Weather and construction commitments permitting, the new Bruce Highway ‘Cooroy to Curra’ bypass of Gympie will open in late October.

The final 26km section of the massive project is the last of three sections – and the longest – as part of the overall 62km project which began in 2009 with the first section removing central Cooroy from through highway traffic.

The $1.16 billion bypass will shave substantial time from trips heading north from Noosa, given the new highway will have a constant 110km/h speed limit, as opposed to the 60-80km/h limits through busy Gympie with innumerable sets of traffic lights.

And while some towns can suffer economically following a main road bypass, Gympie has good infrastructure along with a healthy local economy, and visiting it will become a far more enjoyable experience, with a truck reduction through the town of at least 50%. 

The announcement was made on Saturday, as a projected 3,000 Gympie and surrounding area locals were set to attend an official commissioning event at the Flood Road interchange.

“This is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of construction on the 62-kilometre Bruce Highway upgrade, and it’s a privilege to celebrate this massive achievement,” federal assistant minister for regional development, Senator Anthony Chisholm said.

“Not only will this stretch of highway improve safety, flood resilience and capacity for motorists, it will also meet the transport needs of the Gympie and Sunshine Coast communities well into the future.”  

State main roads minister Bart Mellish said: “We are so close to the finish line now, with the final works underway to prepare the new highway for traffic.

“Our construction partners have built 42 bridges at 23 locations, moved more than six million cubic metres of earth, and laid over 142 kilometres of pavement and 610,000 tonnes of asphalt.

“This has been a monumental project for the Gympie region, and today’s community event is a way of saying thank you to everyone for their patience during construction.”