Premier Statement: Fly-over to ease load on airport roundabout

[ozbob]

Premier
The Honourable Anna Bligh
19/05/2008

Fly-over to ease load on airport roundabout

Motorists will save more than 10 minutes in peak traffic at Brisbane's airport roundabout under a $325 million solution to the traffic bottleneck just announced by the Queensland Government.

A new east-west fly-over above a signalised interchange will dramatically improve traffic flows to and from the airport, Premier Anna Bligh said.

The Airport Drive Connection, to be built by BrisConnections, will start later this year and is expected to be completed by 2012.

"This roundabout is a vital connection for Brisbane and I am very pleased to offer this solution as the last piece in the jigsaw to help fix the long delays that have been frustrating motorists trying to reach or leave the airport," Ms Bligh said.

"Motorists travelling east along the East-West Arterial towards the airport can zip along the new fly-over in just three minutes as can traffic in the opposite direction.

"The roundabout underneath the fly-over will be replaced by a hi ghly efficient and signalised intersection which motorists will be able to cross in half the time it took to get through the roundabout."

The main features of the upgrade include:

    * new four-lane fly-over linking the East-West Arterial Road with Airport Drive
    * existing roundabout replaced by signalised intersection
    * widening of the East-West Arterial Road from two to three lanes each way, and
    * lane widening and surface road improvements to Airport Drive.

One of Brisbane's biggest bottlenecks, the roundabout is used by more than 50,000 vehicles a day.

"This is an option that benefits Brisbane motorists and Queensland taxpayers in that it tackles this major problem without costing Queensland taxpayers an arm and a leg," Ms Bligh said.

Other solutions to the roundabout are the State Government's $1.8 billion Gateway Motorway upgrade project and the new Northern Access Road.

The Northern Access Road will connect with the deviation of the Gateway Motorway to rejoin the existing motorway at Nudgee Road meaning that traffic can bypass the notorious roundabout bottleneck.

Both the Gateway deviation and Northern Access Road are currently under construction are expected to take roughly 40% of existing traffic numbers off the congested roundabout when they are completed in mid 2009.

A further improvement to airport access will take place next year when traffic lights are installed on the conges ted Lomandra Drive roundabout on Airport Drive.

"These projects will have a major congestion busting impact in the short term and the final piece in the jigsaw is the new fly-over solution which is expected to be completed by 2012," said the Premier.

[ozbob]

More waste.  Simply buy back the railway line to the airport and run high frequency affordable services.  Lot cheaper and sustainable for the long term.

[mufreight]

How true Bob but not nearly as impressive for motorists as a spagetti junction of flyovers, underpasses, roundabouts and signalised intersection.
To buy the Airport rail link would not cost enough and how else could captain Bligh, the Infrastructure Minister Lucas and the Minister for transport, Mr I Don't Know Mickle justify the employment of so many mates at the taxpayers expense.
It is surprising that they have not proposed a toll on the flyover and an exit fee for the roundabout to give their preferred contractors some more from the public purse.