Construction will soon begin on Barron River Bridge at Kuranda, an important freight route connecting Cairns and Mareeba.
Crews will commence geotechnical assessments in coming weeks, with investigations also progressing to relocate power, water, communication and sewerage utilities.
The problem-plagued Barron River Bridge was built in 1963 and spans 256 metres over the Barron River.
Inspections in 2020 revealed fatigue cracks in certain steel components of the bridge, which were attributed to decades of exposure to heavy vehicle loads, which have significantly increased since the bridge’s construction.
Once complete, the new bridge is expected to improve transport efficiency, reliability and resilience, while also catering to future freight needs.
The new bridge is expected to open to traffic by mid-2031.