Short-term relief is on the way for commuters on a busy Sunshine Coast road, while a long-term plan for the corridor is being finalised.
‘Interim works’ are this week starting on Sugar Road at Maroochydore, ahead of the Sugar Road and Maud Street Upgrade, which should ultimately include more lanes, traffic lights, U-turns, crossings and pathways.
The first phase of interim works includes double centre line marking on January 22, with a section of road closed at night.
Further interim works along Sugar Road will include extended lanes from the Wises Road roundabout and a relocated merge point, the addition of a dedicated southbound cycle lane and the removal of some on-street carparks.
“These interim works are being completed ahead of the ultimate (final) design and will help to improve traffic flow and safety in the shorter term, ahead of the longer-term stages for the transport corridor,” the project team stated in a construction notification.
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Councillor Joe Natoli expressed his delight, in December, that some action on the route was imminent, and he said the project would make a significant difference.
“I am pleased that interim works are starting … on this important transport corridor upgrade, after being planned for more than 20 years,” he said.
“The upgrade is desperately needed.
“It will help future proof the area by reducing traffic congestion, increasing public transport efficiency and improving walking and riding options.”
Related stories: Couple parts with home of 53 years for road upgrade and Work starts on $30m junction of busy road
The project team stated, last month, that the interim works should create safer travel, before the upgrade is done.
“One of the key contributors to traffic congestion in the current single lane arrangement on Sugar Road is vehicle queuing,” they stated.
“Vehicles must stop and wait for other vehicles to turn across the single centre line, into homes and businesses.
“This in turn contributes to crashes and congestion along Sugar Road and the Sugar-Wises Roads roundabout.
“To improve traffic and safety conditions in the short medium term, and ahead of the project’s permanent upgrades, interim changes will be made to the section of Sugar Road between Oloway Crescent and Sugar-Wises Roads roundabout.”
The new, double centre line will mean left-in, left-out only turning movements will be legal in this section of road.
A council spokesperson said the upgrade was sorely needed.
“Sugar Road and Maud Street are heavily congested during peak hours, with long traffic queues and delays.”
“Congestion impacts bus services as well as motorists heading to local businesses along the route or travelling to destinations in the centre of Maroochydore such as Sunshine Plaza and beyond.
“Sugar Road is one of the Sunshine Coast’s busiest Council-owned roads and carries up to 25,000 vehicles a day, well over its current capacity of 15,000 vehicles a day.
“Traffic queues through this section regularly stretch back south to Mooloolaba Road and north to Wrigley Street. Motorists turning out of side streets often struggle to find a space in the traffic during peak hours.
“Neither street has dedicated bike paths and there are only two signalised crossings located at the very northern end of the corridor where Maud Street meets Dalby Street and Bungama Street, which makes crossing difficult for walkers and riders.”
They stated that some car parks were set to be removed.
“Vehicles are queuing back along Sugar Road and through the Sugar Road and Wises Road roundabout causing safety and traffic delay issues.”
“As part of the early works, interim line marking changes are being implemented (and) 11 on-street car parks are being permanently removed on Sugar Road between Oloway Cresent and Sugar-Wises Roads roundabout to accommodate the additional traffic lane and cycle lane.
“As part of the major upgrade, on-street car parks will remain on the western side of Sugar Road (north of Oloway Cresent) and the eastern side of Maud Street as per the concept design.”
A spokesperson could not confirm when the next phase of interim works will take place.
“We will continue to keep our community informed about the dates and timing for the next stage of interim works, which include footpath and cycle ramp improvements.”
Detailed design of the upgrade is expected to be completed next year. The upgrade will be delivered in stages and construction timing will be subject to budget considerations. The next stage of major construction works is anticipated to start in 2027, subject to timing and appointment of a contractor.
SCN asked the council how much it will cost and how it will be paid for but did not receive a direct response.
The council has purchased numerous properties for the Sugar Road and Maud Street Upgrade during the past 10 years as they came to market, and the council is currently finalising purchases on Maud Street and will continue to purchase properties on Sugar Road as required.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
