M1 Motorway roadworks en route to ease Gold Coast traffic congestion
With our growing population set to double by 2050, the upgrade of the Pacific Motorway (M1) is vital to keep our city moving. The $197.5 million upgrade of the Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes section of the motorway is well underway and is now less than 18 months from completion.
Quick facts
- 80,000 vehicles – current daily volume of traffic between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes
- >120,000 vehicles – expected level of vehicles using this same section of road daily by 2026
- Mid 2020 – expected completion date of this section of the Motorway upgrade
- $197.5 million – total cost of the Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes upgrade
Watch the flythrough to see the changes being made
Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes Project Information
On Friday 24 March 2017, the Australian and Queensland governments announced the M1 Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes upgrade was being funded as part of a joint $500 million package of 5 road upgrades for Queensland. The upgrade of the Pacific Motorway from Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes includes:
- widening a 5.7km section of the motorway to
- 3 lanes in each direction between Mudgeeraba (Exit 79) and Varsity Lakes (Exit 85)
- 4 lanes northbound between Robina (Exit 82) and The Link Way (Exit 80)
- extending entry ramps and exit ramps to meet current design standards
- reconstructing the Mudgeeraba Creek and Mudgeeraba Creek overflow bridges on the northbound side to better withstand flood events
- removing the right turn movement from The Link Way off-ramp (Exit 80) to The Link Way northbound to improve safety
- constructing a new bridge for Stapley Drive (see more below)
- combining the southbound exit ramps to Stapley Drive and Reedy Creek Road
- making provision for a future managed motorway system.
Find Out More
Key Milestones
- Late 2016: Transport and Main Roads engages a design consultant to assist progressing preliminary and detailed design into the construction phase
- During 2017: Design development gets underway with early construction contractor involvement through an Early Tenderer Involvement (ETI) process
- August 2017: Early works begin to install CCTV cameras at the Mudgeeraba, Robina and Varsity Lakes interchanges, install a variable message sign (VMS) northbound at Reedy Creek and relocate public utilities
- Late 2017 / Early 2018: Main construction contract is awarded and construction to start soon after
- February 2018: Early works package completed
- Mid-2020: Construction expected to finish (subject to weather, site and contractor conditions).
Traffic info
Exit 84 Varsity Lakes (Stapley Drive) southbound off-ramp temporary closure
On 23 September 2018, the Exit 84 Varsity Lakes (Stapley Drive) southbound off-ramp was closed to construct a new off-ramp and lower the southbound carriageway. This exit will be closed for approximately 12 months. The Stapley Drive bridge will remain open during the ramp closure. Motorists can use the Exit 85 Reedy Creek Road southbound off-ramp – 450m further south – as an alternative and detour via Scottsdale Drive and then cross Stapley Drive bridge to access the western side of the M1.
The Link Way (Exit 80) off-ramp temporary closure
From 15 August 2018, The Link Way (Exit 80) off-ramp northbound at Mudgeeraba was closed to construct a new off-ramp and raise the northbound carriageway across Mudgeeraba Creek. This exit will be closed for approximately 12 months. Motorists can use the Mudgeeraba Interchange at Exit 79 (630 meters further north) as an alternative exit. When the off-ramp reopens in 2019, the right turn movement from the off-ramp to The Link Way northbound will be permanently removed. This is because the new off ramp will be shorter in length to fit in a fourth northbound lane between Robina Interchange (Exit 82) and the Link Way (Exit 80).
Long-term closure of the pedestrian underpass at Mudgeeraba Creek
From 15 May 2018 the pedestrian underpass linking Cobbers Park to Robina Parkway at Mudgeeraba Creek was closed until early 2020. This long-term closure is required in order to reconstruct the bridge widening to fit three northbound lanes through this section of the motorway. A pedestrian detour will be in place via Somerset Drive and Robina Parkway for the duration of the works.
M1 Upgrade – Community Information
Road traffic noise mitigation
For information on how TMR manages road traffic noise, view the Frequently Asked Questions. For more information on noise mitigation measures as part of the upgrade, contact the project team.
Keep up-to-date
Keeping updated means being able to make informed decisions about choosing alternative routes or expecting considerable travel delays. Further information, is available on the project website. Residents and motorists are encouraged to subscribe to the free email and SMS traffic alert update service for this project. Register with the Transport and Main Roads via the below contact details:
| Email: | M2VL@tmr.qld.gov.au |
|---|---|
| Phone: | 1800 571 817 |
| Fax: | 07 5563 6611 |
Latest Mudgeeraba to Varsity Construction News
Construction around the Varsity Lakes interchange at Exit 84 is picking up pace with the new bridge at Stapley Drive now well progressed. The new bridge is being constructed in the same location as the current interchange bridge. The bridge will remain open to traffic at all times, however lane configurations and ramp accesses may change, with some detours required at various times during construction.
In order to keep the bridge open and maintain access across the motorway, construction will be done in 3 stages:
- The southern section of the new bridge will be constructed first. Construction on this stage is currently underway.
- All traffic will be switched to the new southern section and the existing bridge structure will be demolished.
- An additional bridge structure will be constructed in place of the demolished bridge. This new section will then be connected to the new southern section completed in stage 1.
There will 4 traffic lanes on the new bridge, with 2 lanes eastbound and 2 lanes westbound. The end result will be a wider and higher bridge to meet current design standards and cater for projected traffic volumes.
The project team is aiming for the new Stapley Drive bridge to be in its final configuration and fully open to traffic by mid-2019.
A video of the construction of the first stage of Stapley Drive bridge is available here.
