The commute between the Sunshine Coast and inner Brisbane is set to become a bit easier, with upgrades to a section of highway.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads has finalised detailed design for the first stage of the Bruce Highway upgrade at Murrumba Downs and Griffin.
The upgrade between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue will provide extended north-facing ramps to help manage increasing traffic demands on the highway and improve local connectivity.
Early works will be undertaken by RoadTek and are expected to start this month, weather and construction scheduling permitting.
Stage 1 will include construction of a new northbound entry ramp and southbound exit ramp at Dohles Rocks Road. The ramps will extend to the Anzac Avenue interchange as an auxiliary lane on both sides of the highway.
The upgrade will also deliver new ramp metering signals on the northbound entry ramp to help manage traffic entering the highway, as well as a new signalised intersection on the western side of Dohles Rocks Road to support traffic movements from the new southbound exit ramp.
Modifications to the existing Dohles Rocks Road and Goodrich Road East signalised intersection will allow for changed traffic movements, as Goodrich Road East will be closed to allow for the new southbound exit ramp. Alternative access to Goodrich Road East will be available via Silvereye Drive intersection with Dohles Rocks Road.
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Stage 1 also include the installation of new noise barriers and upgraded existing noise barriers where required. The existing signalised intersection on the eastern side of Dohles Rocks Road will also be upgraded to allow for new traffic movements at the northbound entry ramp.
TMR regional director North Coast Scott Whitaker said there would be significant benefits to commuters.
“The final design for this important first stage of upgrades to the Bruce Highway from Dohles Rocks Road to Anzac Avenue is an exciting step towards improving traffic capacity in the area,” he said.
“The extended north-facing ramps will help manage increasing traffic demands on this section of the Bruce Highway and improve local connectivity, supporting growth in this popular area of South-East Queensland.
“With more than 150,000 road users travelling this section of the network daily, this project will benefit local commuters, freight drivers and holiday makers.
“We will continue to engage with the community to keep them informed as early works progress and we move towards main construction.”
The main construction contract will be awarded later this year, with major works to follow by the end of 2024.
The Australian and Queensland governments initially committed $250 million on an 80:20 basis for the first stage. In December, Transport Minister Bart Mellish advised that the cost for the project was $280 million. Following the announcement, a revised cost estimate of $290 million was identified.
The federal government subsequently committed an additional $32 million in the 2024/25 federal budget and the state government committed an additional $8 million, bringing the total investment to $290 million.
Future upgrades to the Bruce Highway between Dohles Rocks Road and Anzac Avenue will involve constructing collector-distributor roads on both sides of the highway, as well as upgrades to the Anzac Avenue interchange.
The future stages are currently unfunded, and timing will depend on future funding and competing priorities.
The upgrade forms part of integrated planning undertaken for the Gateway Motorway and Bruce Highway Upgrades, to manage increasing traffic volumes in the north Brisbane and Moreton Bay regions.
The GMBHU project is soon to release a consultation summary report to key stakeholders and the community for consultation that was undertaken in late 2023. Key feedback themes provided during consultation were noise mitigation, project design, timing, funding and impacts to the environment.
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