Tradie frustrated by long trek north
GOLD Coast tiler Emmanuel Ibrahim doesn’t like leaving the Gold Coast for work.
But as construction begins to slow on Commonwealth Games projects, Mr Ibrahim is being forced to travel further afield.
“I’ve just started a project in Coffs Harbour,” he said.
The EGI Tile Contractors owner said work on the Coast is starting to “dry up”.
“I am just slowing up a bit more,” he said.
“I have jobs in Brisbane but the ones on the Coast are slowing down.”
The reduction in jobs here means Mr Ibrahim is finding himself forced more often to battle other tradies on the gruelling trek up the M1.
“The M1 is pretty annoying – there are so many cars,” he said.
Mr Ibrahim said he believed it was not only his tiling business which would start adding to the M1 traffic.
“I have heard that the Gold Coast is starting to plateau with work,” he said.
“Most people will have to start driving to Brisbane.”
Mr Ibrahim said he thought the “plateau” was because the Commonwealth Games work was slowing down.
“There is also a seven-year cycle where works starts to slow down and we are coming into that,” he said.
The apparent slowdown comes despite the Gold Coast City Council approving developments in almost record numbers in the past year.