24 October 2018 – Queensland’s peak motoring body, the Royal Automotive Club of Queensland, has released its wish list of infrastructure for South East Queensland following the rollout of the Future SEQ campaign by the Council of Mayors (SEQ) and News Corp.
Building off the infrastructure needs identified as part of the Future SEQ initiative, the RACQ has outlined a number of additional projects it believes will be vital to ensuring the region’s infrastructure can carry the weight of demand from a local population set to rise from 3.5 million to a predicted 5.5 million by 2043.
RACQ Head of Public Policy Rebecca Michael believes new infrastructure cannot come quick enough for the region.
“Where there’s expected growth we have the corridors preserved, so it’s about getting an appetite to move forward and deciding when to pull the trigger to start developing them,” Dr Michael said.
“Infrastructure isn’t getting any cheaper to build and it’s not quick to build so how bad do you let congestion get before you say that you actually need it?”
In addition to a full network upgrade of level crossings, the RACQ has identified the following projects as vital for SEQ by 2043:
SEQ north
- North West Transport Corridor – would provide relief for Gympie Road
- Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Duplication – would relieve vehicle and truck pressure on the Bruce Highway
- North-South Urban Arterial – an alternative corridor to the Bruce Highway between Caboolture-Bribie Island Road and the Pine River/Gateway Motorway
- Caboolture to Maroochydore Corridor Study (CAMCOS) – would provide passenger rail along the Sunshine Coast to the existing rail network.
SEQ east
- Kangaroo Point pedestrian bridge would improve walking and cycling options between Brisbane CBD and Kangaroo Point
- TransitWays – would link Capalaba to Cleveland and Cleveland to Redland Bay/Victoria Point
- Manly to Cleveland Rail Duplication would allow more frequent rail services to the Brisbane CBD and the airport
SEQ west
- Centenary Motorway upgrade and Kenmore Bypass would service western Brisbane, Springfield and Ipswich areas
- Ipswich Motorway upgrade would serve high growth areas to the west
- Springfield to Ripley extension would provide passenger rail to Ripley/Ipswich
- Inner Orbital tunnel would connect to the preserved North West Transport Corridor and Stafford Road, Everton Park
- Walter Taylor Bridge duplication would improve travel times and speeds, and manage safety issues at Walter Taylor Bridge
- West End to St Lucia bridge would improve connectivity across the river
SEQ south
- Coomera Connector (Intra-Regional Transport Corridor) – an alternative corridor to the M1 Pacific Motorway between Logan and Gold Coast
- Mt Lindesay Highway – would cater to predicted population growth and limited alternative routes
- Salisbury to Beaudesert Rail would provide passenger rail to Beaudesert
- Park Ridge Connector would relieve Mt Lindesay Highway
- Southern Infrastructure Corridor would connect Coomera Connector to Park Ridge Connector
- G:Link Stages 3A and 3B would improve transport connection to the southern Gold Coast and airport
