Roads - articles and discussion

[verbatim9]

LoL! Remember that Council promised not to slug motorists with extra tolls to pay for the widening of ICB. Completely back tracked.

[ozbob]

Gold Coast Bulletin --> Gold Coast stretch of M1 to be upgraded under a funding deal between governments

A DEAL has been done to upgrade the M1 on the Gold Coast between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes.

The stretch of the motorway between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes will be upgraded while plans will be put in place to fix the Reedy Creek to Tugun section.

The deal was done between the Federal and State governments.

The Gold Coast's state MPs — Ros Bates, Michael Hart and Jann Stuckey — have applauded the move.

The M1 upgrade has been at the centre of a long-running campaign, with the RACQ's January travel time report showing half of the top 10 slowest motorway sections each peak hour are on the M1/Pacific Motorway. ...

[ozbob]

24th March 2017

Media Release
JOINT STATEMENT
Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk

Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply
The Honourable Mark Bailey

Half a billion dollar roads package announced for Queensland

The Australian and Queensland governments have today announced a roads package worth more than half a billion dollars for Queensland.

The Package includes:

    Six-laning of the Pacific Motorway (M1) – Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes
    A major upgrade of the M1/Gateway Motorway merge (southbound lanes) at Eight Mile Plains
    Construction of the Walkerston bypass near Mackay
    Widening of the Mt Lindesay Highway between Browns Plains and Beaudesert
    Funding for the planning of the M1 - Varsity Lakes to Tugun

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Queensland Government was pleased to have reached this outcome following constructive discussions with the Australian Government.

"Today we've announced more than half a billion dollars in funding for major road infrastructure projects in South East Queensland and Central Queensland which is great for Queensland jobs," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"We have reached an agreement and can now get on with the job of upgrading the M1. We've also committed to construction of the Walkerston Bypass, this will deliver benefits for the region and more jobs for Central Queensland.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said he was delighted that agreement had been reached on these five important projects.

"Although final project costs for the M1 will not be known until the end of April, we have reached an agreement that the Australian Government will keep our money on the table with the State picking up the balance," Mr Chester said

"The tender processes are expected to bring the cost down, so the final splits will not be known until then. The important thing is we have broken the impasse and will work together to deliver these important projects."

Queensland Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety Mark Bailey said early works on the M1 Gateway Merge project are expected to commence in November 2017 with major construction to begin following the Commonwealth Games

"The M1 - Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes project is anticipated to commence early works mid-2017 with major construction also to follow the Commonwealth Games," Mr Bailey said.

"Construction for the $150 million Walkerston Bypass will begin following completion of the Mackay Ring Road Stage 1 project, extending the pipeline of local jobs in the Mackay region.

"The Queensland Government is also investing $5 million to progress the planning and business case development for the six-laning of the Pacific Motorway between Varsity Lakes and Tugun – the next highest priority upgrade on the southern end of motorway."

Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher said today's announcement was a significant result for motorists in South East Queensland.

"Queenslanders want to see the roads they need get built as quickly as possible and are not interested in arcane disagreements between state and federal governments," Mr Fletcher said.

"I am pleased that our two governments have been able to work constructively to agree our respective funding commitments – so we can get on with delivering these vitally needed upgrades.

ENDS

[achiruel]

South East Busway Extension? Please don't tell me that yet another M1 expansion/upgrade is going to occur without this? 

[Cazza]

South East Busway Extension? Please don't tell me that yet another M1 expansion/upgrade is going to occur without this? 

Pffff, as if, this is Queensland where the motto is "Roads, roads and roads. Wait, what's this... of course, MORE roads". Honestly, politicians are so focused on building new roads to tackle road congestion (which can be tackled by a better, more efficient transport network with little to no extra cost). I heard a quote (forgot where from) that said "Commuters should stop complaining about being stuck in congestion. This is because they are the congestion".

[James]

Not to be negative, but the busway has actually already been extended through the critical point - under the Gateway Mwy and through to School Rd. Beside shifting the on-ramp (that the 555 etc. use) from pre-merge to post-merge, there's really not much which needs to be done.

I would be very surprised if there is any work related to this project south of Underwood Rd. If there is, I would change my tune.

[achiruel]

Not to be negative, but the busway has actually already been extended through the critical point - under the Gateway Mwy and through to School Rd. Beside shifting the on-ramp (that the 555 etc. use) from pre-merge to post-merge, there's really not much which needs to be done.

I would be very surprised if there is any work related to this project south of Underwood Rd. If there is, I would change my tune.

Except that any routes that use Springwood still need to battle the motorway traffic in order to get there. This includes the 555 and a whole host of peak hour rockets (551, 561, 566, 571, 573, 575, P569, P581)

Even if the project only goes as far as Underwood Rd, the busway should be extended to Rochedale, the Rochedale Busway Station constructed, and a facility for Springwood routes to enter the M1 after Rochedale should be provided (and a northbound facility would be good also, but this is probably slightly less important and a lot more difficult).

[Mr X]

There is a lot of development going into the Rochedale/Underwood area (I would know, I now live there!). Eight Mile Plains in the morning is really busy and the carpark is always full early. A new busway station between 8MP and Springwood would be a godsend and would be well used. It's incredibly short sighted that they are not going to build it.

[ozbob]

20th April 2017

   
Media Release
JOINT STATEMENT
Premier and Minister for the Arts
The Honourable Annastacia Palaszczuk
Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply
The Honourable Mark Bailey

First stage of Ipswich Motorway upgrades set to start

Relief is in sight for the 85,000 motorists using the Ipswich Motorway daily, with the contract awarded for the $400 million Ipswich Motorway Upgrade from Rocklea to Darra Stage 1.

