Location

Townsville, Queensland

Client

Department of Transport and Main Roads

Sector

Transport

Roads

Duration

2015 – 2016

Contract value

$100 – 150 million

Back to projects

Townsville Ring Road Section 4

Fast facts

$106,000

local spend

6 months

ahead of the planned project completion

$64,300,000

saved by the client through innovative and cost‐effective solutions

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people employed

2,200,000 t

of imported material

68 no.

cross-drainage structures

About

The Townsville Ring Road Section 4 project involves a mixture of both greenfields and brownfields construction to deliver an 11.5 km four-lane road link, designed to motorway standard, to connect the western end of the Townsville Ring Road from Shaw Road to the Bruce Highway north of Mount Low Parkway. In addition to the new dual-carriageway alignment, the scope includes five overpass structures, three bridges and 68 cross-drainage structures.

The dual carriageway is to be constructed through the Bohle floodplains, which presents several challenges that the team will have to keep top-of-mind through the planning and execution stages of the project. Like all projects delivered in the tropical North Queensland environment, construction of Townsville Ring Road Section 4 will be driven by the wet season. To mitigate this, weather critical works will be programmed to ensure minimal impact.

“This project had a strong focus on local employment by sourcing local products and services. This allowed the construction team to save on transport costs and keep money within the community. Principal contractor Seymour Whyte sourced more than 80 per cent of labour, plant, subcontractors and materials for this project locally, pumping about $106 million into the local economy. In addition, all fill was sourced from local quarries, making a significant contribution to local businesses and supporting local employment.”