehicles required by Bowen Basin coal producers.
Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey visited the site this week and it will “take the big tankers and trucks out of the main street of Walkerston and onto a purpose-built road”.
The build will include a new bridge with improved flood immunity over Bakers Creek, three new road overpasses above the local cane railway network
Construction of the bypass began in May 2022, with the project set for completion in mid-to-late 2024.
It’s being funded by the Australian and Queensland governments on an 80:20 basis.