Premier of Queensland Annastacia Palaszczuk, Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports Mark Bailey and Attorney-General Senator the Hon George Brandis QC today announced the $400 million project contract had been awarded to Brisbane based Bielby Hull Albem Joint Venture.

"I'm pleased to announce Stage 1 of the Ipswich Motorway upgrade between Rocklea and Darra is one step closer to construction," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"The Ipswich Motorway is currently a major source of frustration for more than 85,000 motorists who use this section of the motorway daily, including up to 12,000 trucks.

"This project will not only improve safety and travel times for motorists, it will support 470 direct jobs which is great news for local workers and business."

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher said the project was delivering on a commitment to upgrade the Ipswich Motorway.

"More than 12,000 trucks use this section of the Ipswich Motorway daily and are experiencing delays that are currently putting pressure on our freight network, and increasing the risks associated with road accidents," Mr Fletcher said.

"This major infrastructure project will upgrade the Ipswich Motorway from four to six lanes along a three kilometre stretch between Rocklea and Oxley and delivers on a commitment made by the federal Government.

"The commercial vehicles and local commuters who travel this road on a daily basis will experience improved travel times and motorway capacity into the industrial heart of Brisbane."

Mr Bailey said the Queensland Government had committed a significant investment of $200 million to deliver this much needed upgrade for South East Queensland.

"The contractors will now start detailed design of the upgrade, and will be onsite to begin works later this year," Mr Bailey said.

"Focusing on improving the motorway's flood immunity, work will include constructing higher bridges over the Oxley Creek area, which will see a more reliable, safer motorway through Oxley and Rocklea, improving productivity and benefiting all South East Queenslanders."

"Importantly, this upgrade will see motorists spending more time at home with their loved ones, not stuck in congestion during their daily commutes."

Senator George Brandis said the project would reduce bottlenecks improving national and local freight movements.

"The eastern end of the Ipswich Motorway will be upgraded between Rocklea and Darra in a staged approach, addressing congestion and delivering value for money," Senator Brandis said.

Member for Sunnybank Peter Russo welcomed the milestone and said the project was great news for the community.

"Local connectivity for businesses and residents of Rocklea and Oxley will be enhanced with two new service road connections on either side of the motorway at Oxley Creek," Mr Russo said.

The Ipswich Motorway Upgrade is a jointly funded project with the Australian Government and the Queensland Government each committing $200 million.

Construction is expected to be completed in 2020, weather permitting.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Brisbane traffic: City's slowest commutes revealed

THE state's largest motoring club is calling on the government to invest and fix Brisbane highways after it was found that motorists have been forced to travel as much as 78kmh below the speed limit on some of the city's major roads.

The March Travel Time Performance on Major State Corridors report, released by the RACQ today, found parts of the Centenary Motorway continued to be the slowest peak hour drive inbound between 6am-9am, with speeds getting down to 22km/hr over 1km sections in 100kmh zones, compared to about 92kmh between 9am-4pm.

Some of the sections included from Warrender St to Sumners Rd and just south of Toowong to Miskin St.

The section of the Pacific Motorway between Herschel St to south of the Captain Cook Bridge was found to be the slowest drive outbound, between 4pm-7pm, with speeds getting down to 26km/hr, as opposed to 61kmh between 9am-4pm.

The Centenary Motorway between Moggill Rd to Fig Tree Pocket Rd came in second, with speeds down to 26kmh, compared to 74kmh between 9am-4pm.

RACQ spokeswoman Renee Smith said some drivers were being forced to drive, on average, in some sections 22kmh in the morning and just 26kmh in the afternoon.

"The inbound run in the am peak is particularly frustrating for motorists with three separate sections of the Centenary Motorway, between Sumners Road and Dandenong Road, Warrender St and Sumners Road, Dandenong Road and Seventeen Mile Rocks Road, up to 72 kmh below the uncongested 'free-flow' speed," she said.

"It's not just the Centenary Motorway, we're seeing a bleak travel picture across the board.

"Sections of the Pacific Motorway were slowed by as much as 46kmh and 51kmh on stretches of the Ipswich Motorway compared to uncongested conditions."

Ms Smith said the state government needed to urgently upgrade and invest in the Queensland road network.

"For a city that continues to grow and prosper, a commute where you travel at only a quarter of the allowed speed is unacceptable," she said.

"It's critical we don't sit on our hands while the number of vehicles on state roads steadily increases, it's crucial we continue to invest in our road infrastructure now.

"Motorists need a road system that works, and being more than 70kmh under the speed you should be driving at simply isn't good enough," she said.

Inbound peak hour traffic, especially between Warrender St to Sumners Rd on the Centenary Motorway, had slowed down even more than a year ago, going from 32kmh to 22kmh, or a 31 per cent slow down, according to the report.

There was no change from March to March for the Pacific Motorway outbound, while the Moggill Rd to Fig Tree Pocket section of the Centenary Motorway went from 29kmh to 26kmh, or a 10 per cent decrease in speed.

The Bruce Highway between Anzac Avenue to Murrumba Downs was the only section to show an improvement of 44 per cent during morning peak hour, with travel speed increasing from 25kmh in March 2016 to 35kmh this year.

The Pacific Motorway, north of Kessels Rd to the Gateway Motorway, showed an increase from 37kmh to 43km/hr or a 16 per cent improvement between March this year and last year.

The average speed data was compiled by the Department of Transport and Main Roads on state controlled corridors using Bluetooth devices.

