Gold Coasters have been given their first look at plans for the city’s $1 billion M1 Varsity Lakes to Tugun upgrade set to get underway next year.
New images are giving motorists a sneak peek at the upgrade from Varsity Lakes to Tugun. It includes the new Northbound carriageway across the Mudgeeraba Creek.
Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said the vital piece of infrastructure will bust congestion and better connect communities in the region.
“Shovels will hit the ground next year on the project, which will be delivered in three packages,” Mr Tudge said.
“It’s expected this will create more than 800 jobs and be five times the size of the current M1 upgrade at Mudgeeraba.”
It will feature the region’s first Diverging Diamond Interchange and more lanes for the 10-kilometre stretch plus upgrades to the Burleigh Heads, Tallebudgera and Palm Beach exits.
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey said the upgrade was part of the Queensland Government’s jointly-funded $2.3 billion commitment to building a better M1 and supporting more than 2,000 jobs during construction.
“Close to 150,000 Queenslanders are seeing progress on the M1 every day,” Mr Bailey said.
“This is a project five times the size of the of M1 upgrade at Mudgeeraba, which will create more than 800 jobs for the city of the Gold Coast.
“The Queensland Government is building a better M1, and we’re gearing up for the future with our plans for the Coomera Connector and a future rail corridor as part of this $1 billion upgrade.”
Federal Member for McPherson Karen Andrews said the upgrades to the Gold Coast’s southern stretch of the M1 were vital for improving freight efficiency and getting locals home sooner and safer.
“I’m not interested in just pushing the bottleneck further south, we need to fix the M1 all the way through to Tugun, and that’s what we’re doing,” Ms Andrews said.
“Just last week, the Morrison Government announced $45 million of Federal funding will be brought forward to fast-track those works.”
The upgrade will also include:
- Building a new service road bridge over Tallebudgera Creek connecting a new western service road (one lane each way) between Palm Beach (Exit 92) and Tallebudgera (Exit 89)
- Installing Smart Motorway technologies between Varsity Lakes (Exit 85) and Tugun (Exit 95), and retrofitting these technologies between Nerang and Mudgeeraba
- Preserving the corridor for a future rail extension south of Varsity Lakes. Significant environmental improvements will also feature in the upgrade, including a passage under the motorway to reconnect fauna to the Burleigh to Springbrook bioregional wildlife corridor, improved fish passage in waterways and through culverts, fauna fencing, and koala habitat and fodder tree plantings.
