Coomera Connector: Why Helensvale Road will need $200m upgrade

An alarming new report has outlined how a suburban Gold Coast road will be swamped in traffic during the next phase of the Coomera Connector. Read what it means

The Coomera Connector will unload its traffic on a two-lane suburban road which must undergo a $200 million upgrade to avoid a northern Gold Coast suburb being gridlocked.

Council officials say the City will have to spend almost its entire annual transport budget to fix Helensvale Road, which drops from four lanes to two once it passes east in front of Helensvale State High School.

Without the second M1 the road would have faced only “moderate” traffic, a council report says. But the Connector will see a 50 per cent increase in traffic and the road reach capacity on its eastern side by 2031.

City modelling says by 2041 the forecast will see a capacity of 30,000 vehicles per day in the east and 24,000 on the northern section — this is the time a major upgrade would considered.

To explain the financial challenge, council in its 2024-25 transport budget allocated $255 million to improving all roads and fixing gridlock across the entire region.

The latest report and its updated data, asked for by Councillor Naomi Fowler, will be presented to all councillors at a full council meeting on Tuesday

“The total order of cost of the Helensvale Road upgrade strategy is $200 million,” officers said.

Helensvale Road will require significant upgrades to handle traffic from the Coomera Connector. Area councillor Naomi Fowler says she will keep residents informed.

Councillors are poised to call on the Government to upgrade the road’s status to a State level so help can be found to fund the upgrade.

“The findings are clear – without the Coomera Connector, Helensvale Road wouldn’t have needed an upgrade for another 10-15 years. However, the induced traffic demand from the interchange will necessitate future upgrades sooner than planned, particularly for the eastern section of the road,” Ms Fowler said.

“City Officers would ideally like Helensvale Road to be designated as a State-controlled road, given that State infrastructure is driving the need for these comprehensive upgrades and that the road links two State Roads – Hope Island Road and the M1.

“The challenges we face are significant. On the northern side of the road is residential housing, and on the southern side are the environmentally significant RAMSAR-protected wetlands, making this a complex upgrade to manage, regardless of jurisdiction. The road borders the Coombabah Lakes Conservation Area, which holds high ecological value.”

The Coomera Connector and its impact on Helensvale Road.

Ms Fowler said she would continue to advocate for the road’s upgrade whether it remained local or State controlled.

“Residents can be assured that the future Helensvale Road upgrade and traffic capacity are being closely monitored as we head to the first stage of the Coomera Connector opening,” she said.

“With an estimated cost of $200 million – similar to the entire City road budget for one year– this is a substantial project that I believe would need to be completed in stages over the next decade.”

The City had advocated for Hope Island Road – a state road – for the Coomera Connector interchange but the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) determined it was not feasible due to engineering, hydraulic, and community constraints.

Mapping showing Helensvale Road and traffic.

The Coomera Connector Stage 1 construction is divided into three sections – North, Central, and South – with the northern section from Coomera to Helensvale to open to southbound traffic in late 2025 and be fully open in early 2026.

The Central and South sections will be completed by 2028.

“This means Helensvale Road will function as the southern portal of the Coomera Connector for about two years,” officers said.

The north section will cater for 24,000 vehicles per day by 2041 and 27,900 by 2046 – the fully open first stage of the Connector will increase volumes on the road’s east by 50 per cent.

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Originally published as Coomera Connector: Why Helensvale Road will need $200m upgrade