The Queensland Government has committed funding for early works on a long-awaited $320 million project.
Stage 1 of the Mooloolah River Interchange (MRI) upgrade, jointly funded by the state and Commonwealth on a 50:50 basis, includes a new road overpass linking Nicklin Way to Brisbane Road, a local connection between Karawatha Drive and Brisbane Road, a two-way service road, and new active transport links between Mountain Creek and Mooloolaba.
These works aim to separate local and motorway traffic, improve safety, and reduce weaving at one of the Sunshine Coast’s most congested pinch points.
“The Mooloolah River Interchange will transform the Sunshine Coast’s road network, bust local congestion, enhance safety and future proof a critical transport link for one of Queensland’s fastest growing regions,” Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said.
Design and community engagement have been ongoing since 2007, with significant revisions following public feedback. In April 2023, Transport and Main Roads (TMR) announced design changes to avoid impacts on Neerim Park.
Environmental protections and stakeholder engagement, including consultation with the Kabi Kabi First Nation People, are ongoing.
Stage 1 early works began in May 2023, including site preparation, property demolitions, service relocations and ground treatment. The most recent budget funding enables further early contracts, with a second package – covering major earthworks and embankment construction – reportedly due to go to tender by year’s end.
The project is a foundational element of “The Wave”, the proposed public transport spine for the Sunshine Coast, and is designed to integrate with planned projects such as the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line and Kawana Motorway. It is intended to deliver enhanced north-south connectivity from Beerwah to the Sunshine Coast Airport via Maroochydore CBD and Birtinya.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg said the upgrade “will include two extra lanes on the Sunshine Motorway north of Kawana Way, which is long overdue”.
“The Mooloolah River Interchange will ease congestion at the well-known traffic chokepoint on the Coast,” he said.
