Road changes as Section D Bruce Highway upgrade takes shape

Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Llew O’Brien is urging drivers to take note of upcoming road closures as part of the $1 billion Cooroy to Curra Section D Bruce Highway upgrade.

“From next Monday, April 12, a section of Gympie Connection Road will be closed for about three months to facilitate the necessary upgrade of Gympie Connection Road and future interchange bridge,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Traffic will be temporarily detoured via Ascot and Tin Can Bay roads, and as this is a high traffic area for access to and from Rainbow Beach, Cooloola Cove and other coastal communities, I would ask all drivers to please be mindful of traffic and the road conditions, and particularly careful around construction workers and machinery.”

Heavy machinery will be used to remove the existing road pavement and vegetation to prepare the bridge location areas, and there will also be equipment such as piling rigs and cranes, asphalting trucks and compactors in the area for earthworks, mulching, construction of drainage and construction of a road pavement.

Mr O’Brien said traffic management is expected to be in place on Gympie Connection Road between the North Coast Rail line and Ascot Road from mid-April for about 14 months.

“This is a once-in-a-generation project, and I thank all drivers and road users for taking care and extending courtesy to other road users and traffic management and construction crews while this critically important project is carried out,” Mr O’Brien said.

“As these works progress, we’re getting closer to the safe, four-lane Bruce Highway that our region needs for future growth and prosperity.”

The Gympie Bypass Section D project will create 576 direct jobs throughout construction, and is expected to be complete by mid-2024, weather permitting.

“This is a much-needed boost to local jobs and the local economy as Australia recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the long-term, the works will open up Wide Bay’s economy for generations to come,” Mr O’Brien said.

Section D of the Cooroy to Curra Bruce Highway upgrade is jointly funded by the Australian Government contributing $800 million and the Queensland Government $200 million.