Major construction is underway on stage one of the 16km Coomera Connector, creating a “second M1” to remove up to 60,000 local trips a day from the M1 Pacific Motorway, south of Brisbane.
The first sod was turned at the weekend, marking the start of main construction on Stage 1 North, between Shipper Drive, Coomera and Helensvale Road, Helensvale.
The $2.16 billion project is being built with split funding from the federal and state governments and is expected to open in stages from 2025.
The state government says that the Coomera Connector will change how Gold Coast residents get around and improve journeys between the growing Coomera and Nerang communities.
“It will also mean more reliable travel times between Brisbane and the Gold Coast by alleviating congestion on the M1.”
A new, 1km-long Coomera River bridge crossing is a key feature of the first package, along with a four-metre-wide shared active transport path.
The first stage of the project will be delivered in three construction packages:
- Stage 1 North: Shipper Drive, Coomera to Helensvale Road, Helensvale (now underway)
- Stage 1 Central: Helensvale Road, Helensvale to Smith Street Motorway, Molendinar (expected to start later this year)
- Stage 1 South: Smith Street Motorway, Molendinar to Nerang-Broadbeach Road, Nerang (in design).
“We know congestion is a significant issue for the region – it’s a drain on the economy and frustrating for families, which is why we’re getting on with delivering this critical piece of infrastructure,” said federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King.
“With major construction can now underway, works will continue to ramp up over the coming months as this new motorway starts to come to life.”