Bundall Road Upgrade

Bundall Road Upgrade

The Queensland Government has funded this $104 million project to increase the existing and future capacity of the state controlled road network on the Gold Coast.  The Department of Transport and Main Roads is upgrading Southport-Burleigh Road to create 3 traffic lanes in each direction along Southport-Burleigh Road from North Street in Southport to just south of the intersection of Rudd Street in Broadbeach Waters. This section of Southport-Burleigh Road is known locally as High Street, Ferry Road, Bundall Road and Bermuda Street.

As Southport-Burleigh Road runs through a highly constrained urban corridor existing parking lanes will be converted to through lanes. Using the parking lanes to create an additional traffic lane in each direction is a cost-effective way of tackling congestion, while minimising impacts on properties adjacent to the road.

The City of Gold Coast outlines that the 6-lane road upgrade project is vital to the city because:

• The city has limited north-south arterial roads, these are Gold Coast Highway, M1 and Southport Burleigh Road. These critical routes currently experience high level of congestion during peak periods and require additional capacity.
• Gold Coast Highway runs through major centres and is constrained by the existing light rail corridor and subject to the future light rail planning. Therefore, it is not feasible for major capacity upgrades. Upgrade of M1 would have significant engineering challenges and require collaboration and funding arrangement between the State and Federal Government. In comparison, upgrade of Southport Burleigh Road would have less challenges and required relatively less funding.
• Due to road closures during the Commonwealth Games, in particular the Gold Coast Highway in Southport, Southport–Burleigh Road will be used predominantly for background (i.e. non-games related) north-south travel movements to support business-as-usual travel movements across the city.
• The upgrade of Southport Burleigh Road will provide additional road capacity to support population and employment growth in the city, in particular the Southport PDA and Broadbeach area.

The relevant information in relation to this road upgrade project is available on TMR’s website.

Sean Sandford
Director
President of UDIA
SCG Urban