Bruce Highway Upgrade Cooroy to Curra

Newsletter

August 2009

This joint federal and state funded project will address the safety and traffic needs of the Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Curra. It will create a safer environment for our community and bring much needed jobs to the region.

The Cooroy to Curra project, involving a 61 kilometre upgrade and realignment of 65 kilometres of the existing Bruce Highway, including a Gympie bypass, is one of Queensland’s highest priority road projects. This project is designed to meet strategic transport needs of the region well into the future.

The northern Sunshine Coast hinterland is one of the fastest growing regions in Queensland. All indications are that this level of growth will continue to bring expanded economic activity and greater traffic volumes. Rural sections of the highway between Cooroy and Curra currently accommodate around 16,000 vehicles per day (vpd), while 20,000 vpd travel the section within Gympie. Traffic numbers are growing at around five per cent each year.

The immediate planning and construction focus is on the section from Sankeys Road to Traveston Road. The section further south to Cooroy, from where continous fours lanes stretch south to Brisbane, is proposed for upgrading next.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads is actively planning to meet the demands of the state’s rapid population growth and better connect our local communities.

Background

The Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Strategic Planning Study was released and made public in July 2008. The study identified the best corridor for the highway to provide a safe and efficient route in the longer term, while minimising the impact on existing communities and the environment. The study also considered likely locations of interchanges linking to the local road network. The option of upgrading the highway in stages was explored and the selected corridor is detailed in the map overleaf.

GympieConnection Road

Woondum Road

Sankeys Road

Cooroy southerninterchange

Tin Can Bay Road

Keefton Road

ColesCreek Road

MiddleCreek Road

Traveston Road

Curra

Wide BayHighway

Proposed TravestonCrossing Dam

Gympie

Southside

Monkland

Kybong

Federal

Black Mountain

Pomona

Cooran

CooroyÆ

N

TravestonCrossing Road

OldMaryborough

Road

PomonaConnection Road

Work to start on critical south-east road project

See over for detailed map

Curra

Existing Bruce HighwayLegend

Section DSection CSection BSection A

GympieConnection Road

Woondum Road

OldMaryborough

Road

Wide BayHighway

PomonaConnection Road

Sankeys Road

Cooroy southerninterchange

Tin Can Bay Road

Keefton Road

ColesCreek Road

MiddleCreek Road

TravestonCrossing Road

Traveston Road

Proposed TravestonCrossing Dam

Gympie

Southside

Monkland

Kybong

Federal

Black Mountain

Pomona

Cooran

Cooroy

RailwayOverhead power lines

Æ

N

The project has been divided into four sections:

Section D – Keefton Road to Curra, the Gympie bypass

(approximately 26 kilometres)

The corridor runs close to the railway line, on the eastern side of Gympie, between Keefton and Old Maryborough roads. Passing east of the Gympie urban area, the corridor minimises noise, air quality and amenity impacts, while maintaining good connectivity. From Old Maryborough Road to Curra, the selected corridor for the Bruce Highway has been moved to the east to use land in the Curra State Forest reducing the impact on private land. This avoids the need to realign Old Maryborough Road. The corridor connects to the existing highway at Curra, just north of the railway bridge on the old highway. An all-movements interchange is planned for the Curra end.

Section C – Traveston Road to Keefton Road

(approximately 11.5 kilometres)

North of Traveston Road, the selected alignment is located close to the existing powerline corridor at Kybong, minimising the impact on the Traveston State Forest. The corridor follows an easterly alignment with a full directional interchange to be located near Keefton Road.

Section B – Sankeys Road to Traveston Road

(approximately 11 kilometres)

The alignment for the Sankeys to Traveston roads section will move away from the existing highway to a corridor out of the Mary River flood plain and is above a one-in-100 year flood level. Ultimately, a new interchange will connect the new highway to the existing road network near Traveston and Traveston Crossing roads.

Section A – Cooroy southern interchange to Sankeys

Road (approximately 12.5 kilometres)

Between Cooroy and Black Mountain, the existing two-lane highway will be duplicated on the western side to provide a northbound carriageway for a four-lane motorway. Through Black Mountain to Federal, the four-lane highway corridor sits west of the existing highway. It is proposed to carry Black Mountain Range Road on a bridge above the four-lane highway, connecting to the existing Bruce Highway, which will become a local service road. There will be a full directional interchange near Cudgerie Drive.

Much of the current Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Curra consists of a two-lane road in rolling terrain with limited overtaking opportunities. There are frequent intersections and property accesses. Traffic congestion increases during peak commuter and holiday periods and this section of highway has a record of serious crashes, some resulting in fatalities. The low flood immunity also contributes to frequent highway closures during extreme rain periods.

This upgrade will separate long distance from local traffic movements to allow the highway to function as a high-speed, high-volume corridor. The new corridor will be a four-lane divided highway built to modern motorway standards, with the ability to be upgraded to six lanes in the long-term.

The upgrade to four lanes will also improve the competitiveness of Queensland industries through reduced transport costs and efficient links between business centres.

Better connectivity between the Gympie Region and Brisbane will be built on the backbone of a Bruce Highway designed for increasing traffic volumes and industry demands.

