Transport and Main Roads to close part of Beck Drive for Ring Road works
A section of Beck Drive will close for more than three months as Transport and Main Roads completes the Ring Road Stage 5.
Townsville
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A SECTION of Beck Drive will close for more than three months as Transport and Main Roads completes the Ring Road Stage 5.
The temporary road closure between Gouldian Ave and Hervey Range Road will be in place as part of the duplication of the overpass.
The $238m federal and state funded project is to duplicate a 6km long section of the Bruce Highway.
The community were unreceptive to upgrade plans, who felt the changes would not benefit the community.
The changes included closing the Riverway Drive off-ramp, and building two new on-ramps and two new off-ramps onto Beck Drive to cater for both east and westbound traffic.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said while the government was conscious of the impact on the local community and businesses, the temporary closure would allow work to be done safely and more efficiently, reducing the need for longer-term, partial closures.
“This next phase of project will see the Beck Drive close to allow for important enabling and construction work to take place, including landing the deck girders for duplication of the overpass, installing drainage for flood mitigation, replacing culverts, asphalt works, relocation of services to cater for signalised services and active transport pathways,” Mr Bailey said.
“The good news for motorists is that, once the project is complete, the new interchange will cater to all directions of travel and better connect the Upper Ross to the Townsville Ring Road.”
Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said the project was an incredibly important piece of infrastructure for the city.
“It will improve road safety and create up to 400 jobs which is why investing in projects like this is so important,” Mr Harper said.
Beck Drive will close from 6am, January 23 and is planned to reopen to traffic by 6pm May 1, 2022.
All traffic will be directed to detour via Gouldian Ave, Riverway Drive and Hervey Range Road. Road users are encouraged to plan ahead and seek alternative routes.
The Ring Road Stage 5 project is expected to be complete in mid 2023, weather and construction conditions permitting.
Townsville’s stadium kicks it out of the park with award
QUEENSLAND Country Bank Stadium’s scorecard just keeps getting better, with it named the best regional stadium in Australia.
Fans have voted in the Austadiums’ 2021 Stadium Awards to name the best venues across the country in multiple categories.
While Optus Stadium was named the best in the country, it was Townsville’s newest sporting venue that won the top regional gong with 30 per cent of the vote.
It was also named the fourth best NRL stadium (9 per cent) behind Suncorp (24 per cent), CommBank (23 per cent), and AAMI Park (22 per cent).
The second best regional stadium was GMHBA in Geelong, which had previously taken out the top spot.
In 2021, the stadium hosted multiple events including State of Origin Game 1 and games in the NRL finals series.
Townsville MP Scott Stewart said the stadium was a world-class venue.
“This fan-voted award is fantastic recognition not only for the stadium but also the city,” Mr Stewart said.
He said a staggering 440,573 people had been to 31 major events since the venue opened in 2020. More than 280,400 of those people passed through the gates in 2021.
“Townsville is the events capital of North Australia, and we know bringing world-class events to the city is important for our economic recovery from COVID-19,” Mr Stewart said.
“When the Palaszczuk Government backed Queensland Country Bank Stadium, we wanted it to help activate our city centre and despite a global pandemic, it’s been a huge confidence booster for the north.”
“Besides the benefit for businesses throughout the city the stadium has employed thousands of people since it opened.”
The stadium employs nine full-time staff and about 220 casual staff for event days.
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Originally published as Transport and Main Roads to close part of Beck Drive for Ring Road works
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