Pacific Motorway (Brisbane–Brunswick Heads)

The Pacific Motorway is a motorway in Australia between Brisbane, Queensland, and Brunswick Heads, New South Wales, through the New South Wales–Queensland border at Tweed Heads.

The motorway starts at Coronation Drive at Milton in Brisbane, The Brisbane city section of the motorway is often referred to by its former name, the Riverside Expressway. The motorway is about long, and features eight traffic lanes with a speed limit between the M6 Logan Motorway at Loganholme and State Route 10 Smith Street Motorway at Gaven and generally six or four lanes at on other sections.

The motorway then passes through the major tourist region of the Gold Coast, the destination for most of the vehicular traffic from Brisbane. It passes attractions such as Warner Bros. Movie World, Wet'n'Wild Water World at Oxenford, and Dreamworld theme parks in Coomera. Within Queensland, more than a $2 billion was spent on the motorway between 1990 and 1998, including widening the road and safety measures.

The motorway then crosses the Queensland/New South Wales border via a section known as the Tugun Bypass, which passes under the runway of Gold Coast Airport. Since 2013, a portion of Pacific Highway south of the border was also designated M1 Pacific Motorway.

The highest point of the motorway is on a cutting south of Brisbane (between Cudgera Creek Rd and Sleepy Hollow Rest Area).

History

Queensland section

The Pacific Highway between Brisbane and the New South Wales border was originally called the Main South Coast Road. It was one of the first roads to be declared by the Main Roads Board, which was created in 1920. The Albert River at Beenleigh and the Nerang River at Southport were the first major watercourses to be bridged. Both of these bridges opened in 1925. In 1928, a major realignment between Helensvale and Southport, including a timber bridge over the South Coast railway line and a concrete bridge over Coombabah Creek at Arundel, was completed. This road is now the northern section of the Gold Coast Highway, between Helensvale and Loders Creek in Labrador.

In June 1930, the Coomera River bridge opened, and in December of that year, the Pacific Highway was declared. By then, some sections were already sealed. The final bridge over a major watercourse, the Logan River bridge, opened in July 1931. The Coomera River bridge still carries a service road between Coomera and Helensvale, and the Logan River bridge between Loganholme and Eagleby carried highway traffic until 1986. It is now a pedestrian bridge.

The sealing of the highway was completed in late 1937, when the bridge over the Pimpama River at Ormeau was completed. Below is a list of the bridges over the smaller watercourses, and when they were completed:

* Bulimba Creek (Eight Mile Plains) - mid 1929
* Sandy Creek (Stapylton) - early 1935
* Halfway Creek (Stapylton) - mid 1939
* Pimpama River (Ormeau) - late 1937
* Hotham Creek (Pimpama) - late 1929
* Oaky Creek (Coomera) - mid 1935
* Saltwater Creek (Helensvale) - early 1931
* Coombabah Creek (Arundel) - early 1928

Of these, the bridges over Bulimba Creek, Sandy Creek, Halfway Creek, Pimpama River and Saltwater Creek replaced older bridges. The bridge over Coombabah Creek at Arundel was built as part of the realignment between Helensvale and Southport. It is unclear if there were older bridges over Hotham and Oaky Creeks; the bridges may have replaced fords, but it is also possible that there are simply no known records for the older bridges, if they existed.

In the early 1950s, traffic congestion began to become a serious problem on the highway, a problem that has plagued it ever since. To reduce this, the highway from its northern terminus to Helensvale was duplicated gradually, until the final section between Coomera and Oxenford was completed in 1971.

In 1965, Wilbur Smith’s freeway plan was produced, calling for the construction of seven freeways and four expressways connecting Brisbane to the outer suburbs. The highway from its northern terminus to Springwood was to be supplemented by the South East Freeway, which was designated as the F3 in 1969. The first section of the freeway was opened in March 1973. It ran from the CBD south to Greenslopes. Over the next decade, the freeway was extended southwards, and the Pacific Highway at Springwood was reached in 1985.

