Contract awarded for $336m Bruce Highway Tiaro Bypass project

The $336 million Tiaro Bypass on the Bruce Highway has reached a new major milestone that pushes the project another step closer to construction. 

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has awarded the detailed design contract for the new four-lane bypass to Arup and SMEC. 

The two companies will now work with TMR to deliver further detailed investigations that will include environmental, hydraulics, noise, geotechnical, pavement, traffic and safety assessments. 

The contractors will also undertake the development of detailed road and bridge designs, including drainage, lighting, signage, property accesses and the relocation of public utilities. 

Lastly, Arup and SMEC will prepare detailed cost estimates, construction drawings as well as contract and procurement documents for the construction stage of the Tiaro Bypass. 

Draft concept design (source: Department of Transport and Main Roads)

The draft concept design for the new Tiaro Bypass project includes: 

• Nine kilometres of 4-lane highway with a concrete centre median barrier to separate northbound and southbound traffic and reduce the risk of head-on collisions 
• Two connection points to Tiaro – one at Wilson Road in the north and one at Tahiti Road in the south – to provide efficient access to the township and help encourage visitation 
• Grade separated interchanges, with overpass bridges at each connection to Tiaro to separate local and through traffic and provide safe connectivity to and from the new bypass 
• A realignment of Bauple Drive to connect to the new Tahiti Road interchange via a service road to improve safety 

The preferred alignment of the Tiaro Bypass will help minimise impacts on property owners as well as adjacent residents, sensitive environment areas, waterways and heritage artefacts. 

The Tiaro Bypass project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, each contributing $268.8 million and $67.2 million respectively. 

Planning is now completed and the next phase of project development is ramping up. The final construction timeframe for the new bypass is going to be confirmed upon the completion of the detailed design phase in mid-2024. 

Construction of the Bruce Highway Tiaro Bypass is expected to support up to 490 direct jobs. 

Source: Infrastructure Magazine; Department of Transport and Main Roads (1, 2); Gympie Today; Roads Australia