Townsville Ring Road motorists warned to expect dramatic changes to traffic flow
Motorists are being warned to expect significant changes to traffic flow on and around the Townsville Ring Road as the project enters its final phase. See how to avoid the road works for the next few months.
Townsville
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DRAMATIC changes to the flow of traffic will soon be in place for motorists as construction works kick up a gear for the Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 project.
After commencing last year, this latest phase in the $230 million project will duplicate the last two-lane section of the Townsville Ring Road between Vickers Bridge and Shaw Rd.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has advised that temporary road closures and detours would begin this month to accommodate building new entry and exit ramps as part of the six-kilometre duplication.
From August 5, the northbound exit ramp to Hervey Range Rd will be closed to all traffic until early November.
To access Hervey Range Road, northbound motorists will soon need to continue past the Hervey Range Road exit and travel north on the Ring Road to exit at the Dalrymple Rd interchange.
From there they will enter back on to the southbound Ring Road carriageway, travel south and exit at the Hervey Range Rd exit ramp.
During this period, the southbound entry ramp from Shaw Rd to the Ring Road will also be closed to traffic.
Southbound motorists travelling on Shaw Road will need to use the Dalrymple Rd interchange to enter the Ring Road.
Access to The Reserve Estate will continue under traffic control for residents during the closures.
One of the dramatic changes delivered by Stage 5 will be the removal of the eastbound off-ramp and westbound on-ramp from the Riverway Drv interchange.
According to TMR, the new Beck Drv interchange would effectively split traffic volumes across Riverway Drive and Beck Drv, improving traffic efficiency, travel time reliability and safety for road users, particularly during peak hours.
Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King work was underway to install the final deck units on the eight-span Bohle River Bridge, with the three other bridges also nearing completion.
“Crews are now beginning to shift their focus to the extensive roadworks that are needed to connect the new ring road to the surrounding network,” Ms King said.
Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper said the new Hervey Range Road exit ramp and Shaw Rd entry ramp would take about three months to complete.
“Once complete, it will enable traffic to be switched across to new sections of the Ring Road alignment,” Mr Harper said.
“Works are also progressing well along Beck Drv which is on track to be reopened to all traffic later this year.
“This project will ... create about 400 important jobs during construction.”
Key features of Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) project
• Duplication of a 6km, 2-lane section of the Townsville Ring Road between Vickers Bridge and Shaw Road to 4 lanes.
• Duplication of bridges over Bohle and Little Bohle rivers.
• Duplication of overpass bridges at Beck Drive and Hervey Range Developmental Road.
• A new interchange at Beck Drive, catering for all directions of travel and providing better connection between the Townsville Ring Road and the Upper Ross area.
• Changes to the existing Riverway Drive interchange to ensure its safe operation with the new Beck Drive interchange, including removal of the eastbound off-ramp and westbound on-ramp.
• Installation of drainage for flood mitigation.
• Installation of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
• Noise mitigation measures.
• Environmental considerations.
• Upgrades to the surrounding local road network, including signalisation of the Beck Drive and Gouldian Avenue intersection.
• Active transport facilities including new and upgraded shared pathways for pedestrians and bike riders.
Benefits of the project
• Improves safety
• Increases capacity
• Improves network efficiency
• Increases traffic flow
• Reduces peak hour congestion
• Reduces interchange queuing
• Contributes to economy
• Contributes to regional growth
• Better active transport
Originally published as Townsville Ring Road motorists warned to expect dramatic changes to traffic flow
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