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Brisbane's peak-hour traffic slowed to a crawl during rail fail crisis

BRISBANE'S roads were clogged with almost 47,000 extra vehicles at the peak of the rail fail drama last year, new data reveals.

Brisbane City Council's latest Key Corridor Performance Report found afternoon peak-hour speeds dropped across all of the city's 18 arterial roads during the second half of last year. In the mornings, speeds were down on 16 roads in that network.

Key excerpts from the report obtained by The Courier-Mail show travel times were affected as more than 100,000 extra vehicles used the road network last year compared with the same period in 2015, with the largest increase of 46,780 vehicles occurring in October when Queensland Rail services were slashed to accommodate the Moreton Bay Rail Link coming on line.

The worst-affected commute was on the westbound lanes of the Inner City Bypass as morning speeds dropped by almost 18 per cent to an average of 44km/h. The slowest morning commute was the 23km/h average speed experienced on Kelvin Grove Rd, which was down 6 per cent compared with 2015.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said the council's $1.3 billion investment over four years towards 90 different upgrades would help alleviate the congestion.

The Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade caused speeds to drop by almost 6 per cent in the afternoon to average 35km/h. Morning commutes slowed about 2 per cent to 27km/h.

Cr Quirk said congestion along Kingsford Smith Drive was "unsurprising because we are building a new gateway to Brisbane with more lanes and major intersection upgrades, as well as dedicated bikeways and pedestrian walkways".

The upgrade meant speed limits were dropped as low as 40km/h along the western end of the corridor late last year to accommodate construction.

[ozbob]

Car dependency has costs for us all
A local street, early morning #qldpol #springst #nswpol pic.twitter.com/BzOttSMvS4

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) April 28, 2017

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Push for more tunnels and bridges to ease Brisbane traffic congestion

LONG-STALLED plans to transform the River City and ease traffic bottlenecks by building much-needed bridges and tunnels in Brisbane are back on the agenda.

Queensland's peak motoring body is seeking to resurrect bridge proposals that include a "triple jump" which would link the CBD, Kangaroo Point, New Farm and Hawthorne with a series of crossings. The plan was first envisaged in 1926 as a green link across the city for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

The RACQ is seeking public feedback ahead of a push for infrastructure to ease traffic. Its list of proposals includes two tunnel options.

RACQ advocacy chief Paul Turner said it was "crazy" to think a river city had only 10 bridges given "our transport corridors are dictated by our current river crossing locations".

"We need to act now to reduce future congestion impacts and, as our population continues to grow and new developments with higher densities appear, we need new corridors to help people get to where they need to go," Mr Turner said.

A 2015 Infrastructure Australia audit showed congestion costs the southeast Queensland economy about $2 billion a year and it is projected to hit $9 billion by 2031.

Among the survey suggestions is former premier Campbell Newman's vision to complete the last of the TransApex tunnels. The East-West Link would run from the end of Legacy Way at Toowong to the start of the Clem7 at Dutton Park.

Comparable to the $3.2 billion price tag it took to build the Clem7, the proposal is considered a "very high" cost option, with the survey noting "all existing TransApex projects are tolled" but are underused. "Users of the East-West Link could also be charged a toll, although this would reduce the number of vehicles using it and the resulting congestion benefits," the survey said.

An alternative to building that would be a southwest tunnel running from Indooroopilly to Rocklea, which was described as another "very high cost solution". It would probably also be tolled.

Meanwhile, a series of three green bridges forms part of another proposal that pays homage to architect Ronald Wilson, who prepared a 1926 report for the State Government suggesting alternatives to the Story Bridge.

Affectionately called the Wilson Triple Jump, the bridges for buses, cyclists and pedestrians would run down river from the CBD to Hawthorne, partly in a bid to ease congestion on Wynnum Rd.

They would span the river from the north end of the Botanical Gardens to Kangaroo Point and from New Farm to land at Dockside. There would be a third bridge crossing southwest to northeast from the east end of Merthyr Rd New Farm to Hawthorne.

Taking a more contemporary approach, the survey includes UQ's move to build a bridge linking St Lucia to West End, which has been met with some fierce community opposition. Brisbane City Council is also pushing to convert the Victoria Bridge, running from South Bank to the CBD, to a green bridge so its Metro proposal can be accommodated.

[SurfRail]

9, 11 and 12 would be the only crossings I could support as being new road crossings.  11 and 12 are obvious, and 9 is needed because there really isn't enough road capacity out of Indooroopilly.  The rest can be a combination of pedestrian and green bridges, and the tunnels are profoundly unnecessary.

[James]

Crossing #7 (East-West Link) should have been built yesterday. Compared to the other three tunnels & one bridge, there is no similar river crossing for East-West link. A lot of those cars sitting in traffic on Coro Drive go on to head south. If you could take them off Coro and out of the Riverside expressway, it would do a lot to help ease congestion heading into the city from the west.

Crossing #9 is necessary. I'd prefer to see it where the existing pedestrian bridge is. I've never quite gotten why they built the Jack Pesch bridge - IMO it has to be one of the biggest waste of money in recent times. No reason why the few cyclists/pedestrians who use it couldn't use the Walter Taylor bridge. Crossing #12 is logical, even if it is more causeway like. At least a bridge doesn't stop running at night.

Anything else I think is fantasy. Particularly #8 - how did someone arrive at drawing that line? #3abc? #1 and #2? Just because there's a river in the way, doesn't mean there's a need for a crossing. You've got to consider how connected the two areas are and the subsequent impact of traffic flows around the portal area. That's why you'll never see a car bridge anywhere near UQ. You'd simply get too many people looking to go from the southside to UQ or from Indro (and west) to UQ all funnelling into single-lane roads.

