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43-532: The Toowoomba Bypass , known as Toowoomba Second Range Crossing during planning and construction, is a 41.3 km (25.7 mi) grade separated , dual carriageway bypass and partial ring road constructed to the north and west of Toowoomba , Queensland . Construction commenced in April 2016. It opened to traffic on 8 September 2019. The Toowoomba Bypass is a toll road . It is the only toll road in Australia that

86-403: A grade separation or as an interchange – in contrast with an intersection , at-grade , a diamond crossing or a level crossing , which are not grade-separated. Roads with grade separation generally allow traffic to move freely, with fewer interruptions, and at higher overall speeds; this is why speed limits are typically higher for grade-separated roads. In addition, reducing

129-532: A better crossing of the Great Dividing Range . Warrego Highway (A2) was rerouted via the bypass between Helidon Spa (in the east) and the interchange at Charlton (in the west). The bypass continues as the Gore Highway (A39) and is 41 km in length. The original section of Warrego Highway through Toowoomba was renamed Toowoomba Connection Road (A21). These projects began in 2017 to fully duplicate

172-416: A highway) that they cross. However, grade-separated pedestrian crossings with steps introduce accessibility problems. Some crossings have lifts , but these can be time-consuming to use. Grade-separated roads that permit for higher speed limits can actually reduce safety due to 'weaving' (see below) as well as a perceived sense of safety. The term is most widely applied to describe a road junction in which

215-414: A partial grade separation will accomplish more improvement than for a road), and because at-grade railway connections often take up significant space on their own. However, they require significant engineering effort, and are very expensive and time-consuming to construct. Grade-separated pedestrian and cycling routes often require modest space since they do not typically intersect with the facility (such as

258-557: Is 90 km/h (56 mph). The speed limit is enforced by a point-to-point speed camera. The Toowoomba Second Range Crossing is a state-controlled national road (number 319). The Toowoomba Bypass is tolled between Mort Street and Helidon Spa, with the single toll point located just east of the Mort Street interchange near the New England Highway overpass. It is a free-flow system requiring an electronic toll tag ( e-TAG ). It

301-419: Is fully grade-separated, i.e. traffic on one road does not have to stop at yield lines or signals on one road, but may have to do so when switching to the other: On roadways with grade-separated interchanges, weaving is a result of placing an exit ramp a short distance after an entry ramp, causing conflicts between traffic attempting to leave the roadway at the next junction and traffic attempting to enter from

344-708: Is known as a flying junction and one which is not a level junction . In 1897, the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) made use of a flying junction at Worting Junction south of Basingstoke to allow traffic on the Salisbury and Southampton routes to converge without conflicting movements; this became known as "Battledown Flyover". Also in Britain, the Southern Railway later made extensive use of flying junctions on other parts of its busy former LSWR main line. Today in Britain,

387-563: Is mandatory for heavy vehicles to use the toll road unless they have a destination in Toowoomba or Warwick. Even though the bypass is tolled, it is owned and operated by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR). Transurban Queensland provides tolling service on the bypass on behalf of TMR. Grade separation In North America, a grade-separated junction may be referred to as

430-417: Is mostly motorway grade; a four lane divided highway with motorway-style on-ramps and off-ramps. At a point between Charlton and Oakey the highway merges from 4 to 2 lanes (however, throughout 2017–2019, the highway was planned to be duplicated up until Oakey) Then, the highway mostly continues in a straight line with minimal turns. At Dalby, the highway briefly returns to 4 lanes (where a longer stretch of

473-460: Is not located in Greater Sydney, Greater Melbourne, or Greater Brisbane, and the only one that does not pass through a capital city, and one of only 10 located outside New South Wales . The city of Toowoomba is situated on a plateau on the edge of the Great Dividing Range . A defining characteristic of the city is its high position on an escarpment of the range, which enjoys sweeping views of

