M1 Gold Coast Upgrades For Congestion Relief

M1 Gold Coast Upgrades

Gold Coast, media release, road construction,

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M1 Gold Coast Upgrades For Congestion Relief

Work has begun on the M1 Gold Coast upgrade at Exit 41 at Yatala South. A clear initiative of the Queensland government is to invest in major transport infrastructure projects and boost the economic recovery for the state.

The M1 Gold Coast upgrades is a major priority with the government’s recent release of the proposed plans for a redesigned Exit 49 at Pimpama too. These upgrades will ease the pressure off one of several key bottlenecks on the northern end of the Gold Coast – helping to reduce commute times in the future.

The commitment to continue to invest in infrastructure to create jobs and rebuild the Queensland economy is far some complete though. We are seeing the delivery of several infrastructure projects make a start. All of these projects aim to improve congestion and safety for commuters across Australia, making it easier for people to move throughout the cities.

An example of some of the progress being made on our roads nationwide is under the Urban Congestion Fund. This fund is focused on delivering 178 individual packages of works nationwide. Currently, 63 of the 178 projects are either completed or underway with a further 59 projects expected to start construction this year.

This is just the latest example of the government delivering on its commitment to progress critical infrastructure projects across the country under the record $110 billion 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline.

Queensland is investing a record $27.5 billion in roads and transport projects over four years to support our COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan. That investment is adding capacity to major roads and building better connections for growing communities to improve safety and ensure people spend less time stuck in traffic

The M1 Gold Coast upgrades at Exit 41 and the upcoming upgrade at Exit 49 will support another 360 jobs.

Two M1 upgrades between Brisbane and the Gold Coast were completed in early 2020, and now two much larger upgrades supporting about 1600 jobs are under construction. Work will also start this year on Stage 1 of the Second M1 and the next stage of light rail to Burleigh, supporting another 1400 jobs.

Th M1Gold Coast upgrades, Exit 41 project was just the first of several M1 interchange upgrades planned to improve safety and reduce congestion.

There are also upgrades planned for Exit 38 (Yatala North) and Exit 45 (Ormeau), with community consultation for the Exit 45 (Ormeau) safety improvements design and the Exit 49 (Pimpama) upgrade to start soon. This investment is estimated to support an average of 179 direct jobs over the life of the project.

Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon said the Exit 41 upgrade would build a new bridge over the M1, creating additional traffic lanes and better managing traffic flow with new traffic lights.

“Anyone who uses Exit 41 knows how congested it gets during peak times, particularly with commercial vehicles accessing the industrial area to the west of the motorway.

“Having traffic lights to manage traffic flow will improve capacity on on-ramps and off-ramps,” Ms McMahon said.

“TMR has also listened to community feedback and added a left-turn slip lane to the southbound off-ramp to allow traffic access Eastern Service Road without entering the interchange.”

Member for Macalister Melissa McMahon

Solving the bottleneck means from the northern stretches of the city right through to the border, there’s a total of $4.8 billion being invested to build better transport, create jobs and drive our plan for economic recovery.

City of Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Donna Gates said the start of works was brilliant news for our northern Gold Coast.

Council is working with State officers to ensure our local road upgrades in that area occur at the same time so the delay and inconvenience during works are only felt once by motorists. The long-term gain will be considerable.

The M1Gold Coast upgrades, Exit 41 project is the first of several M1 interchange upgrades planned to improve safety and reduce congestion, with planning underway to upgrade Exit 38 (Yatala North) and Exit 45 (Ormeau).

Community feedback is being sought on recently release designs for the jointly-funded $110 million Exit 49 (Pimpama) upgrade while consultation will start soon on a plan for safety improvements at Exit 45 (Ormeau).

The Exit 49 Pimpama Interchange upgrade preliminary design includes:

  • A new bridge across the M1 with dedicated northeast-bound lanes
  • Reconfiguration of the existing bridge to accommodate southwest-bound traffic
  • Realignment of the on and off-ramps.

The upgrade will also include pedestrian and bike paths throughout the interchange to provide safe infrastructure for those who choose active travel to visit nearby shops and schools.

The final design is expected to be complete late this year with construction due to start in early next year.

The Australian and Queensland governments have committed $192.6 million towards upgrades of Exit 41 and Exit 49 interchanges, under a 50:50 funding arrangement.

ENDS

Thursday 15 July 2021 – Media Release

Read the Media Release here.

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