State Govt injects additional funding towards Coomera Connector Stage 1

Additional funding will be committed by the Queensland Government to ensure that the Coomera Connector Stage 1 is delivered. The announcement of an additional $432 million investment comes as the project reached significant milestones. 

The project will require a further $864 million in funding to complete its delivery. This is due to the rising cost of labour and materials as well as the industry supply and demand challenges for specialist construction equipment. 

The State Government is now seeking a $432 million matching contribution from the Australian Government, which will be considered in the upcoming Federal Budget to be announced in May of this year. 

Coomera Connector Stage 1 is facing some cost pressures due to double-digit market escalation and inflation since the project’s business case was approved in 2021 along with the location of contamination including PFAS and asbestos on site. 

Other factors that contributed to the increase in cost of delivery include changes to design standards, evolving scope of works through the design process (such as six-laning the Central Package), increased scope of environmental investigations and management plans, and adverse ground conditions discovered through the design process. 

“The Coomera Connector will provide significant benefits, helping to ease traffic congestion between the Gold Coast and Logan and enable locals to avoid the M1, and to make shorter and easier trips. 

“Cost increases are not unexpected in the current economic climate, and the Coomera Connector project is not immune to these pressures. 

“We have committed our share of this additional cost because we recognise how critical the Coomera Connector is not only for South East Queensland, but also our state’s economic prosperity,” Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Minister for Digital Services Bart Mellish said. 

Coomera Connector Stage 1 corridor (source: Department of Transport and Main Roads)

Dubbed as the Second M1, not only will the Coomera Connector provide a much-needed alternative to the M1 for local journeys, but it will also help relieve congestion on the corridor that accommodates up to 60,000 trips a day. 

Stage 1 will deliver about 16 kilometres of road from Coomera to Nerang and its delivery is divided into three packages, namely: 

• Stage 1 North – Shipper Drive, Coomera to Helensvale Road, Helensvale 
• Stage 1 Central – Helensvale Road, Helensvale to Smith Street Motorway, Molendinar 
• Stage 1 South – Smith Street Motorway, Molendinar to Nerang-Broadbeach Road, Nerang 

The overall Stage 1 project will also feature additional bridges at the Coomera and Nerang rivers and a shared user path with active transport opportunities. 

Stage 1 North has recently reached the one-year mark of construction and design details for Stage 1 Central have also been revealed for community consultation. You can read more about the milestones here. 

Stage 1 North will progressively open to traffic from late 2025. 

Coomera Connector Stage 1 is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments, and it is estimated to support an average of 1,000 direct jobs. 

Once completed, the 45-kilometre Coomera Connector will become a new north-south motorway that will run between Logan and the Gold Coast 

Source: Queensland Government – Media Statements; Queensland Government – Department of Transport and Main Roads