The site of the Palaszczuk Government’s $80 million Sumners Road interchange upgrade will be a hive of activity this week as workers arrive to start construction today.
The crew of local construction and engineering staff will remove the existing bridge, and replace it with two new bridges, totalling six lanes.
Works will include a bike underpass along two of the city’s busiest roads, linking up with the Centenary Bikeway. The existing roundabouts will be replaced with new signalised intersections.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said it was great to see construction starting on the project which will create 105 jobs.
“More than 35,000 vehicles use this stretch of road daily and with a growing population, this upgrade is vital,” Mr Bailey said.
“This upgrade will not only tackle congestion, future-proof our roads but is also creating jobs which you will see with so many boots on the ground this week.
“I’m proud the Palaszczuk Government is delivering a record $23 billion roads and transport program for the state, creating 21,500 jobs over the next four years.
“This only adds to the more than 207,000 jobs created under our government. From the Ipswich Motorway Upgrade to the Logan Enhancement Project and now the Sumners Interchange upgrade, thousands of workers are turning up to jobs sites and building the roads Queenslanders need.”
Member for Mount Ommaney Jess Pugh said the start of works follows a $15 million boost to the project announced in the recent State Budget.
“I’m proud that we’ve been able to secure a greater investment for the Mount Ommaney community. It means we’re now able to build a new westbound, four-lane bridge alongside initial plans for a new two-lane bridge,” Ms Pugh said.
“It’s also a win for local bike riders with our funding boost enabling us to build a new bike underpass so bike riders no longer have to navigate a 750m dog leg.”
Mr Bailey said the Palaszczuk Government was delivering on its commitment to tackling congestion, and giving Queenslanders more options to get from A to B.
“Last year we announced plans for a second Centenary Bridge, and we’ve since honoured our $4 million election commitment to deliver a business case for a second Centenary Bridge at Jindalee, and added $16 million to fast-track the design in our 2017/18 Budget,” Mr Bailey said.
“The Sumners Road interchange upgrade was cut by the LNP so we’ve put it back on Queensland’s build list and have expanded the scope of the project so there are additional facilities for bike riders too.”
Bicycle Queensland advocacy spokesperson Andrew Demack said the bikeway underpass would be a great safety improvement.
“Riders from 8 to 80 will feel safer on the Centenary Cycleway, as the new underpass will cut out the signalised crossing at busy Dandenong Road, saving minutes per trip,” Mr Demack said.
“This upgrade doesn’t just increase the capacity of the road network, it also lets more people choose to get to their destination quicker and safer by bicycle.”
