Drive to speed up new highway
THE number of cars travelling on the M1 every day has jumped by more than 20,000 in five years – and construction on an alternative motorway will not begin until at least 2023.
Data taken from three M1 hot spots for the Government’s 2018 Traffic Census show traffic increases of between 16 and 23 per cent since 2013.
North of the Foxwell Rd exit at Coomera, 160,135 vehicles on average use the M1 each day. That is up almost 16 per cent. There is an extra 22,274 vehicles on the highway between Neilsens and Elysium roads at Carrara, and 17 per cent more north of the Robina Parkway overpass.
Engineering data from 2017 revealed the highway’s capacity was 162,000 vehicles per day.
In Tuesday’s State Budget, the Queensland Government recommitted a previously announced $10 million to cover planning activities for a new six-lane, 45km highway from Nerang to Stapleton. However, frustrated leaders and business owners say the Coomera Connector is needed now.
“It is just delaying the inevitable,” Gold Coast North Chamber of Commerce president Gary Mays said. “It is really, really frustrating.
“We need the Coomera Connector with the population growth. If they don’t have the money to build it, for god’s sake put it out to tender. I can tell you as a business owner I would happily pay tolls, instead of sitting on the M1.”
Responding in parliament yesterday, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Government was committed to the project.
“It’s Labor that has done the alignment. I had a briefing on it. We’ve done the alignment. We’ve preserved it. And we’ve got it there secured for the future,” she said.
The Premier said she would wait until today to hear Opposition leader Deb Frecklington “talk about $5 billion in unfunded commitments” in her Budget-in-reply speech.
“Let’s see how the LNP is going to fund the second M1. Let’s put it on the table. There is the challenge for the leader of the Opposition.”
Broadwater MP David Crisafulli had earlier seized on comments from Macalister MP Melissa McMahon that it could take 40 years to finish the six-lane highway from Nerang to Stapleton.
When maps for the planned route were previously produced, Ms McMahon tried to ease concerns among residents at Eagleby, saying the project was in the consultation phase.
Outside the parliament, Bonney MP Sam O’Connor said Labor had shown no commitment to the Coomera Connector after it was gazetted four years ago.
“They are just promoting old planning money to make it look like they’re doing something,” he said.
“Residents next to the corridor need to know what this road is going to look like. They need straight answers.”