Infrastructure Australia green lights $2 billion in QLD road upgrades
10 July 2019
More
than $2 billion worth of planned upgrades to the
Bruce Highway and M1
Pacific Motorway have been given the green light by
Infrastructure
Australia, after the
business cases for three
Queensland projects were
approved by the nation’s independent infrastructure advisor and added to
the Infrastructure Priority List.
The Infrastructure Priority List is a pipeline of nationally-significant
proposals for governments at all levels to choose from. It now includes
three new Priority Projects for Queensland: Bruce Highway – Cairns
Southern Access Corridor – Stage 3: Edmonton to Gordonvale, M1 Pacific
Motorway (Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill) and M1 Pacific Motorway
(Varsity Lakes to Tugun).
“Being included as a Priority Project on the Infrastructure Priority
List shows that a proposal has undergone a rigorous business case
assessment and been proven to have significant benefits for the
community. This supports better project selection by ensuring
Australia’s governments are presented with the best available evidence
when making funding decisions,” said Infrastructure Australia Chief
Executive, Romilly Madew.
“With the addition of the Bruce Highway duplication between Edmonton to
Gordonvale and upgrades to two sections of the M1 Pacific Motorway –
Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill and Varsity Lakes to Tugun – the
Priority List identifies close to $4 billion worth of
nationally-significant projects for
Queensland, which are critical to improving both productivity and
quality of life,” Ms Madew said.
“Responding to the challenges of growth and capacity constraints on
Queensland’s infrastructure networks is a common theme in the latest
additions to the Infrastructure Priority List, with improving travel
times and road safety a particular focus as congestion increases on key
freight and passenger routes.
“The Bruce Highway proposal aims to ease capacity constraints by
creating a four-lane highway between Edmonton and Gordonvale. This
section of the Bruce Highway will cater for significant population
growth in Cairns, but drivers already experience significant delays
during morning and evening peaks, as well as a high crash rate. Between
2007 and 2012, 79 crashes were reported along this section, almost
double the rate reported on similar roads across Queensland.
“The M1 Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill upgrade will improve one of the
busiest sections of the motorway. 150, 000 vehicles travel on this
section of the M1 each day and this will grow to over 200,000 by 2041,
driven by population growth in Southeast Queensland. With a proposal to
widen an 8.5km northbound section of the motorway and improve local
busways, the project is expected to help accommodate 25% more traffic
and relieve congestion in this area for the next 15–20 years. The
project also supports active transport through the provision of an
extended cycleway.
“The M1 Varsity Lakes to Tugun project proposes to improve a congested
section of the motorway that connects northern NSW and the Gold Coast.
Increased traffic volumes are causing a high number of accidents and
worsening travel times, impacting on local residents travelling to work
as well as tourists, tour operators and freight vehicles. Widening the
motorway in both directions will reduce congestion along this vital
corridor, and support the Gold Coast’s economic development.
“We have been pleased to see the Queensland Government submit a large
number of business cases to Infrastructure Australia for assessment in
recent months. This includes considered proposals that progress the
staged upgrade of the Bruce Highway and M1 Pacific Motorway – two key
parts of the National Land Transport Network with strategic significance
for a growing and changing Australia,” Ms Madew said.
--ENDS--
Source: Australian Government - www.infrastructureaustralia.gov.au
Contact: N/A
External Links:
Bruce Highway – Cairns Southern Access Corridor – Stage 3: Edmonton to Gordonvale,
M1 Pacific Motorway (Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill)
M1 Pacific Motorway (Varsity Lakes to Tugun).
Recent news by: Australian Government