Road trains will have improved access to the Cloncurry Saleyards thanks to the opening of the new Carl Katter Bridge on Monday.
The Carl Katter Bridge on Hudson Fysh Drive was previously a single lane bridge connecting the town of Cloncurry with the airport, industrial estate and saleyards - but was condemned after the original paperwork could not be found during a safety audit.
The Cloncurry Shire Council has been working on the project for several years but it came to fruition after a grant from South32 and $2.5 million from the federal government's Bridges Renewal Program.
Cloncurry Shire Council Mayor Greg Campbell said the new bridge had been built higher and wider.
"This will enable two lanes of traffic to cross at the same time safely. This includes heavy vehicles," Cr Campbell said.
"With some good planning at the start it also allowed us some extra money to put some work into the approaches and works on the foot bridge."
Senator Susan McDonald, Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz, Member for Kennedy Bob Katter and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter attended the official opening.
"Having them here reinforces how they see infrastructure being important, and the importance of Cloncurry," Cr Campbell.
The naming sign of the original Carl Katter bridge was presented to the Katter family, with Bob Katter sharing the story of how the title came about.
"My grandfather (Carl) never drank at all but this one particular night he got drunk, which really surprised me when I heard the story," Mr Katter said.
"Anyway this one night he missed the bridge and took part of the bridge out and they had been trying for years to get the bridge properly built.
"Of course when he wrecked it the bridge got rebuilt, so Ronny's father said it's only right it should be named after Carl because he sacrificed his life to get the bridge rebuilt."