PM’s $1b gridlock buster M1 plan
THE Federal Government will today commit $1 billion to upgrade the M1 and end the pain of tens of thousands of fed-up motorists.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will unveil plans to finally ease congestion on the state’s busiest road by pledging to widen areas in the Gold Coast’s south and near Brisbane.
The gridlock is putting hours on commuter travel times every day and costing the state millions in lost productivity.
Crucially, Mr Turnbull says he has the money to start work straight away — if Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk agrees to match him dollar for dollar.
Mr Turnbull’s $2 billion proposal includes:
• The M1 will be widened between Varsity Lakes and Tugun from four to six lanes, with a new off-ramp built in the northbound lanes to connect with SouthportBurleigh Road.
• The motorway will be widened from six to eight lanes on the Brisbane stretch between Eight Mile Plains and Daisy Hill.
Mr Turnbull told the Gold Coast Bulletin: “The $1 billion investment will mean people spend less time in traffic and more time with their families, improving the quality of life for residents of southeast Queensland.
“The Turnbull Government understands the drive from the Gold Coast to Brisbane should take one hour, not two and we are taking action to fix that.
“These upgrades will help people
get home sooner and safer.
“We are funding the roads that the people of southeast Queensland need, and we are doing that because of our careful budget management.”
The Prime Minister, who will be on the Gold Coast today to announce his plan, said the federal money would be included in next month’s federal budget, if the Palaszczuk Government honoured its commitment.
The State Government last year committed $206 million towards widening the Varsity Lakes-Tugun stretch of the M1.
This figure is just 20 per cent of the total cost of the 10km of work, which is expected to begin in 2020.
In a separate deal reached in March 2017, the federal and state governments agreed to spend $500 million on other areas of the M1. It included widening the motorway between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes. Work is expected to start within weeks.
Mr Turnbull’s promise is believed to have come after significant lobbying from Gold Coast federal MPs.
McPherson MP Karen Andrews said the funding was needed to deal with the ongoing gridlock.
“After a long and hard fight, this is great news for local residents and I’m delighted that we
are now in a position to get the job finished that was started in 2007 — and upgrade the M1 through to Tugun,” Ms Andrews said.
“It is the State Government’s job to jointly fund and to manage the project to completion and ensure that Gold Coasters are not forced to endure lengthy delays.”
Ms Andrews said the Federal Government was “serious” about fixing the M1. “I sincerely hope the State Government is too.”
The funding comes 11 years after the Howard Government promised $455 million to widen the M1 to Tugun. However, the money was spent further north.
In 2016, federal and state governments argued over who should pay for upgrades. A
Bulletin campaign led to both tiers of governments agreeing to a deal.
In the past two years, gridlock on the state’s busiest road has worsened. Commuters are getting home later and reports show commuters will lose $400 million a year in wages before long due to being stuck in M1 traffic.
Motorway congestion became a central issue of last year’s State election campaign, with the LNP proposing a second arterial road alongside the M1, between Nerang-Broadbeach and Staplyton-Jacobs Well roads, at $500 million. Labor ridiculed the costing.
The RACQ said at the time that both the second M1 and Labor’s proposal to widen the southern stretch to Tugun were needed to solve traffic congestion.