The Peak Downs Highway will remain temporarily closed at Caval Ridge Mine, following an incident that occurred over a week ago.
The overpass bridge was badly damaged when an excavator being carried on a float attempted to pass under it.
The excavator was being moved on a Caval Ridge mine haul road that runs under the Peak Downs Highway.
As a result of that incident, from 12:01am on Monday April 22,, the Peak Downs Highway, Caval Ridge overpass at Winchester was temporarily closed to all heavy vehicles.
“The Peak Downs Highway at Caval Ridge Mine is temporarily closed as our crews work to make sure that the area is safe and complete damage assessments,” said the Department of Transport and Main Roads Queensland, adding there will be a long-term outage for heavy vehicles as repair works are prioritised.
Detour routes will remain in place via Dysart-Clermont Road and Peak Downs Mine Road until the highway can be reopened. Though this is not a B-double or road train route.
The Isaac Regional Council today advised, “Our priority is to safely restore access to the Peak Downs Highway in this location as soon as possible.
“We are working with the mine operator to establish a safe sidetrack in the vicinity of the overpass for all road users until the necessary work to reinstate the overpass to a safe condition can be completed. The sidetrack is expected to be operational by mid-May.”
The council advises that heavy vehicle operators, including oversize, overmass, B-double and Type 1 road trains, refer to the Conditions of Operations Database prior to their journey.
“If the recommended routes above are not applicable, heavy vehicle operators can plan their journey through the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) route planner tool prior to applying for a NHVR permit for further assessment.”