[SurfRail]

^ My only issue with #7 (ie Transapex 5) is that it is unlikely to stack up economically given what will be needed to build it.  It was always the most marginal of the Transapex tunnel routes and the others haven't exactly hit their marks.

[OzGamer]

I strongly disagree with any of them being built for private vehicles.

9 is a recipe for Oxley Road and Coonan St being even more traffic sewers than they are now.

11 would be a disaster for the Centenary suburbs and Bellbowrie and just create more problems on the Centenary Highway.

7 (East West Link) could make sense so long as the Riverside Expressway was torn down at the same time.

[verbatim9]

Completed the RACQ survey Bridging Brisbane today. With all the new river crossings proposed it also gives rise to retire and dismantle the Riverside Expressway in a timely manner, which I mentioned in some free format sections to reinforce my answers chosen.

Also advocated to close Victoria Bridge to general traffic allowing only PT Bikes and pedestrians.

Supported a Green PT only Bridge at Bellbowrie Riverhills PT, Cyclists and Pedestrians. Flexible with the location of that Bridge.

The tunnel proposal was interesting from the Pacific Motorway at the PA then heading over to the Legacy tunnel and Centenary Motorway. This should be funded as a public private partnership?

I also liked the Bridge to Kingsford Smith Drive from Lytton road Balmoral for general traffic.

The triple jump Bridge to New Farm then city I stated that it should be PT only and not for General traffic

The survey is still open here

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> RACQ proposes 12 new bridges and tunnels to tackle congestion in Brisbane

Peak motoring body RACQ has proposed 12 new Brisbane River crossings as a means to stop Brisbane grinding to a halt.

The proposals included direct river crossings, three-stage projects and duplication of existing bridge crossings, which could create new links between suburbs such as Moggill, West End,Toowong, the CBD, Kangaroo Point, New Farm and Hawthorne.

RACQ spokesman Paul Turner said it was time Brisbane started planning for the future.

"The basic fact is Brisbane has a river, a major river, running right through the middle of it and if we don't get the planning right around future bridges and tunnels then we will grind to a halt," Mr Turner said.

"There is not a lot on the planning table, we believe, for river crossings right across Brisbane at the moment either from the council or the state government so we think it's time to get back out there, get people talking, get the discussion going.

"What we want to do is go out to the people of Brisbane and ask them what they think is the most important for our future, whether it's a bridge or a tunnel we want to make sure the people of Brisbane get their say, both for and against these 12 different proposals that we are putting forward."

RACQ launched its Bridging Brisbane survey in May to get feedback from the public on the proposed river crossings.

Brisbane City Council discussed RACQ's bridge proposals at an infrastructure committee meeting on Tuesday, where it backed some suggestions and dismissed others completely.

Moggill Road Bridge

This new river crossing would connect Moggill Ferry Road at Riverview with Moggill Road (where the ferry currently operates).

The RACQ report said this bridge would link the western part of Brisbane, north of the Brisbane River, with Riverview train station and the urban areas of Ipswich.

The proposed bridge would be a single road lane in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other. The RACQ said it would be a low cost bridge project.

The council said they supported this bridge in principal as long as the impacts to the council's road network were mitigated and in line with community expectations.

Bellbowrie to River Hills

This would be a bridge with a single road lane in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other and would connect Birkin Road, Bellbowrie, with Sumners Road at Riverhills.

The RACQ report said this connection would improve access to shopping centres on both sides and add a public transport link between Bellbowrie and Wacol or Darra train stations.

"The bridge would reduce congestion on Moggill Road during peak hours and shorten many trips that require a river crossing, taking pressure off Centenary Motorway," the report said.

"This proposal has been raised many times in a range of documents and media stories. It was included as the Bellbowrie to River Hills River Link in the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation of 2009."

This bridge has been categorised as a medium cost bridge as it would require upgrades to the approach roads.

The council supported aspects of this proposal, but did not support the single lane of road, agreeing the bridge should be a pedestrian and cycle bridge only.

Centenary Motorway Upgrade

It has been proposed the Centenary Motorway Bridge should be upgraded to eight lanes, with associated upgrades along and across the Centenary Motorway from Legacy Way outbound to the Ipswich Motorway Interchange.

This upgrade was strongly supported by the council.

"This would improve safety along the corridor and reduce congestion, particularly as demand grows from the Springfield development," the RACQ report said.

"Investment in this upgrade would reduce the need to fund other proposals such as the Walter Taylor bridge duplication and South West tunnel.

"This upgrade proposal was included in the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation of 2009 and Connecting SEQ 2031 in 2010.

"This is a high cost project due to the bridge and associated widening works required to the north and south."

Walter Taylor Bridge

This proposal is a duplication of the existing Walter Taylor Bridge that connects Indooroopilly to Chelmer.

It was suggested this river crossing be immediately downstream of the Jack Pesh pedestrian and bicycle bridge and provide a single lane in each direction, or to provide the southbound movement on the new proposed bridge, with Walter Taylor Bridge catering for northbound traffic.

This bridge would only cater for car and bus traffic.

This bridge would require road upgrades and would be a medium cost project.

The council supported the future duplication.

South West Tunnel

This multi-billion dollar river crossing would be two parallel two-lane tunnels linking Moggill Road and the Western Motorway interchange with the Ipswich Motorway and Granard Road interchange.

RACQ proposed the users of the tunnel would be charged a toll.

"This proposal is an alternative to the Centenary Motorway upgrade, Walter Taylor bridge duplication and the East West Link, so it has the potential to eliminate the need for other major expenditure," the RACQ report said

The council said they would not support this very high cost road proposal.

