Malcolm Turnbull to allocate $150m for Bruce Highway upgrade

PRIME Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed more upgrades are coming as part of a $150 million cash splash for the Bruce Highway as he pledged to get the people of Murrumba Downs home “sooner and safer’’ with new highway ramps.

UPDATE: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed more upgrades are coming for the Bruce Highway as he pledged to get the people of Murrumba Downs home “sooner and safer’’ with new highway ramps.

Mr Turnbull has announced the new ramps at Murrumba Downs onto the Sunshine Coast Motorway will be built in a joint arrangement with the State Government which is expected to put up 20 per cent of the estimated $150 million cost.

The ramps are expected to end years of frustration for the people of Murrumba Downs and surrounding areas including Griffin who have limited access to the highway.

“This investment will ensure they will travel home more safely and get home sooner,’’ Mr Turnbull said.

“This is the answer to congestion.’’

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, the federal member for the northside Brisbane electorate of Dickson, said families being stuck in traffic and congestion was a big problem in Australian cities.

“We need excellent infrastructure and the Turnbull Government is providing that,’’ he said.

Mr Turnbull said his government would be making more announcements on upgrades to the Bruce Highway with a funding commitment of $6.7 billion on the table.

“It is a vital national highway and that is why we are providing the support we are,’’ he said.

Traffic on the Bruce Highway near the Glass House Mountains as people return to Brisbane after the Easter long weekend. Picture: AAP/ Ric Frearson

OVERNIGHT: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will announce a $150 million cash splash for the M1 section of the Bruce Highway north of Brisbane, in what is expected to be the first in a series of “substantial infrastructure projects” that will be part of this year’s Budget.

It will be the first day of his three-day Queensland blitz, which will include a trip to the state’s regions tomorrow before attending the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony.

Mr Turnbull’s Queensland sojourn follows polling yesterday which revealed two-party-preferred support for Labor in the state had fallen by four points to 51 per cent.

A big cash splash on road and other infrastructure projects is expected for Queensland in the Budget next month, which will likely be the last before the election.

Queensland will be a key election battleground state and has the three most marginal seats in the country, Capricornia, Herbert and Forde, all held with a margin of less than 1 per cent.

The $150 million will go towards fixing a notorious bottleneck on the Bruce Highway at Murrumba Downs.

It comes as the M1 Bruce Highway was gridlocked between Sunshine Coast and north Brisbane on Monday as the Easter long weekend traffic took its toll.

It is understood Member for Dickson Peter Dutton and Member for Petrie Luke Howarth lobbied hard to get the road fix funding.

Both MPs’ seats are marginal and both will have to fight to hold on to them at the election, expected next year.

The upgrade will create a northbound entry and southbound exit for the highway at the Dohles Rocks Rd interchange.

Mr Dutton said the project would ease congestion to and from the Sunshine Coast and take pressure of local roads for 5000 families living in Murrumba Downs and Griffin.

“The rapid growth in the Murrumba Downs and Griffin areas means these new ramps will get massive usage and make travel more convenient for locals,” he said.

It will be 80 per cent funded by the Federal Government with the State needed to chip in the remainder.

The money for the Dohles Rocks Rd interchange upgrade is in addition to the $530 million allocated to upgrades between Bribie Island Rd and Steve Irwin Way.