Construction commences on $514.3m Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade QLD

Works have commenced on a major upgrade of the Haughton River Floodplain in Queensland. This $514.3 million project will upgrade the Bruce Highway at Giru to improve flood immunity on the 13.5 kilometre stretch of road.

The project will include:

• Replacing the Horseshoe Lagoon, Pink Lily and Haughton River bridges with new, wider, higher bridges
• Building new crossings at the Reed Beds Curve and Healey’s Lagoon
• Upgrading of 13.5 kilometres of the Bruce Highway to improve road conditions
• Upgrading nine rural intersections along the Bruce Highway to improve safety
• Construction of overpasses at the existing crane tramway crossings at Hodel Road and Shirbourne Road
• Installation of one-metre wide centre line treatments to improve safety

“These upgrades will significantly reduce the severity and frequency of weather-related highway closures on this area; which currently impact road users every one to two years.

“Upon completion, this section will be safer and more flood immune with improved visibility and a reduced risk of head-on collisions,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said.

Project map (source: Department of Transport and Main Roads)

Preliminary works are already underway since mid-2018, which was undertaken by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads. Works include land clearing, geotechnical drilling as well as service relocation activities.

Early last year, the Infrastructure Group joint venture - comprised of Bielby, BMD Construction, JF Hull and Albem Pty Ltd - was awarded the contract to deliver the project that’s due to be completed by mid-2021.

The Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade is expected to support up to 544 jobs over a two-year construction period. Infrastructure Group will be prioritising giving opportunities to local workers and suppliers for the delivery of the project, in accordance to the Queensland Government’s ‘Buy Queensland’ procurement policy.

This more than half-a-billion dollar upgrade is jointly funded by the Australian and State Governments on an 80:20 basis, with the each contributing $411.4 million and $102.9 million respectively.

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Source: Queensland Government; Department of Transport and Main Roads