Veloway 1 Stage E lifting into place

Almost 70 Super-T girders are being lifted into place to make way for the next stage of the Palaszczuk Government’s Veloway project in Brisbane’s south.

It marks a major milestone for the $45 million bikeway project, which will create 46 jobs over the life of the project.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said once complete, the project would give southside bike riders a 17km uninterrupted journey from Eight Mile Plains to the Brisbane CBD.

“This is the largest package of Veloway works to date, and that will deliver generate more than $225 million in economic benefit for the community,” Mr Bailey said.

Stage E includes three purpose-built road overpasses reducing the number of intersections bike riders have to navigate through.

“This project is about giving commuters more options to get to from A to B, and forms part of our government’s $214 million commitment to dedicated bike infrastructure across Queensland.

“It complements that Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to building a better M1, which is delivering more than $2.3 billion in upgrades for the thousands of motorists who use the motorway each day.”

Member for Greenslopes Joe Kelly said to better connect bike riders with key locations along the Veloway, the Palaszczuk Government was also installing 120 new wayfinding signs from Eight Mile Plains to the city.

"Bike riding is a great way to keep fit and get to places that are a short distance away. If we get more people on bikes, it means less cars and congestion on the road,” Mr Kelly said.

The new signs are being installed following feedback from Queenslanders during the development of the Queensland Cycling Strategy 2017-27.

"More than 1500 people use the Veloway each day, and this project will encourage more locals to ditch the car and ride their bike to the office, school or local shops.”

Bicycle Queensland CEO Anne Savage congratulated the construction team on the milestone.

“This is one big step for the project, and one giant leap towards boosting healthy and active travel in Queensland," Ms Savage said.

“800,000 Queenslanders currently ride every week, and 14 per cent of Australians have now replaced car travel with walking or cycling.

"Notably, over 70 per cent of Australians say they are willing to change their mode of travel to help minimise and avoid congestion, and a whopping 56 per cent are willing to leave the car at home.

“60 percent of Australians are now considering cycling, public transport, or walking when they need to go to work, school, the park, or the local pool.

“Active travel is the solution we need to improve Queensland’s transport network and enhance community health – enabling people to get fit, travel more quickly, and reduce our impact on the environment.

“There can be no doubt that world-class bikeways such as the Veloway 1 will continue to improve travel times for commuters, allowing them to enjoy the great outdoors and feel fit and happy.”

A comparison of journey times from the start of the V1 at Holland Park West to QUT Gardens Point found a bike to be the quickest form of transport, at about 17 minutes compared to 24 minutes in a car and 28 minutes on a bus.

For more information, go www.tmr.qld.gov.au and search 'Veloway 1,' or contact the Project Team by emailing v1@tmr.qld.gov.au or calling 1300 180 573.

ENDS

Media Contact: Francis Dela Cruz - 0420 592 078