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516-836: The Darling Downs , bypassing the town of Oakey and then passing through the towns of Dalby , Chinchilla and Miles , in the Western Downs . The highway continues through the towns of Roma and Mitchell in the Maranoa Region of South West Queensland . After Morven , the A2 Route continues north–west along the Landsborough Highway , with the western turnoff continuing the Warrego Highway down to its terminus at Charleville . The section of highway between Ipswich and Charlton

559-462: The Goulburn Valley and Newell Highways . In 2015, prior to construction of the bypass, up to 22,000 vehicles (including 2,900 heavy vehicles) traversed the city's CBD each day , passing through up to 18 sets of traffic lights. The need for a future second range crossing was first highlighted by Queensland Transport in 1991. In 1995, An Ove Arup Traffic Planning Study was completed confirming

602-514: The Great Central Railway , built between 1896 and 1899, was the first fully grade-separated railway of this type in the UK. This also applies to light rail and even to street cars . Attempts have been made to increase the capacity of railways by making tracks cross in a grade-separated manner, as opposed to the traditional use of flat crossings to change tracks. A grade-separated rail interchange

645-499: The Lockyer Valley below. The existing range road was completed in its current alignment in 1939. This road has unfavourable road geometry including tight corners and a rate of climb as high as 10.5%. The Warrego Highway is a major Brisbane - Darwin highway that passes through Toowoomba and utilises the existing range road. The Gore Highway is part of a major freight corridor that travels from Melbourne to Toowoomba, which includes

688-529: The New England Highway at the top of the range . From there it travels in a general south-west direction reconnecting with the Warrego Highway at Charlton and ultimately connecting with the Gore Highway at Athol. The bypass features 24 bridges, six interchanges and nine creek crossings. The posted speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) for its entirety except between Charlton and Mort Street where it

731-591: The Newman government awarded the contract to design, construct, and maintain the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing as it was then known to Nexus Infrastructure, a consortium of the Plenary Group , Cintra , Acciona , Ferrovial and Broadspectrum . Nexus was chosen on the basis that its proposal used an open-cut design instead of tunnels, allowing trucks carrying dangerous goods to utilise the bypass. There

774-580: The Warrego River , which is the endpoint of the highway. The entire highway is part of the National Highway system linking Darwin and Brisbane : formerly National Highway 54 , Queensland began to convert to the alphanumeric system much of Australia had adopted in the early-2000s and this road is now designated as National Highway A2 . Warrego Highway is a state-controlled road, divided into seven sections for administrative and funding purposes. Six of

817-541: The 1860s, subways are far more common today in Europe, especially in countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark where cycling is strongly encouraged. Long underpasses may be called tunnels . Warrego Highway The Warrego Highway is located in southern Queensland , Australia . It connects coastal centres to the south western areas of the state, and is approximately 715 km in length. It takes its name from

860-570: The A4/M5 junction west of Bristol . Weaving can often cause side-on collisions on very fast roads with top speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour, as well as the problem of blind spots. Where junctions have unusual designs weaving can be a problem other than on the main road. An example of this can be found at Junction 7 of the M6, where traffic joining the roundabout from the M6 Eastbound off-slip must weave with

903-453: The Eastbound off-slip must leave. Weaving can be alleviated by using collector/distributor roads or braided ramps to separate entering and exiting traffic. In railway construction, grade separation also means the avoidance of level crossings by making any roads or footpaths crossing the line either pass under or over the railway on bridges . This greatly improves safety and is crucial to

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946-599: The Toowoomba to Ipswich corridor, including the Warrego Highway and surrounding state and council roads, at an estimated cost of $ 75 million, was in planning in May 2020. A project to upgrade the Brimblecombe Road intersection between Toowoomba and Dalby, at a cost of $ 2,75 million, was completed in December 2021. A project to provide a heavy vehicle decoupling facility at Gatton was completed by November 2021. A master plan for