East West Tunnel

This proposal is for two parallel two-lane tunnels linking the Western Motorway and Toowong Village to the Pacific Motorway and O'Keefe Street at Buranda.

The council did not dismiss this project but classified it as a long-term possibility.

The RACQ report said users of the East West link could be charged a toll.

"It is an alternative to the South West tunnel and the West End to Toowong or St Lucia bridge proposals, so it has the potential to eliminate the need for other major expenditure," the report said.

West End to St Lucia

A bridge connecting Montague Road at West End with Guyatt Park and Macquarie Street has been partially supported by the council.

The council supported a pedestrian and cyclist bridge connecting the two suburbs but not in the proposed areas as the council did not support loss of parkland.

This bridge is a low cost proposal.

West End to Toowong

A bridge supporting all modes of transport has been proposed to connect Victoria Street at West End with Land Street at Toowong.

"The Land Street link allows the bridge to go over Coronation Drive so it does not disrupt this major corridor, while providing connections for traffic in all directions," the RACQ report said.

The council supported the idea of this river crossing but suggested it be a pedestrian and cyclist bridge only and be located further upstream.

Victoria Bridge

This proposal is a modification of the existing Victoria Bridge to increase its capacity for buses.

The council is supportive of this proposal as it aligns with their future plans to convert Victoria Bridge to a green bridge for the Brisbane Metro and bus services.

"The current Brisbane Metro proposal removes the two existing general use lanes so that the bridge becomes a green bridge only, catering for pedestrians cyclists and buses," the RACQ report said.

"The new arrangement proposes four bus lanes and wider shared path for pedestrians and cyclists on the downstream side."

This would be a medium cost project.

Wilson triple jump

This proposal involved three bridges that would link the Brisbane CBD with Kangaroo Point, New Farm and Hawthorne.

It is inspired by architectural engineer and co-author of the original Cross River Report, R Martin Wilson.

Stage one would be a bridge from the CBD Botanic Gardens to Kangaroo Point, stage two a connecting bridge from Dockside ferry terminal to Merthyr Road at New Farm Riverwalk and the final stage a bridge from Merthyr Road to the Hawthorne ferry terminal.

The RACQ proposed that pedestrians, cyclists and buses to have access to the triple jump bridge.

The council did not support the final stage of this high cost proposal, but did support stage one and two as pedestrian and cyclist bridges only.

Bulimba to Teneriffe

A bridge connecting Skyring Terrace or the Commercial Road ferry terminal at Teneriffe with the Oxford Street ferry terminal at Bulimba has already been widely discussed.

This connection was proposed in the Lord Mayor's Taskforce Brisbane Mass Transit Investigation: Options for consideration in 2007 and again in 2010 via Connecting SEQ 2031.

The RACQ report said the proposed bridge would be single road lane in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other, catering for pedestrians, bike riders and buses only.

The council does not support buses using the bridge but was supportive of a pedestrian and cycle bridge in principle.

Bulimba to Hamilton

This bridge proposal was designed to connect with the upgraded Kingsford Smith Drive by connecting the Brett's Wharf ferry terminal with the Apollo Road ferry terminal at Bulimba.

The proposed crossing would be a single lane road in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other, catering for all modes of transport.

The council did not support this proposal as they believed it would have traffic impacts for Bulimba and Kingsford Smith Drive.

The bridge survey is open until June 30.

[achiruel]

I would very much like the Bellbowrie to Riverhills bridge to have a bus option also. Feeder bus from Bellbowrie/Moggill to Darra or Oxley station might be good.

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> 'Widen the Western Freeway' says state's biggest engineering companies

The people of Brisbane should demand the Queensland government widen the Western Freeway in next month's state budget to make the $1.5 billion Legacy Way tunnel at Toowong work more efficiently, Queensland's biggest engineering firms say.

Queensland Major Contractors Association president Iain Ward said widening the Western Freeway could be easily brought forward and would deliver immediate benefits for Brisbane's western suburbs.

"Look at Legacy Way; you can get onto it easily from the Inner City Bypass and yet it puts you out into the Western Freeway, which in the afternoon is a very congested piece of roadway," Mr Ward said.

"Legacy Way is a very efficient piece of infrastructure, but you get dropped off in at the Western Freeway and you come to a grinding halt," he said.

"So if you live in Brisbane's western suburbs you should all be getting on board a call to upgrade to the Western Freeway."

Less than 12 months ago the Western Freeway was recognised by the RACQ as one of the slowest and most congested sections of Brisbanes' road network with speeds dropping to 30km/h in both morning and afternoon peaks.

The state's largest engineering companies – including Acciona, BMD Contracting, CPB Contractors (formerly Leightons), John Holland, Laing O'Rourke, Lend Lease, McConnell Dowell and Seymour Whyte – are all members of the Queensland Major Contractors Association, which represents companies bidding for projects of more than $100 million.

They employ more than 200,000 people from project managers to engineers, surveyors to tradespeople.

In their 2016-17 major projects report they highlighted nervousness about a possible recovery if the Queensland government does not increase its infrastructure funding from 2017-18 after reporting a major collapse in infrastructure projects since 2014-15.

Mr Ward said senior employees are still leaving for big projects in New South Wales and Victoria.

"I feel the opportunities that are happening in New South Wales and Victoria are a big attractor for people to further their careers," Mr Ward said.

"And there is also a lot of people in the south-east corner who have established their families up here – and they want to stay – but they don't feel very optimistic about possible changes to deliver infrastructure here," he said.

