Construction of the much-anticipated Gympie bypass, which is set to slash travel times and ease congestion in the town, is nearing completion.
The final 21 girders have been installed on the 250-metre Six Mile Creek Bridge, the last of the 730 girders and deck units required for the bypass.
Officially known as the Bruce Highway Upgrade – Cooroy to Curra, Section D, the 26km bypass includes 42 bridge structures being built in 23 locations over waterways, roads and the North Coast Rail Line.
Related story: Milestone reached as $1b bypass gains momentum
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey lauded progress on the project despite facing some unforeseen difficulties.
“The Gympie bypass has overcome a long list of challenges like a worldwide pandemic, several floods and supply chain issues, but it is powering ahead and we are getting the job done,” he said.
The first girders were installed on the project in October 2021, over Tin Can Bay Road.
Two of the bridges in the bypass are over 250 metres long (eight spans), with the largest girder more than 38 metres long and weighing 102.5 tonnes.
“The completion of these girders is a major milestone for this critical road infrastructure project, and I thank the workers on this project for their efforts,” Mr Bailey said.
“If each of the bridges were placed end-to-end, they would span almost four kilometres, which is longer than Queensland’s longest bridge, the Ted Smout Memorial Bridge, which crosses Hays inlet and links Brisbane to Redcliffe.
“I would like to thank the community and the travelling public while we delivered these vital pieces of pre-cast concrete bridge elements to site from Brisbane, one truck (or jinker as they are also called) per girder.”
The $1 billion project is due for completion late 2024, weather permitting.
It is jointly funded on an 80:20 basis, with the federal government contributing $800 million and the state government adding $200 million.
The bypass is estimated to support an average of 570 direct jobs over the life of the project.
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