THE route of the Gold Coast’s new ‘M2’ motorway has been locked in, with the final stretch now officially mapped out.
The State Government on Sunday announced the final route of the six-lane road had been gazetted, allowing it to be protected from new development.
It will run for 42km between Nerang and Logan and is tipped to take around 60,000 cars off the congested M1.
Dubbed the Coomera Connector, the new road will be located east of the M1 and, starting from Nerang-Broadbeach Road in Nerang, will travel through Helensvale, Coomera, Pimpama, Ormeau, Stapylton and Eagleby before connecting with the Logan and Pacific Motorway interchanges.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the new road was essential to alleviating congestion on the M1 and would provide an important north-to-south transport link for north Gold Coast communities.
“With more than 180,000 vehicles travelling on the M1 each day and strong population growth on the northern Gold Coast, we need to plan for the region’s future transport demands,” Mr Bailey said.
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“We want people to spend more time at home with their family and friends and less time in traffic, and that means responsibly planning now for growing communities between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
“Now, the entire 45 kilometre Coomera Connector corridor – including the final northern stretch to the Logan Motorway – has been officially gazetted as a future state-controlled road.”
The Nerang to Coomera section was gazetted in March 2016 and the Coomera to Stapylton section in May 2017.
The corridor has been identified in various public planning documents, such as published street directories, regional transport plans, planning studies and City of Gold Coast planning schemes since the 1990s.
Formerly known as the intra-regional transport corridor, the new road will provide more choices for local traffic and additional crossings of the Logan, Coomera and Nerang Rivers.
It’s also expected to cut travel time between the Coast and the Capital by reducing the number of local trips on the M1.
Mr Bailey said there was still plenty of work to do to bring the project to life.
‘‘The community will continue to be involved in future stages of planning for the corridor,” he said.
“Opportunities for consultation will be both in person at a series of information sessions and online.
“Community members will be able to learn more about the project and provide feedback using digital engagement tools such as collaborative mapping.’’
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The Palaszczuk Government has committed $5 million to undertake transport planning studies for the corridor.
Residents who live or have properties along the gazetted route have already been notified, while community information sessions are still being planned along the length of the corridor to gain community input into the short-listed options.
The community will also be given a chance to provide feedback about the project online.
A master plan will then be developed to determine the preferred option for the corridor and help determine how delivery of the project could be staged.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads says a timeline for construction has not yet been identified and will depend on the future traffic growth in the surrounding area and availability of funding.
The Department says it is also liaising with property owners regarding land sales and development applications and early acquisition of properties “may occur in some hardship circumstances”.
Planning continues to progress for the alignment.
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