New bridge for Smith St

PART of one of the Gold Coast’s busiest roads will shut tonight as the finishing touches are put to stage two of the light rail.

Smith Street will be closed at Napper Road from 8pm tonight until 5am on Monday morning, with east and southbound traffic to be diverted.

The closure, which comes on the first weekend of the school summer holidays, is to facilitate the construction of a pedestrian bridge connecting Parkwood light rail station with a 1000-space park and ride facility on the opposite side of the street.

The bridge will be 44m long, weighs 111 tonnes and will stand six metres above Smith Street.

Two cranes, one 450 tonnes and the second 350 tonnes, will be positioned on Smith Street to lift the span into place.

In early 2018, footbridge stairwells and elevators will be installed with the work due for completion at the end of February – well in time for the Commonwealth Games.

Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Jackie Trad said the work was a milestone.

“As we gear up for the official opening of Gold Coast light rail stage two, the final infrastructure projects are reaching completion,” she said.

“This weekend, the Parkwood light rail station pedestrian footbridge will be installed, one of the final steps in construction that will connect the 1000 space park’n’ride and the Parkwood station.

“When light rail stage two opens, the Gold Coast will see the Brisbane rail line connected straight through to the heart of the Gold Coast for the first time since the 1960s.”

The light rail’s new link is expected to carry its first passengers later this month.