Finally, the once nicknamed Bridge to Nowhere, is a bridge to nowhere no more.
Redbank Motorway Estate developer Goodman Group recently completed the final section of the bridge linking Brisbane Tce to the Ipswich Motorway service road, allowing quick access between the fledgling industrial estate and the major transport route.
Existing residents and business owners were initially baffled by the presence of the $24 million bridge which, following completion of the massive Ipswich Motorway upgrade works, was complete all but for a 30m section of road.
The final section, along with traffic lights and improvements to the intersection of Monash Rd and Brisbane Tce, was officially opened yesterday.
It completes an important piece of the puzzle for new tenants of the estate, which so far include DB Schenker and recently announced transport and logistics company Northline, which has just started building a 12,500sq m distribution centre at Redbank.
Northline Brisbane branch manager Alan Russell said the new facility should be completed by September, superseding the company’s current Pinkenba base.
“We see the positioning of this site as the most important factor,” Mr Russell said.
“Our business is spread throughout the south-west corridor, so this site is great.
“It’s a stone’s throw from the Ipswich Motorway.”
Northline employs 80 people at Pinkenba, but this number is likely to increase with the move to Ipswich.
“We are certainly interested in drawing workers from the Ipswich region,” Mr Russell said.
“We employ everyone from truck and forklift drivers to administration and sales staff.”
Although both facilities are enormous, DB Schenker and Northline will take up only a small parcel of the 62-hectare site between them, and Ipswich City Council is still working to attract more business to the area.
Mayor Paul Pisasale said if fully developed, the estate could generate up to 2300 jobs – in addition to the 220 construction jobs already created in the development of the estate.
He said the arrival of DB Schenker and Northline was a good start.
“This is tremendous news for jobseekers and a huge vote of confidence in the future of Ipswich to play its part in the development of our region,” Cr Pisasale said.
In addition to the bridge, the developer also built 3km of new roads into the estate, and will have to include 19 hectares of public open space and parklands – at a cost of about $27 million – when the $350 million industrial area is complete.
Original article published at www.qt.com.au by Andrew Korner 24/4/2014