Massive roadworks to widen the Bruce Highway to six lanes is about to start and Sunshine Coast News can reveal how much time the extra lanes will actually save drivers.
The busy highway from Caboolture to Caloundra is set to be expanded, with construction starting before Christmas to add two more lanes.
The huge project, which was named in this week’s State Budget, aims to reduce traffic congestion, increase capacity and make driving safer on the increasingly hectic major arterial road.
But until now governments have not quantified how much time will be cut from the drive once the roadworks are completed in early 2023.
After an inquiry from sunshinecoast.com.au, the department of Transport and Infrastructure confirmed the lane-widening project would cut 4.5 minutes from the commute to work in peak morning and afternoon periods.
On the busy weekends, when the highway turns into a carpark, the extra lanes will save more than nine minutes of driving.
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Commuter advocate Jeff Addison said any time saved was welcome by people travelling to and from Brisbane, but added that four minutes did not seem like much.
“If you are a commuter, any time saved is a blessing, that said, how long will it last,” Mr Addison said.
“It doesn’t sound like much when you look at the distance it’s not really much.
“You can only add so many lanes to a road; you just have to look at LA where they have 18-lane highways.”
The lane expansion is part of a longer-term plan to have six lanes along 60km between Pine Rivers and Caloundra.
An 11km section between Caboolture-Bribie Island Road and Steve Irwin Way will be undertaken in two stages (total project $662.5 million).
Stage 1 (between Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Pumicestone Road) is expected to start before Christmas.
The construction contract for Stage 2 (Exit 163 between Pumicestone Road to Steve Irwin Way) is expected to be awarded in early 2021, with construction to start in mid-2021.
The department confirmed both stages would be completed and open to traffic by early 2023, construction conditions and weather permitting.
RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said road construction should be part of a suite of measures to reduce congestion on the Sunshine Coast but was not the only solution.
“We can’t keep building more and more roads, that’s not viable,” she said.
“We have to have more roads but we also need public transport.
“But having said that, the Bruce Highway is the biggest road in Australia and in Queensland and the Sunshine Coast is cut by the Bruce Highway so the roads need to be upgraded for capacity levels and also for safety,” Ms Ritchie said.
“We can’t afford to have a two-lane highway with this level of population and think the road toll will get any better.
“But we believe the solution to getting people around the Sunshine Coast is a mix that has to include public transport and rail.”
RACQ is advocating for more public transport options on the Sunshine Coast, including the duplication of heavy rail to Nambour and light rail along the coastal strip.
Heavy attention has been focused on upgrading the rail line from Beerburrum to Nambour but funding for that project only reaches as far as Beerwah station.
Stage 1 will include duplication of the track between Beerburrum and Beerwah, expansion of park-and-ride facilities, and construction of road overpasses at Burgess Street, Barrs Road and Beerburrum Road.
Early works are expected to start in early 2021, with major construction expected to begin in mid-2022 and construction completed in 2024.
