War of words erupts over vital Coast road upgrade

A war of words has erupted over a vital Sunshine Coast road upgrade with accusations the State Government is dragging its feet on a $7.5 million business case.

A WAR of words has erupted over a vital Sunshine Coast road upgrade with accusations the State Government is dragging its feet on a $7.5 million business case.

The $430 million Mooloolah River Interchange Upgrade still remains a distant dream, with recent delays to its business case.

The business case was expected to be completed by Building Queensland in the first half of 2020, but this week Transport Minister Mark Bailey said it would not be completed until the end of the year.

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Kawana MP Jarrod Bleijie said the business case was a "delay tactic".

"Sunshine Coast residents know that we have major congestion on our road network," he said.

The project would streamline traffic flow between Kawana Way and Mooloolaba, cutting out the need to use Nicklin Way or the Sunshine Motorway to travel between the two points.

It would include upgrades to the Sunshine Motorway at Mountain Creek, a direct connection to Sunshine Coast University Hospital precinct, and a new two-lane road connecting Kawana Way at Parrearra, crossing the Mooloolah River to the planned Mooloolah River Interchange.

A new local traffic link between Brisbane Rd and Karawatha Drive was also being explored.

The government has spent $79 million on purchasing properties in Mountain Creek and surrounding areas for the project.

"I find it surprising that after five years of being in government, Labor is yet to finalise the corridor and yet purchase the required properties," Mr Bleijie said.

Mr Bailey said it required Federal Government support, which would not be received without a business case.

He said the project had been recognised by Infrastructure Australia as a priority initiative.

"Mr Bleijie persists on playing petty party politics and deliberately ignores the fact that any business case is about ensuring taxpayers get full value for a project by comparing different options to fix congestion," he said.

Mr Bailey said this year would be one of the biggest years for road construction jobs in the Sunshine Coast, with $3 billion in joint funding locked in for transport projects.

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