In news that will please motorists trying to negotiate the Sunshine Motorway near Maroochydore every morning, the Department of Transport and Main Roads is looking at upgrading the Maroochy Boulevard off-ramp.
Southbound traffic leaving the motorway regularly banks back along the ramp from the Maroochy Boulevard junction.
Motorists taking the off-ramp from the motorway have taken it upon themselves to split into two lanes along the ramp – one for a right-hand turn heading towards Wises Road, and the other into a left-hand slip lane onto Maroochy Boulevard – to try and move through the junction.
Despite the voluntary “splitting”, it is not uncommon for cars to bank up along the ramp and into 100km/h southbound traffic on the motorway during the morning peak on weekdays.
TMR, in response to an inquiry by Sunshine Coast News, said it was looking at the efficiency, capacity and safety of the motorway, including the ramp.
“The stretch between the Mooloolah River and the Maroochy River is our focus for these improvements,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said $2.49 million had been allocated for a planning project to resolve increasing merging problems along the motorway “to preserve its vital role in regional connectivity”.
“Interchanges and connections to the Maroochydore city centre, Mooloolaba and Buderim will be considered, which includes the southbound off-ramp at Maroochy Boulevard,” they said.
Early planning is underway and it will continue until 2025.
The spokesperson said community feedback in 2021 reinforced the need to address congestion and connectivity in the area, and it would be used to inform future planning.
However, motorists looking forward to a free-flowing off-ramp in the mornings should not hold their breath.
TMR’s website says planning along the motorway stretch between the Mooloolah and Maroochy rivers will take into account other projects, such as the Sunshine Coast Direct Rail Line.
Funding has only been approved to get the rail line to Caloundra by 2032 and there is no word when it might come to Maroochydore.
The website mentions “identifying staged improvements for an integrated transport network”, which may give some hope that some improvements could occur in stages before a rail line to Maroochydore.
No funding is available for detailed planning and design.
“Funding to progress further planning for the priority needs will be considered against other infrastructure priorities across the state,” the spokesperson said.
“TMR will keep the community updated as the project progresses.”
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