No deal on funding for upgrade of Gold Coast M1 despite traffic gridlock
THE Federal Government has put $1 billion on the table to widen and upgrade the M1. But the project is stalled for just one reason which will leave drivers stuck in daily gridlock devastated.
Gold Coast
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TENS of thousands of Gold Coast motorists will continue the daily crawl up the M1 after the State Government refused to agree to a deal that would fix gridlock.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Transport Minister Mark Bailey yesterday rejected Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s pledge for both levels of government to split the $2 billion to ease congestion on the state’s busiest road.
Mr Turnbull said the federal government would dedicate $1 billion in next month’s budget to the Pacific Motorway, providing Premier Palaszczuk agreed to match it.
However, the State Government said it would contribute only 20 per cent of the money.
“Why is it good enough for 80 per cent funding in Brisbane and in NSW but not in the Gold Coast?” Mr Bailey said.
“It’s because there are three safe Federal LNP seats (on the Gold Coast) and so they use the funds elsewhere.
GOLD COAST’S M1 A ‘NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT’
“That’s a big pot of money — it’s enough to get that section from Varsity Lakes to the border done, in conjunction with us, they need to be flexible about how that money goes out so that we can get the construction under way as quickly as we possibly can.”
The standoff means commuters will have to put up with the 90-minute grind up the M1 during peak-hour traffic, when the RACQ says it should take only 60 minutes. Experts predict it will only get worse as the population balloons.
WHY THE M1 IS THE GOLD COAST’S DEADLIEST ROAD
In a statement, Mr Bailey said the State Government had already made its funding commitment to the road upgrades.
“As part of our M1 action plan released in November 2017 we committed our 20 per cent funding for the upgrade between Varsity Lakes and Tugun worth just over $1 billion — we have already funded the planning and our $206 million is now locked in.”
When the Gold Coast Bulletin asked Premier Palaszczuk if she would match the Turnbull Government’s pledge, a spokesman referred the paper to Mr Bailey’s statement and said: “It showed that our money is already on the table, and certainly for the projects that are next in line and ready to go as soon as the Games are finished.”
THE WORST TIMES TO DRIVE ON GOLD COAST ROADS
Mr Turnbull’s $2 billion plan included:
• The M1 will be widened between Varsity Lakes and Tugun from four to six lanes, with a new off-ramp built in the northbound lanes to connect with Southport-Burleigh Road.
• The motorway will be widened from six to eight lanes on the Brisbane stretch between Eight Mile Plains and Daisy Hill.
FLASHBACK: $120 BLOWOUT IN M1 UPGRADE
“To get people home sooner and safer is $1 billion congestion-busting dollars,” said Mr Turnbull while on the Gold Coast yesterday.
“Clearly, this project needs to be built. There is no doubt about that and Queensland has the resources.”
In a separate deal reached in March 2017, the federal and state governments agreed to spend $500 million on other areas of the M1. It included widening the motorway between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes.
Work is expected to start within weeks.
In the past two years, gridlock on the state’s busiest road has worsened. Reports show commuters will lose $400 million a year in lost wages before long due to being stuck in M1 traffic.
BAILEY A ‘CRY BABY’
TRANSPORT Minister Mark Bailey has been branded a “crybaby” and whinger for flat out refusing to stump up money that would fix gridlock on the M1.
Both Federal and State LNP MPs are stunned by Mr Bailey’s failure to match Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s plan for both governments to tip in $1 billion each to ease the crippling congestion on the state’s busiest road.
“Mark Bailey is a whinger and has been a crybaby about matching funding on the M1 since the Palaszczuk Government was elected in 2015,” LNP frontbencher Ros Bates said.
“It’s the end of the road for Mark Bailey as far as I’m concerned. He’s had plenty of time to fix the M1. He’s a failure and foolish. Annastacia Palaszczuk should sack him. ”M1 CONGESTION TO COST US MILLIONS
State LNP leader Deb Frecklington yesterday tweeted “drivers are sick of political point scoring and just want action”.
She said if she was elected premier at the next election the project would be funded in the “next State budget” along with a second M1 on the Coast.
Mr Bailey responded to yesterday’s announcement by Mr Turnbull by saying the offer of $1 billion in upgrades for the Pacific Motorway on a 50-50 basis was “better than nothing”.
The State Transport Minister continues to argue that the Federal Government should fund the M1 like other national road projects on an 80-20 basis.
HOW WE’LL FIX COAST’S M1 GRIDLOCK
His response has shocked the Federal Government because there was a legitimate offer of funding for a stretch of road that would soon face gridlock.
A Gold Coast Bulletin campaign during the past year has revealed one of the main exits on the Pacific Motorway has been operating at over capacity by almost 3000 vehicles a day for at least four years.
Daily capacity of 162,000 vehicles could be reached as early as next year, and the congestion expected to cost workers more than $400 million in lost wages.
Federal Government sources said even if Labor wanted to argue the 80-20 funding line, they struggled to find logic in rejecting Mr Turnbull’s offer.
BEST SOLUTION TO M1 TRAFFIC WOES
Trade and Tourism Minister Steve Ciobo believes Labor’s response speaks volumes about the shocking financial bottom line of the State’s budget.
“Mark Bailey and State Labor need to stop with the excuses,” said Mr Ciobo, the MP for the Coast federal seat of Moncrieff.
“There’s $1 billion on the table right now. Take the money, make the project happen, listen to the Gold Coast. Enough is enough with the excuses.”
Mr Ciobo said the State Labor Government was pretending the issue was about funding arrangements.
“That’s rubbish. The problem here is the State Labor Government is broke.
“They don’t have any major infrastructure projects. That’s why they are baulking at putting $1 billion on the table. That’s $1 billion in funding to make sure the Gold Coast keeps moving forward.”
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