The Port of Mackay has completed construction of a new container handling and storage area aimed at improving freight connections for regional businesses.
The facility has also completed its first successful export container trial.
North Queensland Bulk Ports Corporation (NQBP) said the project was delivered on time and on budget.
It will support containerised freight for industries including mining, agriculture and manufacturing, and should reduce the need to transport freight by road to other ports.
NQBP Chief Executive Officer Brendan Webb said the facility had already completed its first successful trial with tunnel boring machine components loaded onto the FWN Provider bound for Texas.
Mr Webb said the project would now move into its next phase, including equipment commissioning, integration of operational systems and final site works ahead of future operations.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg said the project would improve road safety, remove trucks off the Bruce Highway, and help build a stronger economy in North Queensland.
Ward Civil & Environmental Engineering was awarded the construction contract, with work beginning earlier this year.
Mackay businesses involved in the project included Heidelberg Materials, Specialised Switch Boards, Mass Concrete Pumping, RGB Electrical, East Coast Steel Supplies, Boral Quarries, Mackay Fencing, and Mackay Sand and Gravel.
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