WORK BEGINS ON THE TOOWOOMBA SECOND RANGE CROSSING VIADUCT

• The 41 kilometre road bypass is to the north of Toowoomba and will connect the Warrego Highway at Helidon Spa in the east, to the Gore Highway at Athol in the west, via Charlton.

ACCIONA Infrastructure has begun work on the viaduct within the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (TSRC). The 800 metre long road bridge will extend from the Lockyer Valley and cut through the Toowoomba Range at Mount Kynoch.

The commencement of works was attended by Federal Member for Groom, Dr John McVeigh; State Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy and Minister for Small Business, Leeanne Enoch; local councillors and representatives from Nexus Infrastructure.

The official event was held at Abutment B on the eastern slope of the Toowoomba Range which provided an optimum view of the cutting’s location through the Toowoomba Range to the west and the road corridor to the east.

The TSRC project is one of the central elements of economic development for south west Queensland. It is a bypass route that will be built to the north of Toowoomba, around 126 kilometres west of  Brisbane, and will improve traffic impacts and road safety by reducing the number of heavy vehicles that currently travel through the Toowoomba town centre.

In addition to the 800 metre viaduct above the Queensland Rail line, a feature of the project includes an approximately 30 metre deep cutting at the top of the Toowoomba Range. This was the key element of the Nexus Infrastructure bid and an alternative to the tunnel solution detailed in the reference design. The 30 metre cutting will allow all heavy vehicles, including dangerous goods carriers and oversize vehicles, to use the TSRC.

ACCIONA Infrastructure, as part of the Nexus Infrastructure consortium, was awarded the AU$1.6 billion contract for the design, construction, financing, operation and maintenance of the TSRC..

Once completed, the project will improve heavy vehicle efficiency and driver safety, relieve pressure on local commuter roads in and around Toowoomba, and improve liveability for the whole region.

The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing is expected to be open to traffic in late 2018.