It’s all happening in Townsville

With the $230 million Townsville Ring Road (Stage 5) project and the $108 million Townsville Northern Access Intersections Upgrade project kicking off, it’s about to get very busy in Townsville. These two key projects are part of a $1.5 billion joint State and Federal commitment to roads in North Queensland.

The Townsville Northern Access Intersections Upgrade project will duplicate 5.2 km of the Bruce Highway, including a new bridge over Black River, while the Stage 5 Ring Road project will complete the four-lane, 22 km Townsville Ring Road. In terms of Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) design, planning and implementation both projects share some similar challenges. These are primarily related to site drainage, or lack thereof, in areas of particularly flat terrain which are then significantly contrasted by short but very steep design batters that increase erosion risk greatly. This is compounded by some very large external catchments that need consideration in the design of temporary drainage. Like most projects in North Queensland, the most effective solutions come from close communication with construction personnel and effective planning around the stark dry and wet seasons and associated monsoon.

In contrast to the above projects about to commence, the $514 million Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade project located south of Townsville (near Giru) on the Bruce Highway is nearing completion, with works well progressed on the 7 bridge structures and future highway alignment. Some great photos showing the progress of this project can be found on the TMR website.