Mount Crosby interchange upgrade: Ipswich locals unhappy over long-awaited Warrego Highway projects

More than 600 people gave their thoughts on the long-awaited highway interchange upgrade. Those plans have now been ditched with the department revealing the feedback it received.

LNP Moggill MP Dr Christian Rowan slammed the state government over its handling of the Mount Crosby interchange upgrade.

THE ditched $22 million plans to fix a congestion nightmare just off the Warrego Highway were based on traffic figures from more than five years ago.

The Queensland Times revealed last week that construction on the long-awaited Mount Crosby interchange upgrade is only expected to start in 2024.

A proposed design concept was put out to a month-long community consultation last year with more than 600 individuals, businesses and organisations providing feedback.

The proposed Warrego Highway - Mount Crosby Road interchange upgrade which was scrapped.

That consultation closed in August with the Department of Transport and Main Roads finally revealing to the QT a small insight into the feedback received nearly a year on.

A department spokesperson said the full results of the consultation would be released this week.

“Of the responses received, about 70 per cent said they were not satisfied with the proposed concept design,” they said.

They said the key concerns raised included the need for additional capacity at the interchange and additional lanes on the overpass bridge or an extra bridge, the need to upgrade the on and off-ramps in order to increase safety, especially the westbound off-ramp, and the need to provide some level of access to and from Coal Road to reduce pressure on the Mount Crosby Road-Junction Road roundabout.

Regular users of the interchange also highlighted the significant growth in the area since the 2017 planning study - on which the design was based - was undertaken and this was not reflected in the proposed design.

In 2016 the interchange had an average annual daily traffic volume of about 52,600 vehicles per day and in 2018, it increased to about 58,300 vehicles per day.

“The proposed design was based on a 2017 planning study which used traffic data collected in 2015-16 to identify an option that addressed short-term safety and congestion issues at the interchange,” the spokesperson said.

“However, due to several factors – including changed traffic conditions, increased traffic demand and substantial growth in the local area – the identified option no longer addresses these issues.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the upgrade is only expected to start in 2024.

“Feedback received from the community and stakeholders reinforced the need for a more significant upgrade.

“We are developing additional options for a more substantial upgrade that aligns with longer-term needs for the state controlled road network.

“The Queensland Government will work closely with the Australian Government to progress the project.”

LNP Moggill MP Dr Christian Rowan said the interchange is used by many of his constituents as one of the key entry and exit points to his electorate.

He said further delays were not good enough for motorists who have been waiting years for an upgrade to happen.

“The admission by the Palaszczuk state Labor Government that it will take another three years before Labor begins construction on the dangerous Mount Crosby Road-Warrego Highway interchange is an insult to every local resident and motorist that relies on this vital road infrastructure,” he said.

“Local residents participated in the community consultation in good faith, and now they have discovered that Labor could not even get the basic planning fundamentals right, such as current and projected traffic volumes.

“Since I was first elected as the state member for Moggill, I have called on the Palaszczuk State Labor Government to deliver an Integrated Road and Public Transport Plan with funded solutions.

“This is yet another clear example of how local residents are paying the price for Labor’s failure to properly plan for and manage growth in our area, and deliver the crucial infrastructure and services that our growing population both needs and deserves.

“This is first and foremost about enhancing road safety, and now local residents will have to wait until 2024 at best, before any work can begin to provide a safer commute.

“The Palaszczuk State Labor Government must urgently deliver this upgrade and not sit on its hands until 2024. The safety of local residents and road users demand nothing less.”

Included in the recent federal budget was $4 million for a scoping study to determine a new design for the upgrade, with a contribution of $1 million coming from the state government.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.