Contractor appointed for $481m Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 3

A major milestone has been reached on the $481 million Bruce Highway - Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 3: Edmonton to Gordonvale development that will take the project one step closer to beginning construction.

After a rigorous assessment process, the John Holland, Seymour Whyte and AECOM Group (HSA Group) has been awarded the contract to design and construct the single largest road project in Far North Queensland.

“This significant infrastructure investment in the Far North region will deliver an upgrade to an essential section of the Bruce Highway.

“HSA Group has an excellent track record of successfully delivering major infrastructure projects in the North Queensland region,” Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said.

The Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 3 will include:

• Duplicating all existing 2-lane sections of the Bruce Highway between Edmonton and Gordonvale to 4 lanes
• A new alignment for the Bruce Highway to the eastern side of the existing highway between Peterson Road and Warner Road
• A new signalised intersection at Peterson Road and upgraded signalised intersections at Draper Road and Riverstone Road
• New service roads that remove local trips from the highway
• Realignment and upgrade of more than 4.7 kilometres of the Queensland Rail North Coast Line to accommodate the duplicated highway
• Removal of multiple at grade rail crossings and upgrade of boom gates at other crossings
• New road and rail bridges at Wrights Creek and Stoney Creek
• New Bruce Highway road overpass south of Maitland Road
• Relocation of existing cane rail lines at locations to accommodate the duplicated highway
• A dedicated off-road high-speed cycleway from Riverstone Road to north of Collinson Creek to tie into the existing cycleway at Thompson Road
• A new cycleway bridge at Collinson Creek and the re-use of existing rail bridges for the cycleway at Wrights Creek and Stoney Creek

“Once complete, it will provide an important link for the Bruce Highway - Cairns Southern Access Corridor Upgrades from Gordonvale to Cairns CBD.

“I’m pleased construction of this important project has been awarded to a business that will support the community of Far North Queensland,” Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said.

This project is set to deliver a number of congestion-busting works that will improve traffic flow and safety along this route. This multi-million dollar project will also create up to 466 full-time jobs during construction.

Construction is anticipated to commence in 2020 and is due for completion in 2023, weather permitting.

The Cairns Southern Access Corridor Stage 3 is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, with each contributing $384.8 million and $96.2 million respectively.

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Source: Queensland Government; Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development; Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads