Coomera Connector: How $755m funding injection will fast-track construction of second M1
Residents living near the path of the proposed Coomera Connector in Helensvale have raised concerns about the impact of the road, warning one major problem could see house prices devalued.
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HELENSVALE residents living near the path of the proposed Coomera Connector have raised concerns about noise from the new road, saying it could “devalue” their properties.
Locals have also expressed fears about the impact on local koala populations and the potential for congestion where the new road meets the Gold Coast highway near Discovery Drive, with objections that it will merely move traffic “down the road”.
Division 2 councillor William Owen-Jones said there was significant concern that sound measures would be “done right” when the new road is built.
“It’s really important that the state government gets the sound attenuation right, and how it impacts on Helensvale, Monterey Keys, River Links and River Downs,” he said.
“It’s the sound barriers, it’s the type of road surface. Residents expect a commitment from both sides (of politics) to get it right.”
Theodore MP Mark Boothman said he would work to ensure proper measures were put in place to minimise sound.
“I want to make sure that there’s adequate sound barriers, that the road surface is bitumen, to lessen the noise and lessen the impact on residential properties,” Mr Boothman said.
“It must be done in a way that lessens the impact so we don’t cause any lifestyle issues for those people.”
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The Department of Transport and Main Roads have said that “key concerns” of people living close to the Coomera Connector corridor to emerged during consultation in late 2019 were “noise, urban design and impacts on wildlife and the environment.”
It is currently undergoing further consultation on the design of the road, which ends on October 11.
The Department also said it has engaged Professor Darryl Jones from Griffith University to undertake monitoring of koala movement pathways near Coombabah Creek at Helensvale.
“Recommendations from the study will feed into the reference design for Stage 1 of the Coomera Connector including the provision of structures to provide dry and safe walkways for koalas to cross under transport infrastructure in times of heavy rain when water can inundate the area.”
LABOR ANNOUNCE $755 MILLION FUNDING COMMITMENT
A Gold Coast Federal Minister says Canberra will continue to work in good faith with the State Government despite being blindsided by Labor announcing a joint $755 million M2 funding ‘deal’.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk made an election pledge for an $830 million roads and infrastructure package for the Gold Coast. It includes $755 million to fund the 16.6km first stage of the arterial road between Carrara and the Coomera Marine Precinct, dubbed the Coomera Connector, and part of the so-called $2 billion second M1.
Flanked by Ministers Cameron Dick and Mark Bailey, Ms Palaszczuk said it would be jointly funded with the Federal Government, with the cash to be announced in next month’s Federal budget.
Ms Palaszczuk said the fast-tracked project would give the Gold Coast a significant economic boost as it tries to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are talking about the projects we need to fast-track the economy on the Gold Coast but more importantly help motorists get home safely,” she said.
“This funding has been approved, it is part of our economic recovery strategy and will mean stage one of the M2 will be able to commence.
“It will mean more than 700 Gold Coast jobs and it is what the community has been telling me this is what they want.
“We are working very confidently with the Federal Government and we are expecting them to match this. Hopefully they will be able to do this in their budget coming down shortly.”
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But the Bulletin can reveal her funding announcement took the Morrison Government by surprise, despite months of talks.
The State Government sent a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack an hour before the press conference, at his request, formalising the state’s request for funding.
Gold Coast-based Federal Cabinet Minister Stuart Robert said no deal had yet been done but confirmed talks were well underway between Canberra and Brisbane.
HOW COOMERA CONNECTOR WILL TRANSFORM NORTHERN SUBURBS
“At present we have been working in good faith (with the Palaszczuk Government) about funding the project but the State Government has exercised poor faith by sending a letter to the Federal Government half an hour before their announcement,” he said.
“An agreement has not yet been signed but we will continue to work in good faith because we believe in the Gold Coast.”
The State Government says construction would begin in mid-2021 and run for more than three years.
The funding means the project, expected to create more than 700 jobs, can begin several years earlier than previously expected.
Also announced in the package was more than $78 million for other infrastructure projects including an upgrade of Ormeau’s troublesome Exit 45, the intersection of Currumbin Creek Road and Bienvenue Street and a facelift for the Coomera railway station park’n’ride.
The six-lane Coomera Connector will eventually stretch 45km from Nerang to Logan.
It is expected to take up to 60,000 vehicles off the M1 and was fully gazetted by the State Government last year.
More than $20 million is being spent on early works and surveying in preparation for the business case.
LNP Coomera MP Michael Crandon insisted the project had not yet received Federal funding. “I’m told Federal Government is still going through the business case,” he said.
Acting Mayor Donna Gates welcomed the announcement.
“This is wonderful news for the Gold Coast, in particular our growing suburbs in the north.
“We have been advocating for this project for quite some time and the infrastructure will be vital to easing congestion as the city continues to grow,” she said.
“Now we need to ensure the best amenity and connectivity outcomes for affected residents.”
But Opposition leader Deb Frecklington dismissed it, claiming the project would not be built for another four years.
“Labor’s Coomera Connector promise is a con with not a single dollar committed for a road until after 2024,” she said.
“All Labor has announced is a bridge without a road. The LNP has committed $550 million to start building the actual road in 2021.
“The Gold Coast has waited too long for the Second M1 under Labor. Labor’s delays have seen the costs of the project double and everyone knows the longer you wait the more it will cost.”
The road, formerly known as the intra-regional transport corridor (IRTC), has long been part of the State Government’s future plans to reduce congestion but was dumped by the former Newman government in 2013, against the wishes of the Gold Coast City Council.
The project was restored in 2015, with early scoping works and a $20 million business case having already been completed.
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