$700m solution to city’s traffic misery
MORE than $700 million will be spent revamping the Gold Coast’s road network under an ambitious plan to cut congestion and prepare for a 1 million-strong population.
The Gold Coast City Council will roll out at least 116 road work projects between this financial year and 2031, with millions to be spent building new roads in the growing northern suburbs.
A schedule of works contained in the Gold Coast City Plan reveals the scope of the works, with $221.8 million alone to be spent in the Coomera Town Centre precinct which is expected to become a major community hub in the north.
The biggest single project the city proposes is a $68 million road and overpass in Coomera to service the new town centre, expected to open later this year.
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said he planned to ‘ramp up’ road infrastructure spending now the Commonwealth Games was finalised.
“Finding traffic-busting solutions is my number one priority and in the last two financial years we have invested record spending on our roads.
“In 2017-18 it was $100 million and this financial year, it will be $110 million.
“We are also aligning our roadworks with the State road works so motorists suffer the minimum inconvenience.
“Importantly, we have ensured our City Plan overlays on top of the Transport Plan, so future development for our city follows key public transport, and road networks.
“This gives people living along these routes the best opportunity to access public transport from their doorstep, well into the future.’’
Many of the planned roadworks are already on the drawing board and well progressed, allowing the council to fast-track any projects if necessary.
Council sources told the Bulletin several of the upgrades would be ‘shovel ready’ to begin in the 2019-20 financial year. These works do not include major State Government infrastructure road upgrades, including the proposed $2.4 billion Coomera Connector arterial road, $2 billion M1 widening or already announced infrastructure project such as the $10 million widening of the Sundale Bridge.
The Spit and the Isle of Capri have been selected for traffic management schemes, with $35.5 million to be spent on the Surfers Paradise suburb by 2021, while $17 million will be spent by 2026 to combat Main Beach congestion.
Isle of Capri engineer Michael Niddrie said traffic would change drastically once the western bridge was widened, cementing it as a major thoroughfare.
“Once this happens the traffic ramifications will become quite significant and the congestion will be less than now,” he said. “With the increase in traffic movements there are many ways they can either re-route the traffic or make it slower for the safety of people who live here.”
The Bulletin last month revealed the city’s population was on track to reach 1 million people within 16 years.
The Coast’s already strong population growth has seen pressure growing on roads in the city’s north, including Yawalpah Rd in Pimpama, where locals say it can take 23 minutes to cover just 150m.
In welcome news for residents there are plans to spend $23 million on the stretch of road. The much-needed upgrades will include a duplicate bridge and will be done in three stages between 2026 and 2031.