Queensland’s new transport minister says he will fight for federal money to fix one of the Sunshine Coast’s busiest intersections, amid signs the Australian government could yet play a major role in making it a reality.
Brent Mickelberg told Sunshine Coast News that he had not given up on the proposed Mooloolah River Interchange Upgrade, which appeared to hit a dead end after the federal government withdrew significant support for the project in late 2023 and it emerged that costs had blown out by $424 million in early 2024.
Mr Mickelberg, whose LNP electorate of Buderim is beside the junction, said an upgrade was desperately needed.
“The Mooloolah River Interchange is an important and long-overdue project for the Sunshine Coast, to ease congestion in what is a traffic bottleneck that local commuters know far too well,” he said.
“The sad reality is that the federal Labor government pulled their share of the funding from this project, and their Queensland Labor counterparts just sat back without a fight.
“I won’t be sitting back. I’ll be taking the fight for funding to the federal government to get Queensland’s fair share of investment so infrastructure projects like the Mooloolah River Interchange can get back on track.
“As a local, I have been advocating for this road upgrade since before I was elected, and I know my colleagues have been pushing for it long before I came along.
“My commitment to Queenslanders is to deliver infrastructure that will get them home sooner at the end of a long day, and that’s why I will keep with the funding fight for the Mooloolah River Interchange.”
It appears the federal government has not completely abandoned the MRIU either.
An Infrastructure Investment Program for 2024-25 revealed on December 18 that it had agreed to contribute an additional $19.9 million towards the project, and that its total commitment was now $36.6 million.
That’s still well short of the necessary funding to complete stage one of the project.
But a Department of Infrastructure spokesperson told SCN that the federal government could again consider providing more funding if the state government asked for it.
“We will continue to work with the Queensland Government to deliver priority land transport infrastructure for all Queenslanders,” they said.
“Should the Queensland Government wish to seek funding again for the Mooloolah River Interchange project, it would be considered as part of future budget processes.”
The project is expected to address safety and congestion issues that are forecast to increase due to population growth and development, while also delivering improved north-south connectivity.
But it has been plagued since 2023. It was initially expected that stage one would cost $320 million, with 50:50 funding committed from state and federal government.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
Concerns were raised about the proposed route and then the federal government withdrew its support after a nationwide infrastructure review indicated that the project did not represent value for money at that time. That came after the acquisition of properties and the start of early works.
The review’s final report stated that “there are projects (including the MRIU) that do not demonstrate merit, lack any national strategic rationale and do not meet the Australian Government’s national investment priorities”.
A few months later, it was revealed that the project would actually cost $743.6 million.
A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesperson told SCN the junction was still in the pipeline.
“The Sunshine Motorway, Mooloolah River Interchange Upgrade remains a priority for the Queensland Government and detailed design is progressing,” they said.
“The Department of Transport and Main Roads is actively investigating viable solutions to deliver this important upgrade and will continue to work with the Australian Government to fund the project.”
The spokesperson confirmed that TMR had acquired 157 properties under its early acquisition policy since 2002 but they had ceased, at least temporarily.
“TMR is not actively resuming residential properties required for future stages of the MRI Upgrade,” they said. “However, early acquisition is available to eligible property owners whose properties have been identified as Protected Planning (Category C) in accordance with TMR’s Approved Planning Policy.”
A federal Department of Infrastructure spokesperson said the federal government was committed to transport on the Sunshine Coast.
“The Australian Government recognises the importance of connecting the growing Sunshine Coast, which is why we’re making major investments such as our $2.75 billion commitment for stage one of Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project,” they said.
“This will deliver a new dual-track rail line from Beerwah to Caloundra, two new stations and upgrade Beerwah station. Stage one will also include planning for delivery to Birtinya and corridor protection up to Maroochydore.
“Other Australian Government investments on the Sunshine Coast include $5 million for the Southern Sunshine Coast Roads Improvement Study, which includes planning for a new major road connection (Kawana Motorway) and planning for upgrades to the Caloundra Road, Kawana Way Link Road and Bells Creek Arterial Road intersection; and $5 million for the Sunshine Coast Public Transport study, which is investigating a new bus rapid transit corridor for the Sunshine Coast.”
Meanwhile, Queensland Labor refuted Mr Mickelberg’s assertion that it had “sat back without a fight” when in power. It stated that it had always supported the MRIU project and had advocated strongly for the federal government to support its delivery following the infrastructure review in 2023.
