QMCA Design Excellence Award for Gympie Bypass bridge structure design innovation
News
Six Mile Creek Bridge looking north-east, Bruce Highway Upgrade – Cooroy to Curra, Section D (Gympie Bypass). Source: TMR
GHD is honoured to be recently awarded the Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA) Design Excellence Award for our work on the Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Section D (Gympie Bypass) bridge structure design.
GHD is honoured to be recently awarded the Queensland Major Contractors Association (QMCA) Design Excellence Award for our work on the Bruce Highway (Cooroy to Curra) Section D (Gympie Bypass) bridge structure design.
Opened to traffic in October 2024, the project bypasses the city of Gympie connecting the Bruce Highway interchange at Woondum (south of Gympie) to Curra, improving safety, flood resilience, capacity for motorists, and freight movement and efficiencies through the region and road network.
The Gympie Bypass is a $1.162 billion 26-kilometre, four-lane highway including the construction of a new highway section, three new interchanges, and 42 bridges at 23 locations. It is the final section of a 62-kilometre Bruce Highway 15-year program of works between Cooroy and Curra, totalling $2.549 billion.
Mike Bryett, Manager Infrastructure Delivery – South Queensland, GHD, says “This is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of engineering design and construction work on the 62-kilometre Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Curra, and it’s been a wonderful project for GHD to support the transport needs for local Gympie, Maryborough, and Sunshine Coast communities and industry. We are incredibly proud to help deliver the Gympie Bypass and see first-hand our engineering design expertise deliver lasting benefit.”
“This recognition highlights our commitment to outstanding design and innovation, and we are honoured to receive this prestigious recognition for our work and dedication to this long-term project and significant piece of infrastructure connecting Queensland.”
The Gympie Bypass sets a new standard with its 42 bridges across the 26-kilometres, especially at Six Mile Creek.
A sensitive environmental area, Six Mile Creek bridge is the longest single bridge span across a waterway in Queensland, with an impressive 45.6 metres using standard Super T girders covering the flood-prone creek and landscape.
Pushing technical boundaries, the innovative approach for the 255-metre bridge sets a new standard for large-scale roads infrastructure in Queensland, showcasing integrated span design, engineering excellence, and environmental preservation.
With 92 girders placed on site, the longest being approximately 38 metres and weighing 115 tonnes, this bridge structure pushed technical boundaries and required a design extending beyond the traditional design phase to a complex TIC-CO delivery arrangement.
Technically challenging, this landmark infrastructure project delivered much more than an engineering outcome. The elevated and raised new section of highway is also built to an equivalent of eight-storeys high, increasing flood immunity to withstand a 1 in 100-year flood event, essential for the Queensland road network and recent significant weather events.
The Gympie Bypass is a $1.162 billion 26-kilometre, four-lane highway including the construction of a new highway section, three new interchanges, and 42 bridges at 23 locations. It is the final section of a 62-kilometre Bruce Highway 15-year program of works between Cooroy and Curra, totalling $2.549 billion.
Mike Bryett, Manager Infrastructure Delivery – South Queensland, GHD, says “This is the culmination of 15 years’ worth of engineering design and construction work on the 62-kilometre Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Curra, and it’s been a wonderful project for GHD to support the transport needs for local Gympie, Maryborough, and Sunshine Coast communities and industry. We are incredibly proud to help deliver the Gympie Bypass and see first-hand our engineering design expertise deliver lasting benefit.”
“This recognition highlights our commitment to outstanding design and innovation, and we are honoured to receive this prestigious recognition for our work and dedication to this long-term project and significant piece of infrastructure connecting Queensland.”
The Gympie Bypass sets a new standard with its 42 bridges across the 26-kilometres, especially at Six Mile Creek.
A sensitive environmental area, Six Mile Creek bridge is the longest single bridge span across a waterway in Queensland, with an impressive 45.6 metres using standard Super T girders covering the flood-prone creek and landscape.
Pushing technical boundaries, the innovative approach for the 255-metre bridge sets a new standard for large-scale roads infrastructure in Queensland, showcasing integrated span design, engineering excellence, and environmental preservation.
With 92 girders placed on site, the longest being approximately 38 metres and weighing 115 tonnes, this bridge structure pushed technical boundaries and required a design extending beyond the traditional design phase to a complex TIC-CO delivery arrangement.
Technically challenging, this landmark infrastructure project delivered much more than an engineering outcome. The elevated and raised new section of highway is also built to an equivalent of eight-storeys high, increasing flood immunity to withstand a 1 in 100-year flood event, essential for the Queensland road network and recent significant weather events.
Along with flood immunity improvements, which traditionally impacted the Bruce Highway near the Gympie CBD and north and south of Gympie, the Gympie Bypass now improves traffic flow and safety, avoiding 53 intersections and nine signalised intersections, and 106 property accesses along the Old Bruce Highway. The reductions in traffic volumes and long-distance traffic from local traffic areas, and the provision of a four-lane highway and divided separation, further reduces the likelihood of head-on crashes. Travel times are also improved with new posted speed limits at 110 kilometres per hour.
The Gympie Bypass, particularly the bridge design throughout the project and at Six Mile Creek, was technically challenging, with significant environmental impacts, requiring intricate stakeholder engagement and consultation involving the Queensland Government’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), the designer (GHD), the community, and all project delivery partners.
GHD is proud to have worked with KBR, Bielby BMD Joint Venture (contractor for Woondum interchange to Sandy Creek Road), and CPB Contractors (contractor for Sandy Creek Road to Curra).
The Gympie Bypass, particularly the bridge design throughout the project and at Six Mile Creek, was technically challenging, with significant environmental impacts, requiring intricate stakeholder engagement and consultation involving the Queensland Government’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), the designer (GHD), the community, and all project delivery partners.
GHD is proud to have worked with KBR, Bielby BMD Joint Venture (contractor for Woondum interchange to Sandy Creek Road), and CPB Contractors (contractor for Sandy Creek Road to Curra).
Media contact
About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 12,000+ professionals is connected across 160 offices located on five continents.