- Traffic survey work and ecological surveys for the Gympie Road Bypass project are now underway.
- This follows on from the Miles Government's State Budget allocation of $318 million for the project.
- Community members encouraged to subscribe to northbrisbaneinfrastructure.com.au for updates.
Work is continuing on the next phase of the Gympie Road Bypass to tackle congestion on Brisbane's Northside with traffic and ecological surveys now underway.
Key investigation work being undertaken from this month includes ecological and traffic surveys to inform the next stage of planning.
Ecological surveys aim to identify and understand the flora and fauna species present within the corridor and inform environmental considerations and approval requirements.
Traffic surveys will be conducted across more than 200 locations from this week to develop a detailed understanding of traffic movements throughout the corridor and inform future planning to ensure the most efficient integration with the broader network.
The surveys will build on the modelling and technical studies that have been undertaken along the corridor to date.
This year's State Budget included a $318 million commitment over three years to enable further work to undertake approvals and pre-construction investigations.
The decision comes after an investment proposal undertaken by North Brisbane Infrastructure (NBI), a subsidiary of state-owned investment arm Queensland Investment Corporation, determined there was strong merit for a tolled bypass tunnel between Kedron and Carseldine.
The two-lane each way tunnel will:
- skip 19 sets of traffic lights
- save drivers up to 32 minutes per day during return peak hour trips,
- improve safety and reduce rat running on north Brisbane roads.
- enable better direct connectivity to the Gympie Arterial Road, benefitting motorists between Kedron all the way to the Sunshine Coast.
Importantly, Gympie Road will still remain as a 'free alternative' for motorists with improved travel times to be experienced along the surface due to an estimated 40,000 vehicles per day using the tunnel.
Gateway Motorway users will also benefit from the improvements to network capacity.
The project also provides an opportunity for surface corridor upgrades with a further $17 million allocated to the Department of Transport and Main Roads for a business case to progress more detailed planning for active and public transport improvements along the corridor.
To enable delivery of the next stage NBI will continue to oversee the project working closely with Queensland Treasury and the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
As stated by Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Member for Aspley Bart Mellish:
"Gympie Road gridlock cannot continue at this rate, and I am proud to be part of a government that is taking action.
"Widespread traffic surveys have started throughout the corridor to ensure we plan for the most efficient integration with the broader network.
"This will inform planning for both the tunnel and surface transformation work.
"As part of our State Budget we are not only progressing planning for this critical bypass project but also committing to looking in detail at what opportunities the project will enable on the surface including public and active transport.
"As Minister I am very conscious of ensuring that we take a coordinated network view which ensures this project will deliver maximum benefits.
"As the Member for Aspley I am so glad to see that this Government is taking action to deliver for communities on the northside."
As stated by Minister for Corrective Services and Emergency Management and Member for Pine Rivers Nikki Boyd:
"Work is underway. Traffic surveys will help ensure this important upgrade will fit in with the wider road network and benefit the community in the best way it can – by getting you home sooner.
"We know this project is much needed for local communities – this government is getting on with the job of delivering it."
As stated by Member for Stafford Jimmy Sullivan:
"I'm very pleased to see work is continuing to survey traffic movements and environmental investigations along the Gympie Road corridor.
"The benefits this project would bring to commuters in Stafford are tremendous.
"Having tens of thousands of vehicles a day diverted through the tunnel means less congestion on our local streets and better travel times for our communities going about their daily activities."
KEY INFORMATION ON TRAFFIC & ECOLOGICAL SURVEY WORK
NBI has engaged ecological experts to conduct surveys, including flora, fauna, and aquatic assessments. These surveys will help establish baseline environmental conditions and identify any sensitive ecological areas within the project corridor.
The data collected will inform the project's environmental impact assessments and ensure compliance with relevant environmental regulations.
NBI will collaborate with traffic experts to collect data on daily traffic volume. This involves counting the number of vehicles passing through specific points along the proposed tunnel corridor.