"And that's from people working in the industry."

Mr Ward said other projects that should be strongly considered by the Queensland government in this year's budget were:

Cross River Rail commencement

He called for an addition to the $850 million promised to begin Cross River Rail.

"Yes it's an expensive project, but I do think the positives will far outweigh the negatives."

"And the sheer cost is the thing we are all struggling with.

"But I'm sure there are ways we can get the ball rolling and produce an amazing outcome."

Beerburrum to Nambour Rail track duplication project ($780 million)

"I'm sure if you were commuting between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast I am sure you would be very happy to get that one over the line," Mr Ward said.

The Queensland government's infrastructure prioritisation body Building Queensland recently upgraded all its studies on the project and "referred" it to the state government for funding.

Other projects on Building Queensland's priority infrastructure list likely to closely influence the shaping of the Queensland budget are:

-          Cunningham Highway – Yamanto Interchange to Ebenezer Creek transport;

-          Lake Macdonald Dam Safety Upgrade;

-          Brisbane's New Performing Arts Venue;

-          Port of Townsville Channel Capacity Upgrade;

-          Public Safety Regional Radio;

-          A new Southern Queensland Correctional Precinct at Gatton; and

-          The Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor

Deputy Premier and Infrastructure Minister Jackie Trad said the government would implement a $40 billion capital works program over the next four years.

"We delivered the first State Infrastructure Plan after more than three years without one  – and backed it with a $2 billion State Infrastructure Fund," Ms Trad said.

"We already have a funding deal for the M1, a pipeline of Bruce Highway upgrades and have put $850 million on the table for Cross River Rail," she said. 

"We are delivering new projects like Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 2, the Ipswich Motorway Upgrade, the North Coast Line upgrade and the Townsville Stadium.

"We have a real plan for infrastructure and construction is under way right across the state but we need to make sure all levels of government work together and unfortunately the federal budget was a severe disappointment."

In last year's 2016-17 state budget, $2 billion from the excess contributions to the QSuper scheme was set for infrastructure projects and a further $2 billion was used to pay down debt.

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

1st June 2017

Comment: 'Widen the Western Freeway' says state's biggest engineering companies

Good Morning,

Not so good for Maroon fans hey?  Never mind, I tipped the Blues 21 Maroons 4 at my local Gym tipping competition, might be in for a chance of a win here!  Rail advocates get it right! 

Recently Brisbanetimes published an article where the Queensland Major Contractors Association, an industry association representing
the interests of large engineering firms is calling for a widening of the Western Freeway (1).

Here at RAIL Back on Track, we would support widening of the Western Freeway if proper bus infrastructure was included.
Our vision for the Western Freeway is similar to what has already been done for the South East Freeway. We really need a dedicated
busway or bus only transit lane that carries Brisbane City Council's Brisbane Metro out to the Western Suburbs. And perhaps in the long term a railway branch line connecting the Western suburbs (Kenmore, Mount Ommaney) to Darra.

Like road widening and expansion, packaging public transport options with the improvement works also supports better speed, greater
transport capacity and better safety. Indeed, they could be done as part of the same project, in the same way that parts of Brisbane's
Northern Busway and AirportLink tunnel were both constructed by the same construction firms at the same time as part of the same
overall project.

Traffic lanes are typically limited to around 2000 passengers per hour, whereas a train or busway can carry ten times this
number of people. This is why the South East Busway construction alongside the South East Freeway was such a smart idea. A similar
thing can be done for the Western Freeway.

Give public transport a go!

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Reference:

1. 'Widen the Western Freeway' says state's biggest engineering companies
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/widen-the-western-freeway-says-states-biggest-engineering-companies-20170522-gwanmo.html

[ozbob]

Comment: 'Widen the Western Freeway' says state's biggest engineering companies
> https://t.co/lsOiY4vmhU#qldpol@jackietrad @Schrinner pic.twitter.com/z51AOw6gI9

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) May 31, 2017

[ozbob]

6th June 2017

Media Release
Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply
The Honourable Mark Bailey

Caboolture commuters get boost as bridge upgrade is completed

    The $17.1 million Caboolture River Bridge upgrade is now complete and open to traffic
    New bridge will improve access and commute times for motorists and provide a dedicated pathway for cyclists and pedestrians
    The Australian Government and the Queensland Government have both contributed $8.56 million each towards the project

Locals will now have improved access, with construction of the new southbound Caboolture River Bridge now complete.

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said the Caboolture River Bridge, which was funded under the Australian Government's Bridges Renewal Programme and by the Queensland Government, has been replaced after almost 100 years.

"The original southbound bridge, which was constructed in 1918, and widened in 1987, needed to be replaced for safety and structural purposes," Mr Chester said.

"This bridge is a key link for Caboolture heading south into Burpengary and Brisbane, while also providing access on to the King Street and the D'Aguilar Highway, two major links in the region."

Queensland Minister for Main Roads and Road Safety Mark Bailey said the new bridge was a significant investment in the local road network and had been completed and opened on schedule.

"The old Caboolture River Bridge was demolished and replaced by a new two-lane bridge that will support growth in the region's population, improve freight efficiency and improve travel for locals who commute to and from Brisbane for work," Mr Bailey said

"The new bridge is also half a metre higher than the existing bridge to improve flood immunity."

Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace said the 30,000 vehicles that use Morayfield Road daily can now take advantage of the safer and stronger structure.

"The project involved replacing the southbound bridge with a new two-lane bridge that included a three-metre shared pedestrian and cycle path," Mr Wallace said.

Queensland Member for Morayfield Mark Ryan said the new bridge was an exciting milestone for the local community, and supported 50 jobs during construction.

