Contractors complete $497.3M Mackay Ring Road project

One of the Mackay region’s largest infrastructure projects, the $497.3 million Mackay Ring Road, has been completed by CPB Contractors.

CPB began the works around mid-2017, crews have now built an 11.3 kilometre road with nine overpasses and four bridges. In total crews placed 90,000 square metres of asphalt pavement.

The new road is set to open to traffic today.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey was there for the celebrations and said the ring road’s nine overpasses and four bridges were game-changers that would transform how critical freight and the sugar city’s 116,000-strong community travels.

“This is a cornerstone project for Mackay built by Mackay,” Bailey said. “More than 80 per cent of people involved in this project were from this region – that includes builders, suppliers, landscapers, engineers and traffic workers.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Australian Government contributed $397.9 million to the Ring Road as part of the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program, which is improving safety, capacity and flood resilience between Brisbane and Cairns.

“The 11.3 kilometre Ring Road will make it much easier to travel between the south of Mackay and the northern suburbs. Travel time through the town centre will reduce, particularly at peaks times and heavy vehicles will be removed from the Nebo Road,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk acknowledged the efforts of local businesses and crews who were able to continue working on the project due to the efforts of Queenslanders in managing the health impacts of COVID-19.

“The Mackay Ring Road will have lasting benefits for the region and its economy for decades to come, but importantly it also created jobs at a time we needed it most,” Palaszczuk said.

“We have a plan for economic recovery, and at the heart of that plan is a $50 billion guarantee to invest in large infrastructure projects that will support and sustain jobs for Queenslanders now and into the future.”

Each of the four bridges on the project were named after prominent members of the MacKay community.

Suggestions were considered by a naming committee and with more than 80 submissions received the new structures will be named the Greg Sutherland Bridge, the Thomas Powell Bridge, the William and Frank Guthrie Bridge and the Margaret Insch Bridge.

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