On 15 April 1996 it was announced that the Pacific Highway between the Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road interchange at Loganholme, and Pappas Way at Nerang, would be upgraded to motorway standard. From the Albert River at Beenleigh to Coombabah Creek at Gaven, about , the road surface is portland cement concrete. The upgraded road was opened to the public in October 2000. At the same time, the South-East Freeway, and the Pacific Highway between Springwood and Loganholme, was renamed as the Pacific Motorway.

Below is an overview of when each construction project on the highway (later motorway) was completed (from earliest to latest).

* 1956-1958 - Stapylton deviation. New 2-lane highway constructed to bypass a rail-over-road bridge with low clearance that was approached by sharp curves on either end.
* 1959-1960 – Gaven Way. New road connecting the Pacific Highway at Helensvale to Nerang, essentially forming the first stage of the Gold Coast bypass route, opened to traffic on 10 December 1960.
* 1961-1963 - Saltwater Creek duplication. New 4-lane highway constructed between just south of the Oxenford turnoff and just south of Saltwater Creek at Helensvale, including two new concrete bridges over the creek to replace the existing bridge. This was the first section of the highway to be duplicated south of the Logan River.
* 1963-1964 – The highway between Burnside Road at Stapylton & Goldmine Road at Ormeau was duplicated. This project included a second bridge over Halfway Creek, a second culvert at Bridge Creek, and upgrades to the intersections at either end.
* 1964-1966 – Beenleigh bypass. First carriageway of the Beenleigh bypass opened to traffic in December 1965, followed by the second carriageway in December 1966. The bypass stretched from just south of the Logan River bridge at Eagleby to just north of Burnside Road, Stapylton.
* 1966 – Coomera duplication. Highway duplicated from just south of Pimpama to just north of the Coomera River, including a short deviation.
* 1966-1967 – Ormeau duplication. Highway duplicated from Goldmine Road at Ormeau to Mirambeena Drive at Pimpama including a short deviation, and new twin bridges over Pimpama Creek (now called the Pimpama River). The old highway is now called Tillyroen Road.
* 1967-1968 – Logan River bridge duplication. Second bridge across the Logan River from Loganholme to Eagleby opened as part of the duplication of the Pacific Highway.
* 1968-1969 – Pimpama Upgrade. of new road constructed to four lane standard from Mirambeena Drive to the northern end of the Coomera duplication, including a second bridge over Hotham Creek (the existing bridge was widened). Most of this section was on a new alignment bypassing Pimpama.
* 1969-1971 – Coomera River bridge duplication. Second bridge across the Coomera River between Coomera and Oxenford officially opened by Minister for Main Roads Ron Camm on 3 June 1971, completing four lanes between Brisbane and Helensvale.
* 1971-1973 – Alice Street to Juliette Street. First stage of the South-East Freeway between the Brisbane CBD and Greenslopes officially opened to traffic on 7 March 1973.
* 1973-1976 – Nerang to Reedy Creek. Reconstructed and realigned highway along the former rail reserve, started in 1973, completed in December 1976.Queensland Roads, December 1981
* 1977 – Slacks Creek to Daisy Hill deviation. Northbound carriageway realigned onto a straighter alignment paralleling the southbound carriageway. Village Drive intersection at Daisy Hill which provided access to Loganlea Road was also upgraded. Opened in March or April 1977.
* 1976-1977 – Juliette Street to Marshall Road. Second stage of the South-East Freeway opened between Juliette Street at Greenslopes and Marshall Road at Holland Park West on 27 July 1977.
* 1978-1979 – Nerang bypass. two-lane bypass of Nerang officially opened by Minister for Main Roads Russ Hinze on 6 April 1979.
* 1979 - Watland Street overpass at Springwood opened on 25 September 1979, the intersection at Dennis Road was removed at the same time.
