The Mackay Ring Road is a bypass route near

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...

, Australia The proposed full length of the road is long and will be built in 3 stages. Stage 1 opened in September 2020. Stage 1 is 11.34 km in length and connects the

Bruce Highway The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian Na ...

to the south of Mackay (at Stockroute Road) with the Bruce Highway to the north of Mackay (near Bald Hill Road). It includes a new bridge over the

Pioneer River The Pioneer River is a river located in North Queensland, North Queensland, Australia. The long river flows through the city of . History Captain John Mackay (Australian pioneer), John Mackay and his party were the first Europeans to discover ...

and an interchange with the

Peak Downs Highway The Peak Downs Highway links the towns of Mackay and Clermont in the Australian state of Queensland. It represents the main link between Queensland's Whitsunday Coast and the Central West region of the state. The highway runs for a total lengt ...

. It provides a bypass of Mackay for Bruce Highway traffic that is immune to flooding and free of signalised intersections. Stage 1 of the project was expected to cost $540 million, 80% of the funding was from the Commonwealth and the remaining 20% from Queensland. Stage 2 is 8.2 km in length. It will connect Stage 1 near the

at Glenella to Harbour Road at Mackay Harbour. The route will follow the Mackay Harbour Railway (Port Rail Line). Stage 3 is 1.4 km in length. An additional connection from Stage 2 to the Port and Slade Point Road. It was expected that many vehicles would bypass the city once completed.

Construction

Milestones

* October 2011 - Planning Study commences * February 2012 - Analysis and evaluation of alignment options * May 2012 - Business Case for preferred alignment commences, community consultations * 13 November 2012 - Approval to proceed to design stage * January 2014 - Preliminary design phase begins, Initial ground survey and soil testing * 2015 - Detailed design work commenced * Mid 2017 - Construction of stage 1 commenced * 5 September 2020 - Completion of Stage 1 and opening.

Upgrades

Extend to Bald Hill Road

A project to extend the ring road to Bald Hill Road, at a cost of $497.3 million, was in detailed design in November 2021.

Mackay Port access

A project to provide access to Mackay Port, at a cost of $350 million, was in planning in July 2022,

References

External links

Department of Transport and Main Roads - Projects - Mackay Ring Road
{{Road infrastructure in Queensland Proposed roads in Australia Mackay, Queensland Ring roads in Australia Roads in Queensland