First look at Queensland's plan to bust congestion on the M1

Queenslanders have been given their first look at proposed plans to ease congestion on the M1 around Pimpama as work on a major upgrade at Yatala South gets underway.

The Exit 41 project is the first of several M1 interchange upgrades planned to improve safety and reduce congestion, with planning also underway to upgrade Exit 38 (Yatala North) and Exit 45 (Ormeau).

Community feedback is being sought on recently release designs for the $110 million Exit 49 (Pimpama) upgrade while consultation will start soon on a plan for safety improvements at Ormeau.

The Pimpama Interchange upgrade preliminary design includes:

• A new bridge across the M1 with dedicated northeast-bound lanes
• Reconfiguration of the existing bridge to accommodate southwest-bound traffic
• Realignment of the on and off-ramps
• The upgrade will also include pedestrian and bike paths throughout the interchange to provide safe infrastructure for those who choose active travel to visit nearby shops and schools.

The final design is expected to be complete late this year with construction due to start in early next year.

"That investment is adding capacity to major roads and building better connections for growing communities to improve safety and ensure people spend less time stuck in traffic," Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said.

"The job at Exit 41 and the upcoming upgrade at Exit 49 will support another 360 jobs, adding to the pipeline of work being supported on major Gold Coast projects.

"Two M1 upgrades between Brisbane and the Gold Coast were completed in early 2020, and now two much larger upgrades supporting about 1,600 jobs are under construction."

City of Gold Coast Deputy Mayor Donna Gates said the start of works was brilliant news for our northern Gold Coast.

"This exit is critical to our burgeoning Yatala Enterprise Area and will be a welcome improvement for the transport operators there," the Deputy Mayor said.

"Council is working with State officers to ensure our local road upgrades in that area occur at the same time so the delay and inconvenience during works is only felt once by motorists. The long-term gain will be considerable."