Rural road to shut for 18 months as part of bypass work

Mayor Glen Hartwig says the region will experience a lot of change in the next few years

Part of Penny Rd near Monkland will be shut for 18 months to allow for construction of Gympie’s bypass.

A message from Gympie Mayor Glen Hartwig:

"Many of you would be aware of the saying 'the only things which are guaranteed in life are death and income tax.' However, I would throw a third one in there; change.

"Change is inevitable, and currently in our region we are experiencing change on a number of different levels and on a number of different fronts.

"In particular, over the last couple of weeks, I have had a number of discussions with residents around the Gympie bypass.

"While this project has been some time in the making, it is now upon us. For some, this brings with it feelings of anxiousness, scepticism and sometimes even fear. These feelings are of course completely understandable, particularly if you are a business owner or rely on highway traffic for one reason or another.

Work on the bypass is now in full swing.

"The truth is we don't know what impact the Bruce Highway bypass will have on our town but the data is encouraging. More and more regional communities around Australia are advocating for their towns to be bypassed.

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"The reality is for us, the bypass will mean greater connectivity for our northern residents to the coast, it will mean greater connectivity for Sunshine Coasters to our region, and for Gympie locals it will mean a safer passage through the region and less heavy vehicle traffic. Much of which drives straight through town anyway.

"The Cooroy to Curra project is in full swing and from next week there will be some road closures around the region.

Mayor Glen Hartwig says he is “excited for the time ahead”.

"To prepare for construction of the new Penny Rd interchange, a section of Penny Rd will be closed from Monday 8 March 2021 for about 18 months. The Department of Transport and Main Roads are doing a great job in keeping residents informed. If you are chasing more information on this, I would encourage you to head to their website www.tmr.qld.gov.au/cooroytocurra.

"For the record, I am excited for the time ahead and looking forward to, with you, embracing the positive change which is before us.

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