M2 HAS A ROUTE BUT COSTS $2.4B
THE final route of a second M1, with a $2.4-billion price tag, has been locked in while the Queensland Labor government and the LNP opposition bicker about funding it.
The State Government yesterday revealed a 45km route for the six-lane Coomera Connector – a second major arterial road between Nerang and Logan – had been gazetted. Transport Minister Mark Bailey said its future was certain now the final section, between Stapylton and Logan, had been locked in.
THE final route of an estimated $2.4 billion second M1 has been locked in – as the Labor Government and LNP Opposition keep bickering about funding it.
The State Government yesterday revealed it had gazetted the 45km route of the six-lane Coomera Connector, creating a second major arterial road between Nerang and Logan.
Transport Minister Mark Bailey said its future was certain now the final section between Stapylton and Logan had been locked in as a state road.
‘‘There is a lot more work to do before this project comes to life,’’ he said.
‘‘The community will continue to be involved and provide feedback into the next stages of planning for the corridor,” he said.
Opposition leader Deb Frecklington wasted no time in the wake of the route reveal, saying the Labor Government was taking too long to get it going and needed to adopt LNP policy and commit to half a billion dollars to fund it.
“The only thing slower than the Palaszczuk Labor Government is traffic on the existing M1,” Ms Frecklington said.
Ms Frecklington said it was now or never regarding funding with the federal election just around the corner.
“With a federal election just months away, now is the time for Labor to commit. People in southeast Queensland can’t wait for this to be an election issue in 2020.”
Mr Bailey shot back: “For Deb Frecklington to suggest half a billion will develop very much is laughable. She has no understanding of transport. This is another example of it.”
Mr Bailey said the M2 was essential to lowering M1 congestion and Labor was getting on with making it happen whereas she had been part of an LNP Government which did “nothing” to ease M1 problems under Campbell Newman.
“With more than 180,000 vehicles travelling on the M1 each day and strong population growth on the northern Gold Coast, we need to plan for the region’s future transport demands,” he said. “We want people to spend more time at home with their family and friends and less time in traffic.”
The Coomera Connector is tipped to take 60,000 cars off a bottleneck on the M1.
The road, formerly known as the intra-regional transport corridor (IRTC), has long been part of the state government’s future plans but was dumped by the former Newman government in 2013 against the wishes of the Gold Coast City Council.
The project was restored in 2015 and the Palaszczuk government gazetted the Nerang to Coomera section of the road in March 2016 and the Coomera Stapylton section in May 2017.
It later became a political football at the 2017 state election when the LNP opposition pledged to build an “M2”.
Residents who have properties along the route have already been advised and Mr Bailey told the Bulletin last night resuming land was part of the $2.4b cost estimate.
“Negotiations with affected land owners are ongoing so there isn’t a final estimated cost.”
While construction is not expected to begin for many years, developers and political leaders are already preparing for it.
The design of the $600m Soncheng theme park at Carrara has been altered because it will sit next to the road.
Mayor Tom Tate last year called for the State government to consider a public-private partnership to make the second motorway a toll road.
THE long-congested M1 connection between the Gold Coast and Brisbane and how to fix it has been the worst kind of political football.
The news yesterday, first revealed on www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au, that Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey and the Palaszczuk Labor State Government had locked in and gazetted the route of the socalled M2 was a welcome nodal point in the slow progress that is tackling this problem.
It is perhaps the biggest infrastructure concern battling this part of south-east Queensland.
Any progress towards improving what many have dubbed the “carpark” of the M1 is good news.
So Opposition leader Deb Frecklington’s tirade for the Palaszczuk Government to step and match her LNP’s half a billion dollar funding pledge towards the M2 did smack of opposition for opposition’s sake.
Given, as Mr Bailey points out, the ballpark cost of resuming land along the route and building the M2 will be in the region of $2.4 billion he is right to say she seems like she might be coming up a tad short.
Ms Frecklington does make one good point in that it is time to strike with the federal election looming.
Pressure does need to be applied to ensure the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and challenger Bill Shorten know just how critical backing for this congestion buster will be for the area.
But let’s quit the bluster for bluster’s sake and talk sense – as well as cents.