Opening of new bypass on the Hume Highway pushed back one week
July 25, 2013
A new bypass on the Hume Highway in New South Wales to allow people to drive from Melbourne to Sydney along a duplicated road for the first time will now open next week.
The Holbrook Bypass was originally scheduled to open yesterday, but federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says traffic will get to use it on July 31.
Traffic will progressively be moved on to the bypass, starting with northbound traffic in two stages from about 7.30am. Southbound traffic is expected to be moved onto the new road by 4pm, weather permitting.
“The bypass will take up to 2,700 trucks a day off the local streets of Holbrook, steering them away from residential and shopping areas and provide a safer environment for pedestrians in the township,” federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese says.
“Motorists who use this section of the highway will experience safer driving conditions and shorter travel times.”
NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay says work will take place on July 31 to remove concrete barriers and old line markings while traffic is moved on to the bypass.
He says an 80km/h speed limit will be in place for one week after the bypass opens while final work is completed. The speed limit will then switch to 110km/h.
The bypass starts 4km north of Holbrook where it crosses west of the cemetery, sewage treatment plant and industrial area and then crosses Culcairn Road.
From Culcairn Road the bypass crosses Ten Mile Creek and re-joins the existing Hume Highway 2km south of Holbrook.
The Federal Government provided the entire $242 million cost of the project.
Meanwhile, work to install more overtaking lanes along Bruce Highway in north Queensland is progressing.
The Federal Government has given construction companies interested in carrying out the project until August 15 to submit their best bids. Construction is slated to begin in November this year.
Albanese says the construction of two extra lanes is for two locations either side of Duck Creek, north of Proserpine in the Whitsundays region.
“They follow four overtaking lanes already built between Mackay and Proserpine, and another four currently in progress,” Albanese says.
He says the project is part of a package of works to build 18 new overtaking lanes.
“This package will address the lack of safe overtaking opportunities on what is a vital freight and tourism link,” he says.
“The new overtaking lanes will allow motorists to safely overtake trucks, buses and vehicles towing caravans—reducing the number of risky manoeuvres motorists sometimes take to overtake these vehicles.”
