The Bowen Road bridge is located on the Townsville Connection Road, known locally as Stuart Drive south of the bridge and Bowen Road north of the bridge.
Timing
Construction commenced in July 2024 and is expected to be completed by mid-2026
Status
Construction
The traffic bridge begins in the bottom right of the image and extends to the top middle, crossing the waterway of the Ross River. To the left of the bridge in the top left are residential buildings and the iconic Ross River Meatworks chimney. To the right of the bridge are sporting facilities such as Townsville Basketball and Murray Sporting Complex.
The Queensland Government is duplicating the Bowen Road bridge to improve safety, capacity, and reliability for road users crossing the Ross River in Townsville.
The project involves construction of a new upstream bridge adjacent to the existing Bowen Road bridge and when completed, will increase the river crossing from 2 to 4 lanes.
This supports growing traffic demand and improves connectivity along the Townsville Connection Road corridor.
Approximately 24,000 vehicles use this crossing each day and the duplicated bridge and upgraded approaches will improve driveability, reduce congestion, and enhance safety for all road users.
The existing bridge has been reconfigured to carry 2 outbound lanes, while the new bridge provides 2 inbound lanes, aligning with the upgraded Stuart Drive corridor.
Benefits
Improves safety
Increases capacity
Improves network efficiency
Increases traffic flow
Reduces peak hour congestion
Better road access
Contributes to economy
Contributes to regional growth
Better active transport
Key features
Construction of a new duplicated Bowen Road bridge adjacent to the existing bridge
Pavement rehabilitation at the bridge approaches
Lighting upgrades and installation of CCTV infrastructure
Upgraded walking and bike crossings to improve safety
Refurbishment of the underpass pathway, with improved connections to surrounding shared paths.
Funding
This project is fully funded by the Queensland Government. Investment ID 2419830
Total investment
$99.8 million
Queensland Government
$99.8 million
Current status
Construction commenced in July 2024 and is expected to be completed by mid-2026, subject to final commissioning and inspections.
Stakeholder and community engagement has been undertaken throughout planning and construction to keep the community informed and to minimise project impacts.
The map shows the location of the existing and future Bowen Road Bridge, over the Ross River, from the southern approach through Stuart Drive north through to Bowen Road, through the Townsville suburbs of Wulguru, Idalia, Annandale and Rosslea. A grey line indicates the Bruce Highway and University Road, which is bisected by Stuart Drive and the intersections of Gartrell Drive, Mervyn Crossman Drive/Fairfield Waters Drive and Kokoda Street. A solid dark blue line indicates the project area of the Bowen Road Bridge, over the river, shaded light blue.
Flythrough aerial video depicting the planned changes for the Townsville Connection Road. Video starts by heading east on Stuart Drive, while highlighting the new jointly funded shared pathways from University Drive to the Fairfield Central shopping centre. The video then shows the duplication of Stuart Drive to four lanes between University Road and Bowen Road Bridge, and the upgrade of Gartrell Drive to a signalised intersection, including a new dedicated access to the Townsville Cycle Club. The video continues along Stuart Drive and highlights the major upgrade at the Mervyn Crossman Drive, Stuart Drive and Fairfield Waters Drive intersection. This intersection which will change from a roundabout to a signalised intersection, the service road exit out of the Fairfield Waters shopping complex will be closed, and two new bus stops will be installed on Stuart Drive. The video continues east and highlights the upgrades of the Kokoda Street intersection to a signalised intersection. The video also showcases pedestrian infrastructure and bicycle lane upgrades along Stuart Drive, between University Road and Bowen Road Bridge. The video then highlights the Bowen Road Bridge duplication project, which includes a new dual lane inbound bridge next to the existing bridge, with active transport infrastructure underneath the bridge and two new U-turn lanes near Viles Street intersection.
The Queensland Government has upgraded Townsville Connection Road to improve safety, traffic flow, and connectivity between University Road and Bowen Road bridge at Idalia.