* 1980 – Marshall Road to Klumpp Road. Third stage of the South-East Freeway between Marshall Road Holland Park West and Klumpp Road Upper Mount Gravatt officially opened on 21 October 1980.
* 1981 – Loganlea Road Overpass. New interchange built at Loganlea Road to replace the Village Drive intersection at Daisy Hill, which was closed after the overpass opened.
* 1982 – Klumpp Road to Logan Road. Fourth stage of the South-East Freeway opened between Klumpp Road at Upper Mount Gravatt and Logan Road at Eight Mile Plains by Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen on 13 August 1982.
* 1983 – Bryants Road interchange. This interchange opened at Bryants Road Loganholme to eliminate the previous intersection. All remaining at-grade intersections between Loganlea Road at Daisy Hill and Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road at Loganholme were closed and replaced with left-in/left-out on/off-ramps at Centenary Road/Daisy Hill Road at Daisy Hill, and also at Murrays Road/Mungaree Drive at Shailer Park. The intersections at Sewell Road and Plumbs Road at Loganholme were closed entirely.
* 1984 – Oxenford/Helensvale Interchanges. Two new interchanges completed at Hope Island Road/Tamborine-Oxenford Road at Oxenford and at Helensvale Road at Helensvale in October 1984.
* 1981-1985 – Reedy Creek to Tugun Extension. Two-lane bypass of West Burleigh opened to traffic in three stages; West Burleigh to Palm Beach in October 1981, Reedy Creek to West Burleigh in November 1983, and Palm Beach to Tugun in May 1985.
* 1984-1985 – Helensvale to Nerang duplication. Four-lane duplication works completed between Gold Coast Highway and Nerang-Broadbeach Road in June 1985.Department of Main Roads Annual Report 1985–1986
* 1985-1986 – Tweed Heads bypass. Two-lane bypass between Bilinga and Tweed Heads West in New South Wales was opened by Minister for Main Roads and Racing Russ Hinze on 18 July 1985 at a total cost of A$3.6m; second carriageway completed in December 1986.
* 1985 – Logan Road to Compton Road. Fifth and final stage of the South-East Freeway from Eight Mile Plains to Springwood was officially opened by Minister for Main Roads and Racing Russ Hinze on 22 November 1985.
* 1986 – Logan River bridge duplication. New concrete bridge across Logan River between Loganholme and Eagleby, duplicating the 1968 bridge, officially opened by Minister for Main Roads and Racing Russ Hinze on 16 July 1986.
* 1987 – Mudgeeraba Interchange. Half-diamond interchange at Mudgeeraba Road opened by Minister for Main Roads and Racing Russ Hinze on 21 August 1987.
* 1987 – Coomera Interchange. Interchange opened by Deputy Premier and Minister for Main Roads Bill Gunn on 10 December 1987. Much like the later interchanges further up north, it had a very short life of only 12 years.
* 1985-1987 – Smith Street Motorway. New motorway connection road opened to connect Southport to the Pacific Highway at Gaven. A new interchange was built with the Pacific Highway at Gaven as part of the project. The opening date was 20 May 1987.
* 1988 – Merrimac Interchange. The dumbbell interchange at Gooding Drive was opened by Deputy Premier and Minister for Main Roads Bill Gunn on 27 July 1988.
* 1989 - Mungaree Drive ramps removed at Shailer Park to allow for the relocation of the Bryants Road southbound off-ramp.
* 1989 – Reedy Creek Interchange. Interchange completed in September 1989.
* 1990 – Computer Road Interchange. This interchange at Yatala only lasted 9 years, being replaced by the current one in 1999.
* 1991 – Eggersdorf Road Interchange. This interchange at Ormeau did not last long either, also being replaced in 1999.
* 1991 – Nerang to Mudgeeraba Duplication. Duplication to four lanes between Pappas Way and Mudgeeraba Road and a new interchange at Elysium Road at Worongary opened by Federal Minister for Transport Bob Brown on 23 December 1991.
* 1993 – Mirambeena Drive Interchange. This interchange at Pimpama like the two interchanges north of it was also replaced in 1999.