"The bridge completion will be a welcome relief to motorists, businesses, and residents, who have been very patient during construction works," Mr Ryan said.

Queensland Member for Pumicestone Rick Williams said it was a great outcome for the community that pieces from the original bridge would be preserved in the local area.

"It's great to see this project completed, that will benefit motorists with a new, safer and higher-standard bridge, enhance access for pedestrians and cyclists, and improve freight efficiency by allowing load limits on the bridge to be removed," Mr Williams said.

Over the coming weeks, there will be workers onsite completing minor finishing works, but these will have minimal impact on traffic.

Sections of the piles from the 1918 bridge and its 1987 widening, as well as two timber pieces believed to be from the original wooden structure that crossed the river before 1919 have also been provided to the Caboolture Historical Association's Historical Village, where they will be displayed.

The Caboolture River Bridge project was jointly funded, with the Australian Government providing $8.56 million under the Bridges Renewal Programme, and the Queensland Government providing $8.56 million.

ENDS

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Qldaah/status/872416906044723200

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Brisbane traffic: Peak hour lasts four hours of the morning in southeast Queensland

BRISBANE'S traditional morning peak hour has gradually spread to more than four hours over the past few years, in a phenomenon experts have dubbed peak-spreading.

RACQ data shows that traffic congestion on most major highways leading into the city have gradually increased over the past almost 10 years, with more motorists leaving by 5am then ever before.

Griffith University travel behaviour researcher, Associate Professor Matthew Burke, said in order to avoid the traditional morning peak travel time of 7am to 8.30am, many motorists were now leaving home between 4am and 5am, with population growth and flexible work times contributing factors.

"Over time there has been a steady shift in work practices, most obviously with the tradies, but also a lot of industrial work places and others now have a start time of 7am," he said.

"Plus the public service now has a good flexibility for office workers.

"Flexi-time wasn't offered 20 years ago and, if it wasn't for population growth, we would not have congestion to Brisbane.

"This is a problem every city has as it grows."

Prof Burke said other factors that contributed to peak-spreading over the past decade included tradesmen travelling long distances to reach their jobs, infrastructure failing to keep up with demand, or a lack of public transport in many of the outlying suburbs, rendering them car-dependent.

Kate Thomas, 40, from the outlying suburb of Mt Crosby, said she had noticed an increase in traffic since 2014, when she first started having to leave early for work.

"It's like peak hour traffic at 5am sometimes on the Western Freeway and then Moggill Rd. It's phenomenal," she said.

The flight attendant leaves home between 4am and 4.30am to drive to the airport for shifts. She said it can take between 45 minutes to an hour and a half to arrive at work, which was only slightly shorter time than her drive home.

"Our issue is we have no public transport, no buses or trains out here," she said.

"And there's a lot more houses being built in the suburb before us, but not so much in our suburb.

"The infrastructure has not kept up to it. There has been no upgrade to roads yet there is only one way in and one way out to the western suburbs until you get to Kenmore."

On the Pacific Motorway at Underwood in Logan alone, the RACQ data shows that traffic at 4am had increased from 1044 vehicles in 2007 to 2819 at the same time in 2016.

By 5am in 2007, 4323 vehicles were on the road compared with 5497 last year, while there were 5622 at 6am nine years ago compared with 5497 last year.

Semi-trailer driver Jason Tyrer, 44, of Numinbah Valley, said he had noticed the increase in traffic over the past few years, especially while driving on the M1 north through Logan, right up until the Gateway merge where it then usually cleared.

"There is a second morning peak hour now," he said.

"It can start as early as four or 4.30am, but has definitely started by 5am and gets quite heavy.

"At 4am, there used to only be a ute and a motorbike as far as the eye could see. Now there's additional traffic building.

"At 5am in Springwood you would fly through, but now you're stuffed."

Mr Tyrer said early traffic mostly comprised tradies, truck drivers or cars with only one person in them.

Although some of the major highways have widening projects earmarked, RACQ spokeswoman Renee Smith said they continued to call on the government to prioritise more transport infrastructure projects.

"It's fair to say there's no such thing as a peak hour in Brisbane now," she said.

"Shoulder times such as 5am to 6am have seen a dramatic increase in the last few years.

"Travel times in March showed motorists being forced to drive a measly 22km/h on average in some sections of the Centenary Motorway in the AM peak."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsQueensland/status/882126319999361024

[OzGamer]

Being a Centenary resident I know well the disaster that the Centenary Highway has become in the last ten or fifteen years. To be honest, it's pretty cactus now. The fundamental problem was building huge interconnections at either end - the massive interchange at Ipswich Road in the south, and the Legacy Way in the north. There was always going to be massive induced demand that would clog up what was designed as a suburban main road rather than a huge inter-regional artery.

The RACQ is dead wrong, instead of neverending "upgrades" of roads, we need to think about alternatives, the cheapest and easiest being to provide the majority of Centenary residents with all day, frequent, reliable bus connections to the nearby Darra and Oxley train stations.

[#Metro]

The math does not work.

A road lane can do around 2000 pphd. A train line can do ten times that.

If expanding capacity is the goal, why advocate for the lowest capacity option?

Road can probably get upgraded, but I would look at separating the Springfield Line from the Ipswich line and routing it through the Centenary

Suburbs using the road reserve land. That would add extra stations to the Springfield Line, though I think it would be on net slightly faster

as it would not have to stop at Darra/Oxley/Corinda/Graceville and could be built to a higher speed as well. Line would rejoin at Indro.

[ozbob]

FYI ..

