Truckies are advised of delays ahead on the Macrossan Bridge on the Flinders Highway between Townsville and Charters Towers.
From Tuesday, August 29 to Thursday, September 21, the bridge will be subject to temporary closures and width restrictions for routine road safety improvements, says the heavy vehicles unit at Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR).
TMR northern A/district director Kylee Petersen said the package of works has been planned to minimise impacts to motorists while ensuring crews can complete the bridge works safely and efficiently.
“Due to the width of the Macrossan Bridge, there is a constrained area for crews to work in, especially when applying a new skid-resistant surface along the centre of the bridge,” she said.
“Crews will undertake this work during three nights of full bridge closures in mid-September.”
They’ll complete further works during the day in August and September, with traffic control measures in place including lane closures and speed restrictions.
“We recognise the impacts that road closures have on both local communities and industry, including freight vehicles.
“We have planned a combination of day and night works and minimised the nights that a full bridge closure is required, to ensure we are having the least possible impact on road users.
“Without an alternative route in the immediate area and limited roadside facilities we are asking motorists to please schedule their travel around these closures, rather than queueing at the works zone.”
Weather permitting, the proposed timetable for the works is:
Tuesday, August 29-Thursday, September 7
- Daily from 6am-6pm.
- Lane closures, reduced speed limits and short delays.
- Load exceeding 3.5m wide will not be permitted to cross the bridge during these times.
Monday, September 11-Wednesday, September 13
- Nightly from 7pm-5am.
- Full closure of the bridge.
- No vehicles will be permitted to cross the bridge during these times.
- Please seek an alternate route or reschedule your trip.
- The bridge will reopen to traffic each day from 5am-7pm.
Friday, September 15-Thursday, September 21
- Daily from 6am-6pm.
- Lane closures, reduced speed limits and short delays.
- Load exceeding 3.5m wide will not be permitted to cross the bridge during these times.
“Traffic delays are expected, so we encourage heavy vehicle operators to allow for this when planning your journey.”