Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Section D

The $1 billion Section D: Woondum to Curra project is a new 26km, 4-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, south of Gympie and Curra.

Visualisation video of final design

Video Transcript

Benefits

• Increases traffic flow
• Increases capacity
• Improves safety
• Improves flood immunity
• Reduces travel time
• Contributes to economy
• Contributes to regional growth

Key features

• Improve traffic flow, as the upgrade will avoid 53 intersections (including 9 signalised intersections) and 106 property accesses which contribute to current safety and congestion issues on the existing Bruce Highway
• Improve safety and capacity through the separation of long-distance traffic from local traffic. This will reduce traffic volumes on the highway travelling through Gympie, with around 50% less heavy vehicles
• Greatly reduce head-on crashes by providing a divided 4-lane highway
• Significantly improve flood immunity compared with the old highway, which has traditionally experienced frequent closures in the Gympie CBD and north and south of Gympie due to flooding
• Improve travel times by having the new highway posted at 110km/h (currently the highway is 80km/h and 60km/h through Gympie).

Funding

This project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments. Project scope, cost and timing are subject to further planning, consideration and negotiation with the Australian Government. Investment ID 686965

A revised project cost of $1,131.6 million was announced on 22 December 2023.  

Funding figures as at QTRIP 2023-24 to 2026-27 (June 2023).

Current status

Cooroy to Curra (Section D) is being delivered in 2 major construction contracts:

• Contract 1: Woondum interchange to Sandy Creek Road (Bielby Holdings and BMD Group Join Venture) 
• Contract 2: Sandy Creek Road to Curra (CPB Contractors)

Once complete, there will be 42 bridges at 23 locations along the Gympie Bypass and more than 6 million cubic metres of earth will be moved from cuts to fill areas. This raises the new section of highway to a level that will increase the flood immunity to withstand a one-in-100-year flood event.

Since late 2020, work has included clearing and earthworks along the entire 26km project, with bridge works well advanced on Contract 1 and  Contract 2.

Contract 1 work completed up to October 2023:

• over 60 sediment basins operational, and progressively being decommissioned as landscaping and drainage works are completed
• bulk earthworks complete with 4 million cubic metres of earth moved from cut to fill
• Keefton Road underpass, Bolcaro Road and Noosa Road overpass bridges open to traffic along with the new bridge over the North Coast Rail Line
• all 479 concrete bridge girders installed
• new Flood Road interchange (formally known as Penny Road interchange) is open to local traffic. Connections including on and off-ramps to the new highway will remain closed until project completion
• 190,000 tonnes of lightly bound pavement laid
• 75,000 tonnes of asphalt pavement laid.

Woondum interchange looking north (existing Bruce Highway on left - new Bruce Highway under construction on right)

Final girder installation at Six Mile Creek bridges

New bridges over the North Coast Rail Line

New Flood Road interchange from eastern roundabout looking west

Flood Road interchange

Contract 2 work completed up October 2023:

• decommissioning of sediment basins has commenced in some locations
• Tamaree and Bannister roads realigned and open to local traffic
• bulk earthworks well advanced, with 2.1 million out of 2.2 million cubic metres of dirt moved to date
• all drainage culverts have been constructed, including 3 concrete culverts which are dedicated fauna crossings under the new highway
• blasting of hard rock is complete
• bridge construction underway at all bridge sites along the contract length
• all 251 concrete bridge girders installed.

Looking south through the Curra State Forest from Bradys Road bridge

First of the final batch of girders being installed on Contract 2 at Keliher Creek bridges

Curra interchange bridge open to local Ashfords Road traffic

Both contracts will be completed, and the highway will open as 1 project in late-2024, weather and construction conditions permitting.

New Flood Road interchange

An all-movements interchange at Flood Road will cater for locals and industry, enabling heavy vehicles to access commercial and industrial areas east and west of the new highway.

New Gympie interchange

An all movements interchange will be constructed at Gympie Connection Road to cater for commuters travelling to Gympie or the Cooloola Coast from the new highway. Traffic signals will be located at each exit ramp and entry ramp intersection with Gympie Connection Road to manage safe flow of traffic between the new highway and the local road network.

New Curra interchange

An all and construction conditions movements interchange will be constructed just north of Curra to connect the new 4-lane highway with the existing 2-lane Bruce Highway. The interchange will be to the north of the existing Harvey Siding Road and Bruce Highway intersection. Connections will be made back to Harvey Siding and Ashfords roads for local traffic.

Drone video of construction of the Six Mile Creek bridge: July 2021

Video description

This video shows the following scenes:

View from a drone looking south along the construction site of the Gympie bypass project and directly onto bridge construction of the Six Mile Creek bridge.

The drone flies south over the bridge piling works and a large crane.

Environmental erosion and sediment ponds can be seen to the right.

The drone flies over Six Mile Creek which is a sensitive environmental area. The 250m long bridge will span this creek which is flood prone.

At the southern end of the bridge site excavators can be seen moving dirt, and footage shows bridge piles under construction.

The view is then up the wide highway alignment showing where the Gympie bypass will travel once complete.

 

Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Section D—Earthworks update: September 2022

Video description

This video shows the following scenes. 

First section is vision looking south then north of mining equipment such as 777’s (large mining dump trucks) carting earthworks within the Gympie bypass corridor. In the background is piling works on the bridges under construction. It includes a label that reads ‘In total over 6 million m3 of earth is being moved’.

The second section is a drone video looking south towards the new highway corridor showing all the different types of machinery required to undertake the bulk earthworks such as Moxie’s, excavators, dozers, scrapers and water trucks. It includes a label that reads ‘That’s about 20,000 m3 of earth moved a day’.

The third section is drone video shot above the new 260m long Six Mile Creek bridge site and shows the 777’s carting earth. It includes a label that reads ‘That takes a lot of hands and specialist equipment’.

The final section is drone video looking south towards the North Coast Rail Line. A train travels through the bridge site where the new Bruce Highway is being constructed over the rail line. The shot also shows the completed pavement/bitumen that has been laid on a completed section of earthworks. It includes a label that reads ‘To build the bypass high enough to withstand a one-in-100 year flood event’.

Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Section D-Time lapse of Flood Road interchange construction: 27 March 2023

Video Transcript

[ On screen text: Bruce Highway Upgrade - Cooroy to Curra, Gympie Bypass time lapse of Flood Road interchange construction ]

[ The time lapse video spans over 18 months and shows the construction of the Flood Road interchange, bridge and roundabouts. ]

[ During the video, the progress shows a clear grassed site, it continues onto earth works being moved, then a crane assists in laying the concrete bridge girders. ]

[ Once the girders are installed it shows the asphalt pavement being laid and landscaping occurring around and in the roundabouts then the interchange is complete. ]

[ On screen text: (search icon) Cooroy to Curra - Section D (Gympie Bypass) Australian Government coat of arms (left), Queensland Government coat of arms (right) ]