Toowoomba Second Range Crossing generates $1.4 billion economic benefit since opening

An independent economic assessment of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, the 41-kilometre bypass road that opened in 2019, has found it has generated $1.4 billion in economic benefits over five years, primarily through improved freight efficiency, reduced accident costs, and unlocked development on the western side of the city that was previously constrained by the congested range road.

The assessment, commissioned by Transport and Main Roads and conducted by KPMG, found the project — which cost $1.86 billion to build — was on track to achieve its full benefit-cost ratio of 1.4 within the project's 40-year evaluation period, with several benefit categories exceeding projections due to stronger-than-forecast traffic volume and a larger-than-expected shift of B-double truck movements onto the bypass.

The freight efficiency benefit was the most significant, with an estimated 8.4 million heavy vehicle hours saved over five years as trucks that previously climbed the steep and winding Warrego Highway bypass were able to use the new road. The accident rate on the former highway through the range has fallen by 62 per cent since the bypass opened, reflecting the removal of heavy vehicles from a route unsuitable for them.

The western development precinct, stretching from the bypass interchange at Charlton to the Charlton Wellcamp Enterprise Zone, has seen more than $380 million in industrial and commercial investment since the bypass opened, significantly above the projections in the project business case. The Wellcamp Airport logistics hub has been a particular beneficiary, with airfreight volumes having grown 45 per cent as improved road access expanded the catchment area for the facility.

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