State government to consider new upgrades for dangerous Warrego Highway interchange after old plans scrapped

The state government has revealed plans to investigate alternative upgrades to a controversial Warrego Highway interchange after previous plans were scrapped due to poor community feedback.

New options to upgrade a dangerous interchange on the Warrego Highway will be progressed by the state government after a previous proposal was scrapped due to community feedback.

The Mount Crosby interchange on the Warrego Highway has long been a point of contention with stakeholders and motorists with road safety and congestion concerns.

It was announced in July that a previous $22 million plan to upgrade the road, based on a 2017 study, was scrapped following community consultation and an increase in road users.

Of the 602 community responses 70 per cent opposed the plan and said it did not adequately address concerns.

The Mount Crosby interchange. Picture: Cordell Richardson

It was also announced that construction on the interchange upgrade was not due to start until 2024.

Now, the state government has revealed a tender for a new business case to progress planning for additional options to the upgrade has been awarded to GHD Group Pty Ltd.

The federal government is funding the business case with $4 million while the state government contributes $1 million.

Ipswich councillor Russell Milligan said he was pleased the state government had listened to the Ipswich community’s concerns about the previous proposal.

“Advocating for upgrading the Mt Crosby Interchange has been a high priority for the new Ipswich City Council given its impacts on the safety and congestion of the Warrego Highway,” Mr Milligan said.

The scrapped upgrade plans to the Warrego Highway Mount Crosby Road Interchange.

“Significant areas of concern with that design were the lack of additional capacity at the interchange and the need for additional lanes or an extra bridge across the Warrego Highway in order to reduce conflict points on the southern roundabout in North Tivoli.”

Councillor Kate Kunzelmann said Ipswich was the fastest growing city in Queensland and would welcome an additional 330,000 people over the next 20 years.

“Growth at the levels we’re experiencing in Ipswich, without the supporting transport infrastructure is simply not sustainable with Ipswich residents expected to wait years for major transport infrastructure to keep up with increased traffic demand and substantial growth in the interchange area,” she said.

“Residents are concerned for their safety as they are stuck queuing at the southern roundabout and are pushed right out on the Warrego Highway or trying to exit the Warrego Highway travelling eastward and find themselves at a standstill in the left lane as traffic goes past doing 100km/hour.”