Extra Gateway Motorway lane opens – with more to come
Published Friday, 12 September, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Minister for Main Roads and Local Government
The Honourable Warren Pitt
An extra lane on the Gateway Motorway over Wynnum Road has opened to traffic, bringing more peak-hour relief to southbound motorists as improvements continue to be opened progressively.
Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt and Member for Chatsworth Chris Bombolas visited the Gateway Upgrade Project’s southside works today following the opening of the third lane overnight.
Mr Bombolas said the third lane would extend the upgraded section of the Gateway Motorway’s southbound section beyond the Wynnum Road interchange.
“Southbound lanes in this area were scheduled to be completed early in the life of the $1.88 billion upgrade to relieve traffic congestion during peak times,” Mr Bombolas said.
“Since December 2007, additional lanes and improved on and off ramps have been progressively opened on the Gateway Motorway between the Gateway Bridge toll plaza and Wynnum Road.
“These works are beginning to provide some relief to southbound motorists during the afternoon peak period.
“The extended dual off-ramp from the Gateway Motorway to Wynnum Road is also reducing impacts for through traffic.”
Mr Pitt said while several upgrades had already been completed along the southern section of the project, more were to come in 2009.
“South of Wynnum Road, traffic is being progressively switched onto temporary alignments to allow further reconstruction and widening of the carriageways,” he said.
“By late 2009, the entire 12 kilometres of widening works in the southern section between Lytton Road and Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road, in both directions, will be completed and opened to motorists.
“The result will be at least three lanes in each direction, greatly improved connections at interchanges for motorists and reducing the impacts of any incidents on the motorway.”
Mr Pitt said seven kilometres of new motorway north of the Brisbane River were also due for completion by mid-2009, providing a second access to the Brisbane Airport.
“This new section of motorway travels directly north from the Gateway bridges, through Eagle Farm, under Airtrain, over Airport Drive, across Kedron Brook and rejoins the existing Gateway Arterial just south of Nudgee Road,” he said.
Mr Pitt said the careful programming of works had enabled the Gateway Upgrade Project team to successfully maintain traffic flows for more than 100,000 vehicles moving through the works zone daily with minimal impact from construction.
He said work had started on widening the shoulders of the centre E toll lanes at the Gateway Bridge toll plaza in both directions.
“The greater clearance provided in the centre E toll lanes will make it safer and easier for motorists to travel through the toll plaza, given the increasing number of motorists using E toll before the transition to free-flow tolling in mid-2009.”
Mr Pitt said other works had commenced this month on the Logan Motorway as part of the planned transition to free-flow tolling on the Queensland Motorways road network.
“Free-flow tolling will require the reconfiguration of entry and exit ramps at both the Stapylton Road and Loganlea Road interchanges to enable motorists to safely enter and exit the motorway where traffic will be traveling at 100km/h,” he said.
“It will also require the removal of toll plazas and the installation of new tolling gantries at these sites, and at the Paradise Road Interchange and Kuraby.
“While these civil works will not significantly change the connections to the local network, they will improve local amenity by reducing noise associated with the stop-start traffic at the toll plazas,” he said.
The $1.88 billion Gateway Upgrade Project includes construction of the second Gateway Bridge, which is due for completion by mid-2010.
The existing bridge will then be refurbished and due for completion by mid 2011. Both bridges will be six lanes wide, with the addition of a 4.25-metre-wide shared pedestrian and cycle path on the second bridge.
Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819
Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt and Member for Chatsworth Chris Bombolas visited the Gateway Upgrade Project’s southside works today following the opening of the third lane overnight.
Mr Bombolas said the third lane would extend the upgraded section of the Gateway Motorway’s southbound section beyond the Wynnum Road interchange.
“Southbound lanes in this area were scheduled to be completed early in the life of the $1.88 billion upgrade to relieve traffic congestion during peak times,” Mr Bombolas said.
“Since December 2007, additional lanes and improved on and off ramps have been progressively opened on the Gateway Motorway between the Gateway Bridge toll plaza and Wynnum Road.
“These works are beginning to provide some relief to southbound motorists during the afternoon peak period.
“The extended dual off-ramp from the Gateway Motorway to Wynnum Road is also reducing impacts for through traffic.”
Mr Pitt said while several upgrades had already been completed along the southern section of the project, more were to come in 2009.
“South of Wynnum Road, traffic is being progressively switched onto temporary alignments to allow further reconstruction and widening of the carriageways,” he said.
“By late 2009, the entire 12 kilometres of widening works in the southern section between Lytton Road and Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road, in both directions, will be completed and opened to motorists.
“The result will be at least three lanes in each direction, greatly improved connections at interchanges for motorists and reducing the impacts of any incidents on the motorway.”
Mr Pitt said seven kilometres of new motorway north of the Brisbane River were also due for completion by mid-2009, providing a second access to the Brisbane Airport.
“This new section of motorway travels directly north from the Gateway bridges, through Eagle Farm, under Airtrain, over Airport Drive, across Kedron Brook and rejoins the existing Gateway Arterial just south of Nudgee Road,” he said.
Mr Pitt said the careful programming of works had enabled the Gateway Upgrade Project team to successfully maintain traffic flows for more than 100,000 vehicles moving through the works zone daily with minimal impact from construction.
He said work had started on widening the shoulders of the centre E toll lanes at the Gateway Bridge toll plaza in both directions.
“The greater clearance provided in the centre E toll lanes will make it safer and easier for motorists to travel through the toll plaza, given the increasing number of motorists using E toll before the transition to free-flow tolling in mid-2009.”
Mr Pitt said other works had commenced this month on the Logan Motorway as part of the planned transition to free-flow tolling on the Queensland Motorways road network.
“Free-flow tolling will require the reconfiguration of entry and exit ramps at both the Stapylton Road and Loganlea Road interchanges to enable motorists to safely enter and exit the motorway where traffic will be traveling at 100km/h,” he said.
“It will also require the removal of toll plazas and the installation of new tolling gantries at these sites, and at the Paradise Road Interchange and Kuraby.
“While these civil works will not significantly change the connections to the local network, they will improve local amenity by reducing noise associated with the stop-start traffic at the toll plazas,” he said.
The $1.88 billion Gateway Upgrade Project includes construction of the second Gateway Bridge, which is due for completion by mid-2010.
The existing bridge will then be refurbished and due for completion by mid 2011. Both bridges will be six lanes wide, with the addition of a 4.25-metre-wide shared pedestrian and cycle path on the second bridge.
Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819