$1.7 billion to keep Gold Coast moving

A RECORD $1.7 billion spend on Gold Coast roads over the next five years will see the completion of the cross border Tugun Bypass and keep the region moving.

Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Paul Lucas, today launched the five-year $13.3 billion statewide Roads Implementation Program.

“It delivers a massive $1.75 billion, or 15% increase on last year’s program.

"The funding boost is even more impressive when you compare the estimated expenditure over the next five years with spending over the past five years.

“This is a total increase of $5.3 billion over five years, or 67 per cent to keep Queensland moving and booming,'' Mr Lucas said.

“We are committed to delivering the projects that make our roads safer and help meet the needs of a growing state.

“The program features 2,500 projects, 99 of which are new, to be delivered statewide over the next five years.

“On the Gold Coast, we’re spending more than $972 million over the next two years alone.

“That funding will be used to drive the completion of the Tugun Bypass, among other projects,” Mr Lucas said.

Key projects funded this financial year and in the 2008-09 financial year under the Roads Implementation Program include:

• $208.3 million to complete construction of the $543 million four-lane Tugun Bypass on the Pacific Highway
• $427 million to upgrade the Pacific Motorway (Gateway to Logan, Nerang to Tugun), pending matching Australian Government funding
• $48.4 million to widen parts of Hope Island Road from two to four lanes between Oxenford and Santa Barbara Road and from there to Lae Drive, Paradise Point
• $23.5 million to start work to four-lane a stretch of the Gold Coast Highway from Helensvale to Southport, at a total cost of $57 million.
• $12.1 million to realign four lanes of Tamborine – Oxenford Road from Riversdale Road to the Pacific Motorway.
• $11.5 million to complete four-lane reconstruction of the Gold Coast Highway (Frank Street) between Robert and Stevens Street, at a total cost of $21.6 million
• $11.2 million to continue six-lane reconstruction of Smith Street from High Street to the Pacific Motorway
• $6.2 million to four-lane a stretch of Southport – Nerang Road from Minnie Street to Queen Street, at a total cost of $38 million.
• $3.7 million worth of subsidies to assist local government upgrade and maintain council roads, under the state government's Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS)

Media Contact: Darren Roberts 3237 1947 / 0448 184566