Parties in political spending duel to fix M1 congestion

Everyone agrees congestion in the state’s southeast needs to be fixed but no one can agree on the details, least of all political parties with an election looming.

COMMUTERS on Queensland’s busiest road spend up to three weeks a year in traffic jams, which gives them a lot of time to listen to politicians squabbling about how to fix the highway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

And anyone stuck in traffic on the M1 yesterday who turned on their radio would have had another reason to gnash their teeth as the latest round of funding squabbles broke out.

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Within hours of the Federal Government announcing $500 million to fund what’s been called the missing link on the highway, State Transport Minister Mark Bailey was crying foul.

“We get shafted again by Scott Morrison and the LNP,” he said.

“I don’t know and understand what they’ve got against Queensland and funding infrastructure in Queensland because we’re continually fighting for our fair share and there’s no indication that we’re going to get it.”

State Ministers Cameron Dick and Mark Bailey look over work on the M1. Picture: Adam Head

Mr Bailey’s rant might sound strange considering Mr Morrison had tipped a pile of money into fixing the so-called missing link of highway between Daisy Hill and the Logan Motorway.

But the promise came with the call for the State Government to pitch in $500 million of its own money, fuelling the festering battle over funding splits for the road.

Mr Bailey, who bristles at the 50/50 split that has historically been used for most projects on the M1, wants something closer to the 80/20 split used for projects in the southern states.

“They come to Queensland and offer us just over half that funding and we’re supposed to be grateful?” he said.

“Well, no, we’re going to stand up for Queensland no matter who is in Canberra.”

While the full details of the Federal Government’s funding will only become clear after tonight’s Budget, the project would widen the M1 to six lanes along that stretch.

Adding in this link will make the M1 at least three lanes from Brisbane all the way to the NSW border, helping reduce congestion for the 155,000 motorists who use the road on average every day.

And while the State Government yesterday refused to commit any funding beyond the $16 million it has pledged to for initial planning of an upgrade, Federal Labor infrastructure spokesman Anthony Albanese jumped on the spending bandwagon.

“Labor will match any further M1 funding that is in the Budget,” he said.

Traffic at a crawl on the M1. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Mr Albanese has already committed Labor to match the $1 billion former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull pledged to fix two sections between Eight Mile Plains and Daisy Hill and from Varsity Lakes to Tugun.

The State Government met that announcement last year with a similar hardball posture over the funding split but has since quietly agreed to a 50/50 split.

Both sections are due to start construction mid next year after the Gateway merge and Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes upgrades are completed.

RACQ head of public policy Rebecca Michael said all four of the projects, which are supported and have funding promises from both sides of politics at federal and state levels, would significantly improve congestion once completed.

And she said while the latest battle over funding was predictable, she expected it would again quietly get sorted out.

“I understand it’s a significant financial burden but at the end of the day they have to come together and get it done,” she said

LNP leader Deb Frecklington also has a plan for the M1 – build another one.

Meanwhile, the State Opposition continues to push its own congestion-busting plan by promising to build an entire new road.

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington has promised to build a second M1, often called the Coomera Connector, which has been estimated to cost more than $1 billion.

Ms Frecklington has said she would agree to a 50/50 split with the Federal Government although they have not pledged any money for it.

“Commuters on the road just want to see it built,” she said.

“They are sick of Annastacia Palaszczuk playing politics with road funding, they want to see it fixed and they want to see a second M1 built,” she said.

The State Government has promised $5 million to undertake transport planning studies for a corridor from Loganholme to Nerang.

Originally published as Parties in political spending duel to fix M1 congestion