Roundabout traffic nightmare is $12.5m closer to a solution

The traffic nightmare at one of the city’s most notorious roundabouts might soon be a thing of the past after another $12.5 million was committed to finding a solution.

General photograph of the Moggill Road/Brookfield Road Kenmore roundabout, Saturday, April 13, 2019 (AAP Image/Richard Walker)

A new plan to fix the notorious Kenmore roundabout is closer to reality thanks to a $12.5 million commitment from the State Government.

The roundabout is notorious for traffic bottlenecks, particularly at peak times, and the government late last week agreed to match federal funding for an upgrade.

“Not only is it a gateway to growing communities further west, the roundabout sits between a school, shops and the entrance to the increasingly busy Kenmore Village shopping centre.” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said.

“The volume of traffic passing through it today demands action and that is what the western suburbs will get with this upgrade.”

The Department of Transport and Main Roads late last year completed a planning study into the roundabout, identifying a preferred option to replace it with a redesigned intersection with traffic lights, including safety improvements for cyclists and pedestrians at the Moggill and Brookfield roads intersection.

Mr Bailey said the State Government’s decision to match Federal Government funding meant there was now $25 million committed to the project.

The State Government would seek an agreement with the Federal Government on the next steps for the upgrade, including design and construction time frames.

The Liberal National Party’s Federal Member for Ryan, Julian Simmonds, and State Member for Moggill, Dr Christian Rowan MP, both welcomed the State Government’s funding but said it was “long overdue” and had only come after “years of fighting”.

Dr Rowan said he and Mr Simmonds had repeatedly called on the State Labor Government to address the issue.

“Thanks to the funds first committed by the Federal Morrison Coalition Government, the Palaszczuk Labor Government has been shamed into finally acting to improve traffic and safety at the Kenmore roundabout,” he said.

Mr Simmonds said he had secured the $12.5 federal million during the election to get the project started.

“We’ve been fighting State Labor not to stand in our way and they’ve finally come to the party kicking and screaming with matched funding,” he said.