ONE of the north's largest road infrastructure projects is complete with the opening of the $497.3 million Mackay Ring Road.
The 11.3km road, which opened to traffic on Monday, connects the south of Mackay at Stockroute Road roundabout to the Bruce Highway north of Mackay near Bald Hill Road.
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the ring road would make it easier to travel between the south of Mackay and the northern suburbs.
"Travel time through the town centre will reduce, particularly at peaks times and heavy vehicles will be removed from the Nebo Road," Mr McCormack said.
Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the ring road's nine overpasses and four bridges were game-changers that would transform how critical freight and the sugar city's 116,000-strong community travels.
"This is a cornerstone project for Mackay built by Mackay," Mr Bailey said.
"More than 80 per cent of people involved in this project were from this region - that includes builders, suppliers, landscapers, engineers and traffic workers.
"Every one of them played a role in creating a project that will link the region's $17.4 billion economy to its port, Queensland and the world.
"Their work here paves the way for the region's next wave of road projects like the $120 million Mackay Northern Access upgrade, Walkerston Bypass and port access road: a $1 billion pipeline of road projects that'll support another 1000 jobs."
Mackay MP Julieanne Gilbert heralded the project's completion as a win for the region, and acknowledged the 1400-plus local workers who were instrumental in laying 90,000sq m of asphalt, 108 T-Girders and 11.3km of new road.
The community was invited to help name the bridge over the Pioneer River, and smaller bridges over Lagoon Creek, Fursden Creek and Fursden Creek Overflow.
The new structures will be named the Greg Sutherland Bridge, the Thomas Powell Bridge, the William and Frank Guthrie Bridge and the Margaret Insch Bridge after prominent locals.
The federal government contributed $397.9 million to the project as part of the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program to improve safety, capacity and flood resilience on the road network between Brisbane and Cairns.
