The Rockhampton Ring Road will see the Bruce Highway bypass Rockhampton, passing to the west of the town centre and Rockhampton Airport, on the Western Road Corridor.
The Western Road Corridor is a 22-kilometre deviation of the Bruce Highway from the Burnett Highway intersection south of Rockhamption to north of Glenlee. The bypass is envisioned to include a new crossing of the Fitzroy River and will utilise two kilometres of the Capricorn Highway, which is being duplicated separately through the Capricorn Highway Duplication (Rockhampton to Gracemere) project.
Works to be undertaken through the contract include:
- a 17.4-kilometre ring road around Rockhampton CBD, from the Capricorn Highway at Nelson Street to Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road
- a 250-metre dual carriageway bridge over the Fitzroy River
- over six kilometres of bridges over floodplains, and
- four new connections to Rockhampton, including the Gracemere/Capricorn Highway connection, West Rockhampton connection, Alexandra Street connection, and Parkhurst Connection.
The works are being split into packages, with the the early works $280 million first package (Package 1) divided further into North Package 1 and South Package 1, the details of which are below:
North Package 1:
- Construct the ring road section between the Bruce Highway /Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road intersection and Monier Road embankment.
- Works required for the realigned Boundary Road, McLaughlin Street, existing Boundary Road, and Monier Road access.
- Construct accesses for Dreamtime Cultural Centre, Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services precinct.
South Package 1:
- Rockhampton–Ridgelands Road upgrade including Canoona Road intersection, replacement of Lion Creek bridge, modifications to Osborne Road, and construction of the Ridgelands Road–Osborne Road roundabout with a stub for future connection to the ring road.
- Upgrade of Nine Mile Road/Rockhampton–Ridgelands Road intersection.
- Preload of embankment between the Capricorn Highway and Abutment A of Bridge BR04 (over soft soils).
Key Dates
| Nov 2018 | Project Announcement |
| Nov 2021 | EOIs Open |
| Dec 2021 | EOIs Close |
| Jul 2022 | Expected Contract Award |
| 2023 | Construction Commencement |
| 2026 | Expected Construction Completion |
Funding contributions
| Federal Government | |
| Queensland Government |
Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Department of Transport and Main Roads |
| Related contracts: |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Feb 2017 | $65 million was allocated by the Federal and Queensland governments in February 2017 to commence planning and preservation works for the Ring Road. |
| Nov 2018 | In November 2018 the Federal Government announced it had allocated $800 million towards the project in an 80/20 split with the Queensland Government. |
| Nov 2018 | AECOM was awarded a contract to deliver the preliminary evaluation as part of the planning phase in November 2018. |
| Jan 2019 | In January 2019, the Queensland Government announced their 20 per cent of funding for the project, with a $200 million commitment. |
| Oct 2020 | Jacobs SMEC Design Joint Venture was appointed to provide the detailed design of the Rockhampton Ring Road. |
| Nov 2021 | The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads opened Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the project, closing on 16 December. The Department also announced the project is expected to be split into two separate packages, which are expected to be awarded in mid to late 2022. |
| Jun 2023 | Queensland Government awarded two early works contracts worth a combined $280 million. The contract for North Package One was awarded to a Bielby and BMD Joint Venture. The contract for South Package One was awarded to an ACCIONA and Fulton Hogan Joint Venture. |
| Nov 2023 | The Federal Government allocated an additional $348 million to the project following the IIP Independent Strategic Review, bringing their contribution to $1.17 billion. |
| Jan 2024 | The Queensland Government increased their funding commitment from $213 million to $530 million. The Federal Government also provided an additional $29 million, bringing their total contribution to $1,2 billion. The total estimated cost of the project was increased to $1.73 billion. |
| Jun 2024 | The 2024-25 Queensland Budget forecast planned expenditure of $191 million for the project in FY2024-25. |
| Mar 2025 | The 2025-26 Federal Budget allocated an additional $200 million to the project over four years. |
Estimated Total Cost
(2025)
Sector
Road
Procurement approach
Traditional Procurement |
Location
Queensland |
National |
Resources
Government resources
Project fact sheet December 2019DIRDC Project website
Interview Transcript 7/11/2018 - Scott Morrison
Federal Government IIP Project Changes Summary
