The $400 million Ipswich Motorway upgrade is now complete, following 1.5 million hours of work.
The project widened a 3km section of the Ipswich Motorway between Granard Road and Oxley Road from four to six lanes.
Seven new bridges were built over the Oxley Creek floodplain, while a network of new roads and bike paths has transformed local connections either side of the motorway.
Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, said the completion of the upgrade was a day to celebrate.
“I’ve lived in the south-west corridor for most of my life, so I’ve driven this road many times,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“Thousands of families and businesses rely on this road every single day, so starting this project was one of the first priorities of my government when we were elected in 2015.
“We’ve worked closely with the Morrison Government to get the job done, and I’ve been pleased to see many other congestion busting projects start across Queensland thanks to that good working relationship.
“These projects create important jobs and opportunities too.
“Almost 500 people were employed on this project over the past four years, and that’s why my government is delivering a record investment in roads and transport projects across the state.”
Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the joint $400 million investment by the Federal and Queensland governments would help to bust congestion and improve safety for local commuters.
“The opening of the upgraded Ipswich Motorway is great news for the more than 85,000 vehicles using this stretch of road every day,” Mr Fletcher said.
“This has been a significant project that has required an exceptional amount of planning and logistics carried out over the last four years, all while keeping the traffic flowing.
“Importantly, these upgrades will provide a range of benefits for the local community for years to come, including improved safety, travel times and traffic flow, and flood immunity.
“This is great news for drivers, with improvements already evident in safety, access and traffic flow. Where once drivers were frustrated as they travelled the 3km between Rocklea and Darra, they now have two extra lanes, upgraded intersections and seven new, higher bridges over the Oxley Creek floodplain.
“This means improved travel times, improved safety and improved flood immunity – all things I know this community have called for and will appreciate.”
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, praised contractors for delivering the upgrade around one of the state’s busiest motorways.
“More than 85,000 vehicles pass through there every day, and around it is a busy commercial precinct that sits on a well-known floodplain, so building conditions don’t come much more challenging than that,” Mr Bailey said.
“The team has done an excellent job of keeping traffic flowing while they transformed the road network around there, not just for cars and trucks, but also locals who want to walk or ride their bike.
“The new 1.5km Boundary Road Connection has formed the missing link across the Oxley Creek floodplain through to Blunder Road intersection too, so we’re able to take some of that local traffic off the motorway, which is a fantastic outcome.”
The $400 million Ipswich Motorway Upgrade: Rocklea to Darra Stage 1 project was jointly funded by the Federal and Queensland Governments on a 50:50 basis and delivered by local Queensland contractor Bielby Hull Albem Joint Venture.
The project included:
- A four to six lane upgrade between Granard Road and Oxley Road
- Seven new and higher bridges over the Oxley Creek floodplain to improve flood immunity and local connectivity
- A new 1.5km Boundary Road Connection missing link across the Oxley Creek floodplain through to Blunder Road intersection, including a new signalised intersection at Factory and Boundary Roads, Oxley
- A new northern service road connection over Oxley Creek floodplain
- New traffic signals at an upgraded intersection of Suscatand Street and the existing service road.
- New one-way left-turn only connection from Granard Road to Ipswich Road service road, Rocklea
- Over 6.5km of active transport paths
For more information on the project, click here.
