Say goodbye to Exit 93

A busy M1 exit will close for good and officials say a new service road is going to open in its place.

Southern Gold Coast locals have been faced with heavy M1 works as Transport and Main Roads continue the $1 billion upgrade from Varsity Lakes to Tugun.

‘Package A’, which included upgrading lanes from Varsity Lakes to Burleigh was completed late last year and packages B and C which followed to Tugun will open in stages from 2024.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey confirmed exit 93, which provided locals access to the The Pines shopping centre and Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, would close for good from February 21.

“This is a significant milestone for the 10-kilometre upgrade,” he said.

A one-way eastern service road, beside the Pacific Motorway at Palm Beach, will open overnight on February 20.

“It will give southbound motorists on the southern Gold Coast easier access to schools, shops and recreational facilities without having to use the M1,” Mr Bailey said.

He said while exit 93 was closing, they had extended the offramp at exit 92 to allow for extra traffic.

“The exit 93 southbound offramp closure will improve safety by increasing the distance between interchanges,” Mr Bailey said.

“It will reduce the risk of crashes as motorists will no longer unsafely merge and weave to access the two, close exits.”

Support beams were being installed over a new Tallebudgera Creek Bridge which will become part of the new western service road, he said.

“The service road will connect Tallebudgera (Exit 89) and Palm

Beach (Exit 92) interchanges and provide locals with alternative options when moving around the neighbourhoods,” Mr Bailey said.

He said the western service road was expected to be completed towards the end of the project. Mr Bailey added since works began in 2020 they had significant disruptions which included extreme weather, Covid-19, supply issues and site condition.

“A project of this size is challenging, especially when keeping traffic moving along the M1, so we thank the public for its ongoing patience and understanding while this critical upgrade continues.”