A planning study for Bruce Highway Western Alternative (BHWA) is underway

Bruce Highway, queensland, TMR,

November 15, 2021

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Further consultation for Bruce Highway Western Alternative

A phased consultation approach has been developed for a western alternative to the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast with a preferred option identified for Stage 1.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the Morrison Government was committed to funding the delivery of critical road projects across Queensland.

“The Bruce Highway is Queensland’s major freight route, connecting Brisbane to central and northern Queensland, including 11 coastal ports, major regional cities and key tourist destinations,” Minister Fletcher said.

“With growing population pressures across the Moreton Bay region, a new, alternative road connection to the west of the Bruce Highway will help boost the capacity of the local road network and reduce congestion.

“The Bruce Highway Western Alternative project is one of many critical infrastructure projects to receive funding from the Morrison Government as part of its record $110 billion, 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline, which is helping to drive Australia’s economic recovery.”

The first phase of consultation for Stage 1 had recently wrapped up and the preferred corridor for Stage 1 has been identified from Moodlu to Moorina within the future Caboolture West development area.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said three options were presented to the community with the central option listed as the preferred option.

“The central alignment starts at the D’Aguilar Highway and travels south towards Caboolture River Road, staying close to the existing power easement.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery welcomed the significant step towards building a Bruce Highway alternative and said with a city the size of Mackay expected to call Caboolture West home in coming years, the demand for roads in the region would only grow exponentially.   

“We might’ve won the bid to host the Olympic Games in 10 years’ time, but the demand for infrastructure is happening now. This is our second M1, our Coomera Connector – and to check off this milestone, means we can hopefully have shovels in the ground sooner,” Mayor Flannery said.

“With the preferred option for stage one locked in and the ball now rolling on the next stage, I’ll be working with both the Queensland and Federal Governments to make sure we can progress this project as fast as possible.”

The next priority stage (Stage 2) is south of Caboolture West from Moorina to Narangba and is around 13 kilometres long. Consultation is expected to start for Stage 2 early next year (2022), however, the community can provide early feedback on future stages through the project webpage.

This project forms part of the $20 million North Brisbane Bruce Highway Western Alternative project with $10 million each being committed by the Australian and Queensland governments.

For more information, visit www.tmr.qld.gov.au and search Bruce Highway Western Alternative.

View the full media release here © Copyright, Commonwealth of Australia

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About Bruce Highway Western Alternative (BHWA)

A planning study is underway to investigate options for a new transport corridor through the north Brisbane and Moreton Bay regions between Beerburrum and north Brisbane.

The future Bruce Highway Western Alternative (BHWA) will provide an alternative route to the Bruce Highway to help alleviate congestion and accommodate future growth in the area. 

Planning for the first stage of the corridor, an 8.3km section between Moodlu and Moorina, is being progressed as a priority, given the urgent need to identify land requirements and protect land through Caboolture West due to development pressures.

Benefits

• Improves safety
• Increases capacity
• Improves network efficiency
• Increases traffic flow
• Better road access
• Accessibility
• Reduces travel time
• Contributes to economy
• Contributes to regional growth
• Better active transport

Key features

Stage 1 (Caboolture West)

• Improves access for emerging communities within and around Caboolture West.
• Improves safety.
• Increases certainty on future development within Caboolture West.
• Increases transport capacity.
• Supports future economic development of the Moreton Bay region.
• Preserves and supports the existing function and efficiency of the Bruce Highway.
• Reduces travel time.

Funding

The study is funded 50-50 by the Queensland and Australian governments contributing $10 million each.

Current status

Planning for the project is ongoing, with corridor protection activities to be undertaken in a staged approach as planning progresses for future stages of the BHWA.

Timeframes for more detailed planning, design and construction of the BHWA Stage 1 (Caboolture West) project are unknown at this time and will depend on future funding commitments.

Identifying a corridor

Early planning has now been finalised for Stage 1 of the BHWA, and a preferred alignment (including the corridor requirements) has been identified. In addition to considering the feedback received from the community, a broad range of technical investigations were undertaken.

This includes traffic and network performance, natural and built conditions, safety, environmental, cultural heritage, legislative and engineering considerations, and future land use considerations. 

The central option has been identified as the preferred alignment for Stage 1 of the BHWA corridor. 

We will now consult with directly affected landowners within the central option alignment, with a view to protect and gazette Stage 1 of the corridor through Caboolture West in early 2022. The broader community is also invited to provide feedback on Stage 1 of the corridor, as well as future stages. 

Central option

The central alignment starts from the D’Aguilar Highway and travels south towards Caboolture River Road, staying close to the power easement. 

The central option has been selected based on a number of significant technical merits, including the following key high-level considerations:

• impacts significantly fewer existing properties when compared to the eastern option
• enables better crossings of various waterways, reducing the corridor’s environmental and flooding impacts – additionally it will not impact Sheepstation Creek Conservation Park
• enables connectivity to the planned higher order road network within the Caboolture West Structure Plan – it supports high level access to the proposed town centre, key enterprise and employment areas, and access to and from the D’Aguilar Highway
• has flatter terrain, meaning there is less need for bridge structures and less material will need to be removed during construction, reducing overall cost when compared to the other options.

Future stages

Identifying and protecting the corridor for the BHWA is an important transport planning initiative. Sections of the study area for the corridor are highly developed with challenging terrain, environmental, flooding and other planning constraints. 

TMR is taking a staged approach to complete planning for the full length of the BHWA corridor and has considered development pressures and input from Moreton Bay Regional Council in prioritising the sequencing of future stages and corridor preservation activities.

The next priority is Stage 2 which runs south of Caboolture West, from Moorina to Narangba, and is about 13km in length. Planning to identify the land required for future stages of the corridor will follow.

Last updated: 11 November 2021

Source:

© The State of Queensland (Department of Transport and Main Roads) 2010–2021

Queensland Government

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