989-515: The capacity of a road compared to an identical road with at-grade junctions. For instance, it is extremely uncommon to find an at-grade junction on a British motorway ; it is all but impossible on a U.S. Interstate Highway , though a few do exist. If traffic can traverse the junction from any direction without being forced to come to a halt, then the junction is described as fully grade separated or free-flowing . These junctions connect two freeways: These junctions connect two roads, but only one

1032-545: The cities and major towns of: In January 2011, the former highway was extensively damaged where it crossed the Toowoomba Range. This included land slips, shoulder and embankment erosion, the erosion of drains and damaged rock fall netting. The road wasn't fully repaired with all four lanes open until September 2011. The Toowoomba Bypass was completed in September 2019 and bypasses the urban area of Toowoomba and provides

1075-486: The community, as claimed by the Queensland Government, include: The Bypass commences just west of Postmans Ridge Road on the Warrego Highway. It deviates north-west passing up the range at a maximum gradient of 6%. After travelling for approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi), the road passes over the 800-metre (2,600 ft) long Multuggerah Viaduct and then through a 30-metre (98 ft) cutting, passing under

1118-725: The complexity of traffic movements reduces the risk of accidents . Grade-separated road junctions are typically space-intensive, complicated, and costly, due to the need for large physical structures such as tunnels, ramps, and bridges. Their height can be obtrusive, and this, combined with the large traffic volumes that grade-separated roads attract, tend to make them unpopular to nearby landowners and residents. For these reasons, proposals for new grade-separated roads can receive significant public opposition. Rail-over-rail grade separations take up less space than road grade separations: because shoulders are not needed, there are generally fewer branches and side road connections to accommodate (because

1161-571: The direct flow of traffic on one or more of the roads is not disrupted. Instead of a direct connection, traffic must use on and off ramps ( United States , Australia , New Zealand ) or slip roads ( United Kingdom , Ireland ) to access the other roads at the junction. The road which carries on through the junction can also be referred to as grade separated . Typically, large freeways , highways , motorways , or dual carriageways are chosen to be grade separated, through their entire length or for part of it. Grade separation drastically increases

1204-543: The east, bypassing the Toowoomba City centre to the north and linking up to the Warrego and Gore Highways on the western side of Toowoomba. The proposed alignment was 42.2 km long; up to 40 bridge structures; 5 major interchanges ; and twin 735 metre long three lane tunnels through the range crest. Detailed planning of the project commenced in 2001 with the preferred alignment option ultimately refined by 2004. In late 2005,

1247-613: The faster speed requires grade separation. Therefore, many high speed lines are elevated, especially in Taiwan and Japan , where population density alongside high speed lines is higher than in France, Italy or Germany. In the United States, a flying junction on the Nickel Plate Road through Cleveland , Ohio , United States was completed in 1913. The most frequent use was later found on

1290-459: The federal government announced funding of $ 10 million to advance the business case for the project. Auslink committed $ 43 million towards further planning in 2008. A pilot tunnel 2.4m wide and 3.0m high was dug to provide detailed geological information. The pilot tunnel was in the centre of where the westbound tunnel was proposed. In August 2015, the Department of Transport & Main Roads under

1333-500: The former Pennsylvania Railroad main lines. The lines are included as part of the Northeast Corridor and Keystone Corridor now owned by Amtrak . The most complex of these junctions, near Philadelphia Zoo , handles railway traffic for Amtrak, SEPTA , New Jersey Transit , Norfolk Southern , CSX Transportation , and Conrail . In what is known as "area 1520" , which includes the former Soviet Union and other regions using

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1376-549: The highway to 4 lanes, between Cecil Plains Road and Black Street. 4 new traffic signals were added at Black Street, Jandowae Road, Orpen Street and a pedestrian signal near Owen Street. Both projects were completed in November 2018, at a combined cost of $ 115 million. The Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, last updated in March 2022, includes the following project for the Warrego Highway. A project to upgrade priority sections of

1419-525: The highway was planned to be duplicated in 2017). The Warrego then continues as a rural 2 lane highway, until Charleville. The Warrego Highway's lowest point along its length is 3.69 m just east of where it crosses the Bremer River near Ipswich, and its highest elevation is at the top of the Great Dividing Range on the Toowoomba Bypass. From east to west, the highway passes through or close to

