New additions to Infrastructure Australia priority include $2B for QLD

Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A and three sections of the Bruce Highway are amongst four new Queensland projects added to the Infrastructure Priority List after the business cases were approved by Infrastructure Australia.

The Infrastructure Priority List provides governments at all levels with a prioritised list of nationally-significant investment opportunities for the near, medium and longer term.

The Infrastructure Priority List includes four new Priority Projects for Queensland, with a combined value of more than $2 billion. The projects are the Gold Coast Light Rail stage 3A, Bruce Highway – Cooroy to Curra Section D: Woondum to Curra, Bruce Highway – Deception Bay Road Interchange Upgrade, Bruce Highway – Maroochydore Road Interchange Project.

Infrastructure Australia Chief Executive, Romilly Madew said she is pleased to see Queensland’s strong pipeline of business case submissions to Infrastructure Australia continue.

“The addition of Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3A and three sections of the Bruce Highway upgrade means we now have over $6 billion worth of nationally-significant projects for Queensland on the Infrastructure Priority List to support growth and deliver sustained community benefits,” she said.

The Infrastructure Priority List recognises the strategic importance of the Bruce Highway, highlighting its progressive upgrade as a Priority Initiative due to its role in the National Land Transport Network and as the primary road transport route on the east coast of Queensland.

“Bruce Highway – Cooroy to Curra Section D: Woondum to Curra is the final stage of a four-stage program of works to modernise a 62-kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway between Cooroy and Curra. Infrastructure Australia’s assessment found that completing Section D will allow the whole-of-program benefits to be realised, including maintaining a consistent posted speed limit and safety standards between Cooroy and Curra,” said Ms. Madew.

She said the Bruce Highway – Deception Bay Road Interchange Upgrade, is a key connection for commuters travelling to and from Moreton Bay and surrounding regional areas, while also catering to freight. Safety on the interchange is a key challenge with 255 crashes occurring at the interchange or connecting roads in the decade to 2017.

Ms. Madew said The Bruce Highway interchanges at Maroochydore Road and Mons Road are congested and accident-prone, largely due to the configuration of these intersections, their proximity to each other and the design of the on- and off-ramps.

Infrastructure Australia is currently developing the 2020 Infrastructure Priority List, which is due for release early next year.