Premier turns first sod at $35 million Riverway Drive Duplication project

Work has officially commenced on the Riverway Drive Duplication project in Townsville with Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk visiting the project site to turn the first sod on Friday 2 June.

The Premier was accompanied by Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports Minister Mark Bailey; Minister Assisting the Premier on North Queensland Coralee O’Rourke; Member for Thuringowa Aaron Harper; and Member for Townsville Scott Stewart.

The project, which will duplicate approximately 3 kilometres of Riverway Drive between Gollogly Lane and Allambie Lane, will improve traffic flow and reduce congestion to create more reliable and consistent travel times for motorists using the busy road. The project will also improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists by providing signalised intersections, pedestrian crossings and centre medians.

Riverway Drive is located approximately 20 kilometres south-west of Townsville’s CBD, within the area known as the Upper Ross. The Upper Ross is experiencing continued residential growth and, as a result, Riverway Drive is impacted during peak travel times. By duplicating the current single lane between Gollogly Lane and Allambie Lane, the project will improve efficiency and travel time reliability for the 20,000 vehicles which travel on it each day.

An average of 82 jobs will be supported over the life of the project. In line with our commitment to supporting the local communities in which we operate, BMD has been working with Transport and Main Roads to source local workers, subcontractors and suppliers.