Coomera Connector: List of road and bridge upgrades to make it work

Details have been revealed of major new road and bridge works needed if the Coomera Connector is to take traffic off the M1.

THE northern Gold Coast will need up to $200 million in road and bridge upgrades for the $2.4 billion Coomera Connector to be a success and reduce congestion on the M1.

Councillors were given a private briefing in a closed committee session late this week where an update was provided on how its roads will impacted by the first stage of the six-lane highway from Nerang to Coomera.

A map produced at the session shows the key upgrades ticked off by council which will require State input include:

New map showing the connector roads and bridges needed to help the Coomera Connector ease traffic congestion on the M1 and at Coomera.

• An overpass at Beattie Road to ease congestion at the Oxenford interchange.

• The Coomera Connector being extended to Yalwalpah Road to reduce the impact on Foxwell Road.

• Another bridge other than the Connector east of the M1 to link Hope Island with Coomera.

The Bulletin understands that if these changes are not backed, the current $25 million upgrade on the notorious Exit 57 will see gridlock again within a decade.

The M1 at that section is currently at capacity with latest figures showing 162,000 vehicles using the section each day – the maximum hourly design capacity of 2300 cars per hour.

A council source told the Bulletin that the state using “value engineering” – in other words doing the bare minimum required – with the Exit 57 upgrade, and the Coomera Connector required a different approach.

“Exit 57 is a classic example of value engineering,” they said. “What we need the State to avoid with the Coomera Connector is value engineering here.”

Councillors at the transport committee backed a recommendation not to duplicate Heathwood Drive and its bridge crossing, immediately west of the M1, which would have cost up to $86 million.

Officers instead have recommended building the Beattie Road overpass further north which they estimate will cost the State more than the Heathwood Road project.

A map showing the Beattie Road overpass which would help solve congestion on the M1 at Coomera.

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“This outcome will provide the additional capacity over the Coomera River that the duplication of Heathwood Drive would, whilst diverting local and inter-suburban traffic away from using the M1 Exit 57 – freeing up capacity on Heathwood Drive,” the report said.

Area councillor William Owen-Jones, updating residents after the briefing, said the Government had nominated both Hope Island Road and Helensvale Road as possible connection points to the southern side of the Coomera River, and Beattie Road to the north.

“The City’s preferred position is that in addition to any interchanges, any future State road should also include a new service bridge across the Coomera River to facilitate traffic movements away from the M1 and Exit 57,” he said.

“This would be similar to the new service bridge built to the west of the main M1 bridges near the Oxenford Lake.”

Bridges across the Coomera River.

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The Coomera Connector had to include improvements to east-west connections, he said.

“There are almost 10,000 students in the nine schools within 3km of the Coomera River M1 and Connector crossings,” Cr Owen-Jones said.

“A ‘flyover’ that crosses the M1 and connects Reserve Road and Beattie Road would help relieve pressure on both Exits 54 and 57.”

Residents in their responses have agreed the highway needs to finish further north,

“The roads are jam packed at peak times now, so many homes yet to be built in Coomera east. Foxwell-Yawalpah need that option in place now,” a resident said.