1462-400: The need for a second range crossing. In 1997, an alignment route option passing to the immediate north of Toowoomba City was identified in a Maunsell concept phase planning report. The traffic planning study determined that the bypass route has to be close to the city as 85 percent of Warrego Highway traffic is stopping in Toowoomba. The proposed new alignment for the Warrego Highway commenced to

1505-536: The previous junction. This situation is most prevalent either where the junction designer has placed the on-slip to the road before the off-slip at a junction (for example, the cloverleaf interchange ), or in urban areas with many close-spaced junctions. The ring road of Coventry , England , is a notorious example, as are parts of the southern M25, the London orbital motorway , the M6/M5 junction north-west of Birmingham , and

1548-540: The safe operation of high-speed lines. The construction of new level crossings is generally not permitted, especially for high speed railway lines and level crossings are increasingly less common due to the increase of both road and rail traffic. Efforts to remove level crossings are done in the UK by Network Rail and in Melbourne as part of the Level Crossing Removal Project . The London Extension of

1591-721: The same gauge, the most complicated grade-separation railpoint is found at Liubotyn in Ukraine . Footbridges and subways (called underpasses in North America as well as in the United Kingdom when referring to roads) may be employed to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross busy or fast streets. They are often used over and under motorways since at grade pedestrian crossings are generally not permitted. Same can be said for railways. Though introduced to Central Park in New York City in

1634-601: The seven sections (numbers 18A to 18F) are part of the National Highway , while section 18G is a regional road. The sections are: State-controlled roads that intersect with the highway are listed in the main article. The highway commences at the end of the M2 Ipswich Motorway , near Ipswich and runs to Helidon Spa , at the foot of the Great Dividing Range . From there it follows the Toowoomba Bypass to Charlton , west of Toowoomba . The Warrego then crosses

1677-400: The tightly grouped nest of flying junctions to the north of Clapham Junction railway station —although technically a combination of many junctions—handle more than 4,000 trains per day (about one train every 15 seconds). Virtually all major railway lines no longer cross (forming an 'X' shape ) at flat level (although many diverge - i.e. 'Y' shape). On almost all high-speed railway lines,

1720-537: The traffic already on the roundabout wishing to use the M6 Westbound on-slip. This is as a result of the slip roads on the west side of the junction connecting to the roundabout on the inside of the eastern arc rather than the outside of the western arc as is normal. The two slip-roads are connected by a single lane on the inside of the roundabout, which traffic wishing to use the Westbound on-slip must join, and traffic from

1763-721: The upgrade of the highway between Ipswich and Toowoomba has been developed at a cost of $ 6.78 million. A project to plan the upgrade of the Haigslea-Amberley Road intersection, at a cost of $ 799,000, was in progress in May 2022. A project to plan the upgrade of the Mount Crosby Road intersection, at a cost of $ 5 million, was in progress in July 2021. On 28 September 2011 the Queensland Main Roads Minister, Craig Wallace , announced that an 85 km stretch of

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1806-549: Was also the concern that while the pilot tunnel had been dry at the time of excavation (during a drought), it later drained up to 10,000 litres of water per day. The federal and state governments jointly funded the $ 1.6 billion project on an 80:20 basis. It was delivered in a 25-year public–private partnership with the Nexus Infrastructure consortium. Upon completion, the road would be tolled. The bypass opened to traffic on 8 September 2019. The Warrego Highway (A2)

1849-413: Was rerouted via the bypass between Helidon Spa and Charlton (in the west), with the original section of Warrego Highway through Toowoomba renamed Toowoomba Connection Road (A21). The Gore Highway (A39) was rerouted via the bypass between Athol and Charlton , with the original section of Gore Highway to Toowoomba renamed Toowoomba Athol Road (A139). The benefits of the new road to road users and

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