The Albanese and Queensland Government funded Gympie Bypass has opened to traffic, a significant improvement for residents with heavy vehicles no longer needing to travel through Gympie.
The $1.162 billion Bypass cuts travel times, improves motorist safety, access and flood immunity.
The project has constructed a new 26-kilometres, four-lane divided highway between the existing Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum, just south of Gympie, and Curra.
It includes three new interchanges - at Flood Road, Gympie Connection Road and Curra. There are also 42 new bridges at 23 locations.
Over the next couple of weeks and months, the Gympie community will begin to see the positive impact of fewer heavy vehicles, while freight efficiency will be improved.
Motorists can still also access Gympie from the Old Bruce Highway via the interchange at Woondum and from Curra in the north.
The Gympie Bypass is jointly funded, with the Australian Government contributing $929.6 million and the Queensland Government contributing $232.4 million.
It is the final section of a 62-kilometre Bruce Highway program of works between Cooroy and Curra, totalling $2.549 billion. Construction of the overall Cooroy to Curra program began in September 2009.
While major construction for the bypass is finished, there will be some intermittent works over the next few weeks while the crew finishes some minor activities on the connections at either end of the new highway.