* 1993 – Rochedale South to Slacks Creek six-lane upgrade between Rochedale Road and Old Chatswood Road. Both northbound left-in/left out on/off-ramps at the Brennan Street exit and the southbound left-in/left out on/off ramps at the Watland Street exit at Springwood were removed, the southbound Watland Street exit was rebuilt and is now numbered Exit 22.
* 1993-1994 – Mudgeeraba to Reedy Creek duplication. Duplication to four lanes between Mudgeeraba Road and Reedy Creek Road including a new interchange at Robina Parkway/Somerset Drive at Robina opened by Minister for Transport David Hamill on 18 May 1994.
* 1994 – Yawalpah Road Interchange. Diamond interchange at Yawalpah Road at Pimpama opened by MP Paul Braddy on 3 November 1994. In June 2019, plans to redesign the interchange were announced. Construction started on the redesigned interchange in August 2022.
* 1994-1995 – The highway between Old Chatswood Road at Slacks Creek and Winnetts Road at Daisy Hill was upgraded to six lanes.
* 1996 – Daisy Hill to Loganholme six lane upgrade. Widening from four to six lanes from Winnetts Road in Daisy Hill to a new interchange at Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road in Loganholme, removing the final at-grade intersection north of Nerang. The upgrade was completed in December 1996.
* 1996-1997 – Reedy Creek to Tugun duplication. Duplication to four lanes between Reedy Creek Road and Stewart Road and a southerly extension of State Route 3 to the highway at Burleigh Heads was opened by Minister for Main Roads Vaughan Johnson on 16 June 1997.
* 1998-2000 – Loganholme to Nerang Upgrade (Pacific Motorway Upgrade). 42 km long eight- and six-lane upgrade between Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road at Loganholme, and Pappas Way at Nerang, including various interchange upgrades and service centres at Stapylton and Coomera, as well as heralding Queensland's first alphanumeric route number, M1, officially commissioned by Premier Peter Beattie and Minister for Main Roads Steve Bredhauer on 6 October 2000 at a completed cost of A$850m.
* 2002 - Fitzgerald Avenue southbound exit off-ramp at Springwood opened.
* 2006-2008 – Tugun Bypass. This stretch of motorway crosses the New South Wales state border at Cobaki Lakes and goes through the Gold Coast Airport on the New South Wales side at Tweed Heads West via a tunnel.
* 2009-2010 - Daisy Hill upgrade. The 1981 interchange at Winnetts Road was rebuilt, and the ramps at Shailer Road and Nujooloo Road were removed to relieve traffic congestion.
* 2011-2012 – Nerang to Worongary/Merrimac Upgrade. six lane widening works between Pappas Way and Gooding Drive completed on 25 May 2012.
* 2014 – Worongary/Merrimac to Mudgeeraba Upgrade. Six lane widening works between Gooding Drive and Robina Town Centre Drive completed on 26 September 2014.
* 2016 – Coomera interchange upgrade. Roundabouts have been replaced by signalised intersections.
* May 2020 – (Stage 1 M1 Upgrade North) Pacific Motorway & Gateway Motorway M1/M3 interchange upgrade at Eight Mile Plains.
* June 2020 – Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes Upgrade. Widening to six lanes with smart technologies.
* September 2021 – (Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill Upgrade Package 1) Sports Drive to Gateway Motorway Upgrade. Widening to five northbound lanes between Sports Drive at Underwood and the Gateway Motorway interchange at Eight Mile Plains. The upgrade was done on 7 September 2021.
* June 2022 – (Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill Upgrade Package 2) Pacific Highway Western Service Road Upgrade. The service road between Moss Street at Springwood and Westerway Street in Slacks Creek was realigned and widened for the new motorway upgrade and to handle the traffic capacity.
* November 2022 – Varsity Lakes to Tugun Upgrade (Varsity Lakes to Burleigh Heads Package A). 2 km of motorway between Varsity Lakes & Burleigh Heads was widened to a minimum of three lanes in both directions including a new diverging diamond interchange at Southport-Burleigh Road Exit 87.

