Community members of an estate set to be impacted by two significant infrastructure projects have met with the deputy premier and state transport authorities.
Kawana Island residents heard from Department of Transport and Main Roads officials at a meeting regarding the Mooloolah River Interchange Upgrade and The Wave.
About 50 locals and members of the Kawana Island Residents Association (KIRA) received updates at the May 22 event.
Deputy Premier and local MP Jarrod Bleijie facilitated the event. He said the projects were crucial.
“The Crisafulli Government is making the largest ever investment and is taking meaningful action to deliver the transport infrastructure the Sunshine Coast needs for our growing population,” he said.
The MRIU includes a revamp of one of the region’s biggest and busiest interchanges at the northern end of Kawana. It is essentially part of The Wave, which is a planned multibillion-dollar rail and metro vehicle route between Beerwah to Sunshine Coast Airport, including a station at Birtinya.
“Kawana Island residents will see first-hand the immense benefits these projects will deliver for our region as work gets underway, and this was a perfect opportunity to outline how these projects will impact their local area and improve vital public transport connections across the region,” Mr Bleijie said.
“These projects will transform the Sunshine Coast’s infrastructure network and create massive benefits for our region.”
Early works for Stage 1 of the Mooloolah River Interchange started in October last year.
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Design and pre-construction contracts have been awarded for The Wave Stage 1 (a rail line between Beerwah and Caloundra) but it’s not yet clear how Stage 2 (rail line between Caloundra and Birtinya) and Stage 3 (metro vehicle between Birtinya to Sunshine Coast Airport, and the MRIU) will be paid for, but the total cost is expected to be in the billions.
KIRA President Natalie Briggs said the briefing gave residents the opportunity to hear directly from TMR officials working on the project.
“The presentation from the TMR team was informative and provided a clear update on where both the Mooloolah River Interchange and The Wave projects are currently tracking,” she said.
“While the information shared was helpful, it’s understandable that some of the more meaningful, hyper‑local details are still limited at this stage, simply because the planning and construction phases are very much still underway.
“A number of residents raised very appropriate questions around potential impacts during construction, as well as what the final infrastructure will mean for day‑to‑day life on Kawana Island and Parrearra.”
The state government is intent on The Wave to the Sunshine Coast Airport in time for the 2032 Games.
