Major milestone reached on $1bn Gympie Bypass project

The $1 billion Bruce Highway Upgrade – Cooroy to Curra, Section D (Gympie Bypass) project has reached a new major milestone and is on track to be completed in late 2024, weather permitting. 

The last and final concrete pile has been poured and installed, completing the 575 piles needed for the project’s 42 bridge structures. With all piles now in place, works on all bridges on the Gympie Bypass are now underway or completed. 

Completed and opened structures include the Keefton Road underpass, Bolcaro Road overpass, Noosa Road overpass and the recently opened Flood Road interchange bridge. 

“The construction of these bridges is crucial to the flood immunity of the project. 

“When completed, this new section of the National Highway will stand 27 metres above the regular Mary River water height in Gympie, at its lowest point. 

“The new bypass is being built to a height that would have remained operational during events like the devastating floods of early 2022,” Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said. 

Section D of the Bruce Highway Upgrade – Cooroy to Curra will deliver a new 26-kilometre, four-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum and Curra. 

This billion-dollar project has been under construction since 2020 and is being delivered in two construction contracts – contract 1: Woondum interchange to Sandy Creek Road awarded to Bielby Holdings and BMD Group Joint Venture; and contract 2: Sandy Creek to Curra awarded to CPB Contractors. 

“There are 42 bridges at 23 locations throughout the 26km Gympie Bypass project. 

“The bridges will cross waterways, the North Coast Rail Line and local roads. 

“The project will also deliver a safer, more comfortable highway experience with two lanes travelling in each direction separated by a concrete median,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said. 

The new corridor will bypass the city of Gympie, running close to the railway line until Old Maryborough Road at Corella. The road will then run through the edge of Curra State Forest, minimising impact on private land, and connecting to the existing Bruce Highway just north of Harvey Siding Road in Curra. 

Once completed, Gympie Bypass will provide: 

• Improved traffic flow, avoiding 53 intersections (including nine signalised intersections) and 106 property accesses which contributes to current safety and congestion issues on the existing Bruce Highway 
• Improved safety and capacity through the separation of long-distance traffic from local traffic. This reduces traffic volumes on the highway travelling through Gympie, with around 50 per cent less heavy vehicles 
• Greatly reduced head-on crashes by providing a divided four-lane highway 
• Significantly improved flood immunity compared to the old highway, which has traditionally experienced frequent closures in the Gympie CBD and north and south of Gympie due to flooding 
• Improved travel time by having the new highway posted at 110 km/h 

The Bruce Highway Upgrade – Cooroy to Curra Section D is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments on an 80:20 basis – $800 million and $200 million respectively. 

“Infrastructure projects like this will assist in providing continual access to crucial services for the Gympie region. 

“The Australian Government is proud to partner with the Queensland Government to deliver much-needed infrastructure. 

“The bypass will increase efficiency and reliability of the Bruce Highway,” Federal Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm said. 

Source: Queensland Government – Media Statements; Queensland Government – Department of Transport and Main Roads (1, 2); Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government; Roads & Infrastructure Australia