A 3.5km road duplication through one of the region’s fastest-growing communities is pushing into its next phases as governments play catch-up on transport infrastructure after years of rapid growth.
Developer Stockland is advancing the staged duplication of Aura Boulevard, while the state government has confirmed planning is also progressing on a separate link between the boulevard and Pelican Waters.
New figures reported by the state government indicate more than 60,000 vehicles travel the wider Caloundra Road corridor each day – almost twice the figure it cited little more than a year ago.
Member for Caloundra Kendall Hatcher said the focus now needed to be on making sure infrastructure and services were delivered alongside regional growth.
“Road infrastructure in the southern end of Queensland has been neglected for decades, and we are now seeing the consequences of that underinvestment as our population continues to grow,” she said.
“Six out of every seven people moving to the Sunshine Coast are choosing to call the Caloundra home.
“That is an extraordinary rate of growth, and it places enormous pressure on our roads and transport networks.”
While the state government is not overseeing delivery of the overall Aura Boulevard project, Ms Hatcher praised its progress.
“It has been an incredibly busy period, and we are now entering a really exciting phase for the community,” she said.
“Over the next 12 months, residents will see rapid construction and delivery of major community infrastructure.”
Stockland’s Aura Boulevard project will expand the road from two lanes to four across 3.5km and includes intersection upgrades, three bridges, public transport connections and improved pedestrian and cycling connections.
A Stockland spokesperson said the duplication works began last September on the first section, which extended from the Bells Creek Arterial Road roundabout through Baringa to the Edwards Terrace and Aura Boulevard intersection.
Further south, the project is progressing between Farmers Crescent at Baringa and Central Avenue at Nirimba, including duplication of the existing vehicle bridge across Bells Creek North.
A new four-way intersection is also being constructed at Farmers Crescent, while a separate phase of the works involves duplication of the Lamerough Creek bridge between Aura Boulevard and Bellvista Boulevard and a new footpath on the western side of the bridge.
The spokesperson said road and bridge works across all phases were forecast to be completed by mid-2027.
“The Aura Boulevard upgrade will increase the capacity of one of Aura’s key transport corridors and support the continued growth of the community,” they said.
The duplication is separate to a state government proposal to create another connection between Aura Boulevard and Pelican Waters Boulevard.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads confirmed the East-West Link was being progressed as one of five projects under the Caloundra Congestion Busting Plan (CCBP).
TMR’s public project information states early planning is underway but gives no timeframe for detailed planning, design or construction.
The proposed link has also previously drawn environmental concerns, with the Sunshine Coast Environment Council warning the indicative 2.7km route could affect an ecologically significant area containing Lamerough Creek, wetlands and high conservation values.
Advocacy and engagement manager Narelle McCarthy told Sunshine Coast News last year the proposal was “unacceptable in its current form”.
At the time, a TMR spokesperson said environmental measures would be “carefully considered and incorporated where appropriate”.
The $400-million CCBP also includes the Nicklin Way to Third Avenue connection, upgrades to two major Caloundra Road intersections and a proposed overpass connecting Kawana Way Link Road with Bells Creek Arterial Road.
“Aura is one of Australia’s largest masterplanned communities, and its growth has been faster than anyone expected,” Ms Hatcher said.
“That growth is a great vote of confidence in the Sunshine Coast, but it has also created infrastructure challenges that we need to address.”
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She said the state government was doing everything it could to improve efficient transport.
“We have been pushing as hard as we can to get these projects moving through planning, design, survey work, tenders and approvals. Including from the federal government under the EPBC process.”
