Port Curtis

The Australian Government has invited tenders for the A$85m ($89m) Yeppen Crossing project at the southern entrance to Rockhampton in central Queensland.

The Yeppen Lagoon will be jointly funded by the state and federal governments, improving safety for road users at the Yeppen roundabout and Lower Dawson Road to the Ferguson Street/Port Curtis Road intersection.

Australia’s Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the project will upgrade the Yeppen roundabout, build a new higher bridge across the lagoon, upgrade the intersection between Upper Dawson Road and Jellicoe Street and make changes to the Port Curtis Road intersection.

"This important project will improve safety and driving conditions for the 22,000 vehicles which pass through the Yeppen roundabout each and every day," added Albanese.

The project will see the construction of a new 420m Yeppen Bridge, downstream of the existing low-level structure. Also included, is a new slip lane for traffic entering Rockhampton from Gracemere, avoiding congestion and delays at the roundabout. In addition, there will be an expansion of the roundabout to two lanes between the Yeppen Bridge entry and Capricorn Highway exit, to increase capacity and reduce travel time.

Both lanes of the existing bridge will be dedicated for northbound traffic, while Upper Dawson Road and the Jellicoe Street intersection will be upgraded to have traffic signals and expanded to allow for wider loads and pedestrians.

The work also includes the reconfiguration of the Port Curtis Road intersection to enhance safety.

The project has been designed to integrate with the longer-term upgrades to the Bruce Highway across the Yeppen floodplain, allowing for a high-level of flood protection on Rockhampton’s southern approaches.

Designs for the project are already ready and interested tenders will be accepted until 9 February.

The bridge is scheduled to be complete and open to traffic by early 2014.

 

Image: Yeppen crossing project will improve safety for road users at the Yeppen Roundabout and Lower Dawson Road to the Ferguson Street/Port Curtis Road intersection. Photo: Australian Government.