[Cazza]

^Crazy stuff

Yet the council has committed $1B (the largest amount of money put towards an area) in the 2017/18 budget to "tackling" road congestion. Go figure

[verbatim9]

Bridging Brisbane Survey Results now released.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/racq-survey-shows-brisbane-residents-want-10-more-bridges-20170724-gxh8t3.html

Brisbane residents want more bridges, with more than 4500 residents letting peak motoring body RACQ know where they want their bridges and who they want to use them.

In May RACQ launched its Bridging Brisbane survey to get feedback on proposed river crossings.

[verbatim9]

7News report pertaining to the article above.

https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/889403271210717185

[ozbob]

Couriermail Quest --> Brisbane drivers save 47 seconds travel time with $568,000 worth of projects

CONGESTION busting projects which cost ratepayers $568,000 have saved drivers a combined 47 seconds in peak hour traffic.

Brisbane City Council Infrastructure chairwoman Amanda Cooper told her committee on Tuesday the projects, part of the Congestion Busting program of the 2016/17 Budget, were "really little" but "very high value".

"These are really little projects, but when we talk about they save five seconds, that is a cumulative thing," she said.

"If they're capturing five seconds and 13 seconds here, it actually makes a significant improvement to their journey time."

A committee presentation showed the average time travel savings on five of 34 projects in the Arterial Road Program.

Extending the right-turn lane at Coonan St into Riverview Tce at Indooroopilly, budgeted for $110,000 in 2016/17, saved drivers three seconds between Station Rd and Honour Ave in the evening peak.

A new northbound lane on Handford Rd, between Pretoria St and Coxen St, Zillmere was budgeted for $110,000 and saved drivers five seconds during evening peak.

The time saving was recorded between Zillmere Rd at Church Rd to Murphy Rd at Dunsford St.

New Right turn lanes from Webster Rd into Scott St and Koolewong St at Stafford Heights gleaned drivers an extra seven seconds from Minimine St to Kitchener Rd during the AM peak.

It was budgeted for $59,000.

Morning peak hour travellers saved 14 seconds on Persse Rd approaching Beenleigh Rd at Runcorn after a new lane was added to the stretch, at a budgeted cost of $182,000.

Drivers on Archerfield Rd heading towards the Poinsettia St intersection from the north saved 18 seconds during peaks after works budgeted at $107,000.

Cr Cooper said these projects could make a tremendous difference and deliver improved safety outcomes.

QUICK LOOK

Coonan St at Riverview Tce, Indooroopilly

Cost: $110,000*

Time saving: three seconds in PM Peak


Handford Rd, between Pretoria St and Coxen St, Zillmere

Cost: $110,000*

Time saving: five seconds in the PM peak


Webster Rd at Scott St and Koolewong St, Stafford Heights

Cost: $59,000*

Time saving: seven seconds in the AM peak


Persse Rd at Beenleigh Rd, Runcorn

Cost: $182,000*

Time saving: 14 seconds during AM peak


Archerfield Rd at Poinsettia St, Inala

Cost: $107,000*

Time saving: 18 seconds during peaks

*As listed in the Brisbane City Council Annual Plan and Budget 2016/17

[ozbob]

There is a poll on the article

So far ..





http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/brisbane-drivers-save-47-seconds-travel-time-with-568000-worth-of-projects/news-story/c6eb113f221feea01c5ebf41db78e991

[tazzer9]

That is probably the highest time saving per dollar spent ever in the history of road upgrades.  Most of the time it is 20 million to save 60 seconds.

[OzGamer]

The tunnels were many billions for a couple of dozen minutes. $10,000/second saved sounds like good value to me.

[tazzer9]

The tunnels were many billions for a couple of dozen minutes. $10,000/second saved sounds like good value to me.

Kingsford smith drive upgrade is around 1billion/minute.  similar in nature to the tunnels but without the awesomeness of being a tunnel

[#Metro]

Have to look at the BCR and NPV.

A good project has both of these positive.

Big difference between 1 min saving for 1 person versus 1 min saving for 100,000 people.

[James]

^

You're kidding? Surely? April Fools (as the name suggests) is in April.

$100 000 to save 3 seconds. Seriously? "It all adds up"- Yeah, that is if you travel on every single section of road that is upgraded!

I'm seriously concerned about the IQ levels that they have at BCC. Surely, they are high on something.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the Council committed around $1 billion in the budget to "tackling" road congestion.
And that's how much the new Metro is tipped to cost.

So apparently Council can go throwing around $500 000 onto stupid projects because they have the money. I feel like they need to prioritise where our money ends up. Extending a right turning lane will do jack-sh%t.

But, putting it towards a project that will relieve bus congestion throughout the suburbs and CBD, is probably a better option.

Yeah sure, it would be nice to have a right turning lane from every major road corridor into every single suburban road. But sometimes, we can't always get what we wish for aye?

I think we're asking the wrong question. I see it more as "how the hell is a moving a concrete divider or two and painting new lines costing $110,000?"

I know the intersection reasonably well, I think this is not only a matter of congestion reduction, but also accident reduction. The old turning lane would extend into the flow of traffic, increasing the chance of rear-end collisions, holding up traffic as it approaches the Walter Taylor bridge, and could potentially cause gridlock if the Station Rd intersection also got blocked, which isn't that uncommon due to the formation of large queues from people turning right into Westminster St (to head towards UQ/east of the railway line/schools).

What the computer analysis says are the 'time savings' may not be the total time saved. Regardless, most of these things would go through NPVs - council, contrary to popular belief, won't just spend money on useless intersection improvement projects, when there are other intersections out there also needing upgrades.