Stuart Drive, Bowen Road Bridge to be upgraded

A major bottleneck on a busy Townsville road is set to be upgraded as part of a $70m project.

A MAJOR bottleneck on a busy Townsville road is set to be upgraded as part of a $70m state government project.

Stuart Drive will undergo a major overhaul to ease congestion and improve safety for both motorists and pedestrians, with the bridge connecting Idalia and Rosslea to be duplicated.

The $70m is on top of the $46.4m that had already been committed to upgrade the road and intersection of Mervyn Crossman Drive and Fairfield Waters Drive.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said since the upgrades to the intersection were promised as part of the 2020 state election, Mundingburra MP Les Walker had been pushing for the bridge to be upgraded too.

A map of the changes set to be made to the bridge and road.

Mr Bailey said the choke point over the Ross River meant the bridge needed to be upgraded.

“We will have a nice flow of works, so we will do the road first, and that will flow onto the bridge work being done in 2024,” Mr Bailey said.

“We need the capacity here because as the population grows it’s obviously putting a lot of pressure on the road network.”

Work on the project will begin later this year, with Mr Bailey saying moving utilities will be first on the list.

Mr Walker, said this would be a “dream come true” for the community who use Bowen Rd and Stuart Drive.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey and Member for Mundingburra Les Walker make an announcement about upgrades to the bridge on Bowen Road. Picture: Shae Beplate.

He said the geotechnical report would come first, before the design phase was completed.

“As more people move to Queensland, and to our regional centres, it’s important that we are delivering upgrades now to prepare for future demand.,” he said.

“About 24,000 people use this section of Stuart Drive each day, so I’m pleased to see this work pushing forward.”

After the works on the bridge are complete, the state government will start on a new section.

“This will be followed by works to upgrade Stuart Drive to four lanes from University Road, including signalising the Gartrell Drive intersection,” Mr Walker said.

“It’s anticipated that works on the Stuart Drive duplication project will be complete in late-2024, weather and construction conditions permitting.”

The $46.4 million election commitment includes:

Replacing the Mervyn Crossman Drive and Fairfield Waters Drive roundabout with a signalised intersection.

Signalising the Gartrell Drive and Kokoda Street intersections.

And safety upgrades for pedestrians and bike riders, including wider paths, better connections, and safer crossings.

Originally published as Stuart Drive, Bowen Road Bridge to be upgraded