Queensland Upgrade Projects

New South Wales section

The NSW section of the Pacific Motorway to is part of the Pacific Highway upgrade from the Queensland border to West Ballina. It was renamed to Pacific Motorway from Pacific Highway in February 2013.

The motorway's first stage was completed in July 1985 with the opening of the first stage of the Tweed Heads Bypass from Bilinga just north of the Queensland border to Kennedy Drive at Tweed Heads West, followed by the second stage in November 1992 from Kennedy Drive at Tweed Heads West to Minjungbal Drive at Tweed Heads South. Over the next 20 years, sections of the motorway progressively opened to traffic, until the final section, the Banora Point upgrade, opened in September 2012. For more comprehensive information on this section of motorway, see the Pacific Highway article.

Below is an overview of when each stage of the motorway was completed (from south to north):

Service centres

The Pacific Motorway, when it was upgraded in September 2000, was the first motorway in Queensland to have service centres integrated. There are two service centres, Stapylton servicing southbound traffic, and Coomera servicing northbound traffic. The travel centres include fuel and fast-food restaurants, picnic areas and a shop. Solar panels on the roofs of the centres provide power to the facilities.

Speed limits

Speed cameras

There is a fixed speed camera on the Pacific Motorway at Holland Park West, facing northbound. There is another at Loganholme just after the Logan Motorway exit facing northbound. A third set of speed cameras, situated on the northbound side of the motorway at the Smith Street Motorway interchange at Gaven, became active around March 2013 but is now currently in the process of being replaced with point to point cameras facing both north and southbound between Gaven (Exit 66), Oxenford (Exit 57), and Beenleigh South (Exit 35).

Major settlements

Gold Coast

Yatala to Coolangatta is within the City of Gold Coast. The city has a population of 500,000 and is Australia's sixth-largest city. The oceanside parts of the Gold Coast are characterised by high-rises, residential canal developments, a casino, theme parks, amusement parks and numerous tourist attractions, whilst its inland suburbs are leafy and well kept, looking much like the newer suburbia of other large Australian cities. The Gold Coast attracts tourists from around the world and is one of Australia's leading tourist destinations. Most of the city is bypassed by the Pacific Motorway (M1 Motorway) which continues from Metroad 3 at Eight Mile Plains. The former route of the Pacific Highway through the Gold Coast has been renamed as the Gold Coast Highway. The Pacific Highway was very congested between Tugun and Bilinga until the Tugun Bypass opened in June 2008 bypassing the old highway. The bypassed section was renamed Gold Coast Highway.

Tweed Heads

The highway crosses the Tweed River south of Banora Point. Tweed Heads is the major commercial centre of the southern part of the Gold Coast, which extends as far south as Crabbes Creek in New South Wales. It was known as a "twin town" along with Coolangatta, Queensland before they coalesced with other towns to form the suburbia of the Gold Coast. The Tweed River valley contains the Cudgen Road Tunnel at Stotts Creek completed in 2002. The tunnel was built to avoid the visual impact of a road cutting.

Interchanges

New South Wales

Queensland

Notes

See also

* Freeways in Australia
* Freeways in New South Wales
* Freeways in Brisbane
* Freeways in Gold Coast
* M1, Queensland

References

External links

*

27530 Slides of the South East Freeway and Lake Moondarra
State Library of Queensland

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacific Motorway (Ewingsdale-Brisbane)
Highways in Australia
Highways in Queensland
Roads in Brisbane
Roads on the Gold Coast, Queensland
Logan City
Highway 1 (Australia)
Borders of New South Wales
Northern Rivers