Work to upgrade the access into the Mill at Moreton Bay precinct will begin this month

WORK to upgrade the main access into the Petrie Mill development precinct will go ahead this month despite a report that stated the intersection was adequate for another 10 years.

Drone pictures of site for new Moreton Bay Region University at Petrie on the site of the former paper mill, showing the Gympie Rd/Paper Ave intersection, prior to the start of construction on the USC Moreton Bay foundation building.

WORK to upgrade the main access into the Petrie Mill development project will go ahead this month despite a report that stated the intersection was adequate for another 10 years.

A $7.7 million tender was on October 16 awarded to AllRoads Pty Ltd to upgrade the intersection at Gympie Rd and Paper Ave at Petrie.

The project involves realigning the intersection and widening Gympie Rd.

It is expected to take about 53 weeks to complete, with work starting on November 27.

Five tenders were put forward for the job, one of which — BMD Constructions — was a donor to election campaign fund Moreton Futures Trust (MFT) in 2012.

No Conflicts of Interest were declared by current councillors who accepted MFT funds in 2012 when awarding the tender, and BMD Constructions was not successful in its tender.

A traffic study done as part of the USC Moreton Bay application stated the intersection would “operate within the practical capacity limits for the 10-year planning horizon (2030) and no upgrade was needed as a result of Stage 1 of the university.

Mayor Allan Sutherland said the council opted to go ahead with the upgrade early because it didn’t want to constantly interrupt traffic as the mill development grew in future years.

“We’re taking this opportunity to plan properly for its future expansion now,” he said.

“This is about doing things well the first time, in order to minimise traffic disruptions for locals.

“While the traffic generated by the university’s initial foundation building won’t trigger an immediate need to upgrade the intersection, future development within the Mill PDA absolutely will.”

He said the work would ensure safe and efficient access into the site when the university foundation building opens in 2020.

The work is not expected to overlap with the State Government’s major upgrade to the Petrie roundabout, which is located several hundred metres along Gympie Rd.