Federal government commits $100m to Linkfield Rd overpass
The federal government has committed $100 million to duplicate one of Brisbane’s congestion hotspots, the Prime Minister announced in Queensland this morning.
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE federal government has committed $100 million to duplicate the Linkfield Rd overpass at Bald Hills, the Prime Minister announced in north Brisbane this morning.
The overpass currently forces vehicles to merge from two lanes to one before the Gympie Arterial Rd on-ramp.
It is notorious for traffic congestion and has been identified by RACQ as a key priority for government action.
Today Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the $100 million commitment to help fund 80 per cent of the works.
This is $40 million more than the Federal ALP Opposition promised for the project in August, if it won government.
Mr Morrison said this was a congestion busting project to ensure local motorists weren’t stuck in traffic while doing the school run and travelling to and from work.
“This upgrade has long been called for by local residents and they have been extremely well supported by their Federal LNP members in Luke Howarth and Peter Dutton” he said.
In March Mr Howarth (Petrie) and Mr Dutton (Dickson) started a petition calling on the State Government to prioritise funding for the upgrade. The petition gained about 4000signatures.
Mr Morrison said it was now up to the State Government “to get on board so work can start as soon as possible”.
Mr Howarth said the upgrade would be welcomed by motorists.
“This upgrade will remove a significant bottleneck that has been a source of great frustration,” he said.
“In particular it will reduce driving time for the thousands of motorists who access the Gympie Arterial Rd and Bruce Highway from Linkfield Rd.”
Mr Howarth said the upgrade would ensure a clear flow of traffic with four lanes, two in each direction, along Linkfield Rd.
He said he wrote to State Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey in February about the importance of the Linkfield Rd upgrade, but hadn’t receive a response.
“The State Government has been completely silent on the issue. It’s really important this road is fixed for local residents,” he said.
The sentiment was repeated by Mr Dutton who said traffic along Linkfield Rd “sometimes backs up for kilometres with people sitting in their cars for much longer than they have to”.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the upgrade would improve safety in the area.
“We know the accident and near-miss rate at the northbound highway connection to the Gympie Arterial Rd is a major issue,” Mr McCormack said.
“This upgrade will create a safer overpass and bust the congestion that motorists endure as they merge from two lanes into one.”
RACQ Head of Public Policy Dr Rebecca Michael said the Linkfield Rd overpass is “a congestion hotspot”.
“We need to see money committed to ensure it doesn’t continue to be a bottleneck into the future,” Dr Michael said.
“While the State Government has done some planning for auxiliary lanes on the road, it’s currently unfunded.
“Our members keep telling us this is a bottleneck, and the number of crashes recorded are a concern, so funding the upgrade will mean a safer road, with better traffic flow and less crashes.”
The State Government has been contacted for a comment.
But in a separate announcement late Thursday Mr Bailey joined State MPs Nikki Boyd (Pine Rivers) and Bart Mellish (Aspley) to announce the State Government was fast-tracking a new slip lane on the overpass for traffic joining the northbound Gympie Arterial Rd.
The design for the $2.28 million project has been finalised six months ahead of schedule and construction tenders will be called early next year.
50% OFF FOR THE FIRST 12 WEEKS WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE
Ms Boyd said, “This slip lane will eliminate the bottleneck at the intersection where vehicles intending to turn left currently merge with through traffic, causing tailbacks onto Linkfield Rd and other intersecting roads.
“I am very pleased that the design also improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists using Linkfield Rd.
“A shared path on the northern side of the road, combined with a new refuge island, will mean pedestrians and cyclists will have to cross only one lane at a time.
“The path will connect to the existing path over Gympie Arterial Rd.”
Once the contract is awarded, construction is expected to be completed in six months.
Nuisance flying-fox colony funds for councils as temps soar
Seven councils will receive extra state funding to manage problem flying-fox roosts, as complaints from residents escalate about the bats’ noise, overpowering stench, and increased health hazards.
Scramble to fix $2m typo in SEQ hospital foundation finances
An extra $2 million has been added on paper to the line accounts for one of the state’s busiest hospital foundations in a blunder spotted by the Queensland Audit Office.