The federal government announced the project would be brought forward due to extra revenue available from the controversial mining tax.
Jointly funded by the federal and Queensland governments (up to $160 million and $40 million respectively), the project will connect the Douglas Arterial to the Bruce Highway at Mount Low.
The completion of the missing link in the city's road network is expected to ease congestion, taking 5000 trucks a day off local streets.
It is also anticipated to improve access to the port and support the region's continuing growth for the next three decades.
The planning and design work, along with the associated community consultations, will take about 18 months to complete.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2014 and take approximately two years.
This article first appeared in ILN's sister publication ConstructionIndustryNews.net.
