Workers have begun tearing down the last remaining timber railway bridge over the Isis Highway to build a new road passing through Biggenden.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads started work on the bridge in the North Burnett on 2 April, preparing the structure for demolition as part of a $7.84 million road replacement project.
The timber bridge has stood in Biggenden for the past 71 years. It was built in 1954, forming part of the Mungar-Monto railway line bisecting the town, which was used to transport sugarcane until its closure in 2012.
TMR have stated that the bridge was unsuitable for heavy vehicle traffic and offered poor sightlines for motorists travelling along the Isis Highway through Biggenden, approving it for removal in September of 2024.
In its place the Department will constuct an at-grade road including a footpath, which it claims will offer improved visibility at the areas where the highway intersects Nette Street and Edward Street.
The Department’s regional director for Southern Queensland, Bill Lansbury, said the North Burnett’s growing minerals sector will stand to benefit from the new road’s added safety features. He added that existing heavy vehicle traffic between the Bundaberg and Burnett regions will also be improved by the works.
“With the designation of the Port of Bundaberg as a strategic port and the creation of the Bundaberg State Development Area, the Isis Highway is a significant transport route providing connectivity between the Burnett and regions of Bundaberg, Darling Downs, Gladstone, and Rockhampton from the North Burnett minerals region into Bundaberg,” Mr Lansbury said.
“This project also aims to deliver safety improvements for local motorists, bike riders and pedestrians in an area which provides access for local and non-local traffic, and a connection to the Biggenden CBD.”
With traffic now blocked from crossing the bridge, motorists travelling on the Isis Highway in both directions will have to detour via Saleyards Road, Mary Street and Maryborough-Biggenden Road.
TMR widened Saleyards Road in late 2024 to accommodate the detour traffic.
Drivers looking to access Gooroolba-Biggenden Road will be able to access it via Edward Street, where traffic control measures are in place.
The Department expects to complete the bridge removal and road rebuild by the second half of 2025.
