‘Making things difficult’: New survey finds QLD roads aren’t match fit for 2032 Olympics

Infrastructure for one Aussie state is on the brink of collapsing, sparking major concerns for a huge upcoming event.

It’s dire straits for Queensland’s transport system after a new report unveiled some of the state’s road infrastructure isn’t match fit for the upcoming Olympics.

Insurance company Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) found 262 roads spanning across the state’s coast constantly encountered gridlock in peak hour.

Consequently, motorists are driving at speeds as little as 24 km per hour in peak traffic periods, raising concerns about how the system will cope come 2032.

Results from RACQ’s Red Spot Congestion Survey have named the main culprits, with the state’s top five most congested roads mostly situated in the south east.

Heat map showing areas with most congestion in South-East Queensland, with yellow areas the most congested. Picture: RACQ

Pacific Motorway has climbed the ranks from third place in 2021, to first position with the road branded this year’s most congested road.

According to the RACQ Average Travel Speed on Motorways and Other Major Corridors March report, vehicles driving inbound on the Pacific Motorway between Okeefe street and North Quay between 6am and 10am on weekdays tend to travel at a speed of 33km per hour.

Meanwhile traffic going outbound in the afternoon on weekdays between 3pm and 7pm are bumper to bumper – driving at an even slower rate of 26 km per hour.

“Significant upgrades have been recently completed or are underway … however congestion has shifted to other constrained areas (along the motorway),” a report on the survey said.

“Continued investment in interchanges and smart motorways projects are required … The delivery of the Coomera Connector project will provide some relief to Pacific Motorway congestion problems on the Gold Coast.”

Some of the busiest roads in Queensland have been named. Picture: Glenn Hampson

The Bruce Highway between Pine River Bridge and Caloundra ranked second this year, dropping one spot after it was coined the most congested highway in 2021.

It’s hoped this road will improve in the future with funding and planning underway for upgrades in the area.

Centenary Motorway between Ipswich Motorway and Toowong came in third, followed by Caloundra Road where major roundabouts contributed to gridlock.

Both roads are in the process of undergoing roadworks to improve the feasibility of infrastructure and increase traffic flow.

Finally, the Gateway Motorway slightly improved from its 2021 ranking placing fifth, with traffic typically building up northbound from Nudgee to the Bruce Highway and also at the Pacific Motorway interchange and Eight Mile Plains.

Heat map showing nominated Red Spot locations across Queensland, with the south east part of the state mostly impacted by traffic. Picture: RACQ

Despite works underway to fix these roads, RACQ’s head of public policy Dr Michael Kane said these motorways, in addition to several others, need to be “fixed, finished and extended” by the time the Brisbane Olympics come around.

“Across our orbital motorway network, including the Logan Motorway, there are bottlenecks that need fixing, there are projects already underway that need finishing and there are sections that need extending to fill in missing links,” Dr Kane said.

Dr Michael Kane says roads need to be “fixed, finished and extended” by the 2032 Olympics. Picture: Tara Croser

“When you look at our already congested orbital motorway network, the potential for traffic overload being pushed onto the Inner City Bypass and Pacific Motorway, and congestion on South Pine Road, Enoggera Road and Gympie Road, there’s clearly a missing ‘Western Bypass’ link which would complete a full outer-orbital road network surrounding Brisbane City.”

Overall Dr Kane said the state needs to think strategically about its transport system moving forward or risk facing more congestion within the next decade.

“We’re roughly going to be the same size as Sydney when we hold the Olympics and so we’re effectively on a trajectory following Sydney, but they had a lot more public transport infrastructure by 2000 than we will have by 2032,” he told the Courier Mail.

“We need to think much more strategically about long-term growth and transport needs. A lack of good planning decades ago is making things difficult now.”

Originally published as ‘Making things difficult’: New survey finds QLD roads aren’t match fit for 2032 Olympics