The project will also deliver strategic and logistical benefits for long-haul freight movements between the south east and central and north Queensland.

The upgrade will greatly reduce head-on crashes, which account for 55 per cent of all fatalities on the Cooroy to Curra section. It will reduce on-road and off-road crashes, where a vehicle hits an object off the road. The incidence of rear-end crashes will also reduce.The upgrade will address key issues identified in the Strategic Planning Study, which contribute to poor safety and reduced transport efficiency on the existing stretch of highway.

Access to the new highway will be via a limited number of interchanges supplemented by a series of service roads utilising the old highway. These can take diverted highway traffic in emergency situations.

The new corridor will be built above the one-in-100 year flood level. This will improve access during major floods and minimise the delay to freight movements.

Why is the Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) project needed?

The Department of Transport and Main Roads is committed to effective and appropriate community engagement, in order to respond to community needs.

Public consultation played a significant role in identifying the proposed Cooroy to Curra corridor. Consultation to date has included meetings with the Cooroy-Curra Community Committee who represented broad community interests through five local groups. Community feedback was continually integrated into the planning and options analysis process.

The community told Transport and Main Roads it wanted a project that protected the environment, enhanced social connectivity and maintained the quiet country ambience that had attracted them to live in the region. People wanted crown land to be used as much as possible when determining a route that deviated from the existing highway. The project was to follow the existing route in the south, where practical and minimise impacts to properties where important. Gympie residents also asked for a bypass east of town.

While the corridor, that was released in July 2008, is similar to that displayed in March 2007, the refinements respond to feedback from the community, councils and other stakeholders.

Refinements include:

• achangedinterchangesouthofGympietoprovideentryand exit points for motorists heading north and south

• arevisedcorridorthroughCurraStateForesttoreducethe impact on landowners and eliminate the need to realign Old Maryborough Road.

In the south the site for a southern interchange will be in the vicinity of Cudgerie Drive. Treatments concerning traffic noise and lighting at this location will be investigated during the preliminary design phase of Section A – Cooroy southern interchange to Sankeys Road. This may include low-noise asphalt, noise barriers and downward directional lighting.

The existing highway will be retained for local and tourist travel.

The start of Section B - Sankeys Road to Traveston Road

Route ReviewSection B – Sankeys Road to Traveston RoadIn accordance with a joint government commitment to the community, as a result of the proposed Traveston Crossing Dam a review of the alignment alternatives for the Bruce Highway upgrade between Sankeys and Traveston roads has been completed.

After considering likely social and financial impacts, Transport and Main Roads has recommended that the eastern alignment, as outlined in the Strategic Planning Study and approved in July 2008, be adopted.

Working with the community

Interim safety measures along existing highwayIn advance of the full upgrade, significant safety improvements to the Cooroy to Curra section of the highway have been made, with around $100 million spent over the last three years.

A joint strategy between the Department of Transport and Main Roads and Queensland Police Service to impose a maximum 90km/h speed limit on the Bruce Highway between Cooroy and the Wide Bay Highway has been implemented.

An innovative project has also commenced using the latest Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) to improve safety in this area. Six new Variable Message Signs (VMS) have been installed between Cooroy and Gympie. The intelligence to sense and advise motorists of poor driver behaviour will be installed progressively over the coming year.

When fully functional, the ITS will be able to automatically choose and display an appropriate message to target drivers for things such as driver fatigue, bad weather conditions, road works and any traffic hazards.

Proposed timetable

Section A – Cooroy southern interchange to Sankeys Road

• Planning(preliminarydesign)beganin mid 2009 and will be completed mid 2011

• Designisproposedtobegininlate2011andbe completed late 2012

• Timingofconstructionisyettobedetermined.

Section B – Sankeys Road to Traveston Road

• Planningiscomplete

• Designwillbedeliveredprogressivelybetweenlate 2008 and late 2009 to enable construction to occur in three packages – (1) bulk earthworks, (2) southern deviation and (3) the remaining pavement, drainage, bridge structures and finishing works

• InMay2009thissectionreceived$488millionin federal funding which was boosted in June 2009 by $125 million from the state bringing the total to $613 million

• PreliminaryconstructionworkbeganinJulywith a major contract to be awarded for the bulk earthworks package in late August/early September 2009. It is proposed that all works will be completed in 2012, weather permitting.

Section C – Traveston Road to Keefton Road

Section D – Keefton Road to Curra

• Specifictimeframesforthefinaltwostagesofthe Cooroy to Curra upgrade (Sections C and D) will be coordinated at a later date.

Main Roads – Connecting Queenslandwww.transportandmainroads.qld.gov.au

00450

Contact usFor more information about this project, contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads:

Freecall: 1800 180 566 Freecall Australia wide. Higher rates apply from mobile phones and pay phones.

Facsimile: 0754820465

Email: brucehwyc2c@mainroads.qld.gov.au

Write to: Bruce Highway Upgrade (Cooroy to Curra) Reply Paid, PO Box 183 GympieQld4570

Visit: www.transportandmainroads.qld.gov.au/cooroytocurra