LABOR politicians have taken a swipe at the state government, claiming the next state of the M1 development is shrouded in secrecy.
Transport and Main Roads (TMR) has completed the Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill upgrade, but bottlenecks persist in lieu of section from Daisy Hill to the Logan Motorway.
There is $1 billion worth of funding set aside for the development, and resumptions of land have progressed under the watch of TMR.
TMR’s website says planning is underway, and that a business case for the project was completed in 2023.
Member for Springwood Mick de Brenni is expected to launch a petition today (27 January) calling on the state government to share details of the business case, and to get work moving on the already-funded project.
Half the money has been committed by the state government and the other half by the federal government.
Mr de Brenni said he wanted the government to be transparent about the upgrade.
“If the business case is complete, release it. If it’s not, get it finished, urgently,” he said.
He said the highway needed to be “Olympics-ready”.
Delays were costing motorists and business in time, fuel and money, he said.
“As the school holidays come to and end, and traffic congestion begins to ramp up … the lack of progress and transparency is already costing locals,” he said.
Recent RACQ road trauma data showed the stretch between Daisy Hill and the Logan Motorway remains one of the state’s most congested and crash-prone sections, recording 5.2 crashes per km per year, compared to an M1 average of 3.4.
It said the social cost of road deaths over the past five years came at a social cost of $35.7 billion.
“Those numbers are staggering,” Mr de Brenni said.
“They show there’s a high cost to delay.”
The project is slated to extend widen the motorway, finish the Veloway and extend the busway.
“Getting this section built is about safety, reliability and productivity.”
Mr de Brenni said extending the busway to Loganholme would relieve congestion and improve public transport access.
“Once the busway reaches Loganholme, it opens the door for southern Redlands communities to connect easily into Brisbane’s public transport spine,” he said.
“With Labor’s 50-cent fares driving record growth, we must match that success with real investment in the network.”
Local commuter Caley Tapp said she’s already seeing the impact of more passengers.
“I love the 50-cent fares. I’ve switched to the bus full-time, but congestion on the M1 still delays every trip. Extending the busway would save me 20 minutes a day,” she said.
Small-business owner Terri Matruglio said delays were costing local operators.
“Our team travels between Logan and Brisbane daily. The M1 bottleneck adds delay, idle time and fuel costs,” he said.
Cyclist Michelle Van Zon said completing the Veloway was critical for safety.
“The section south of Moss Street is narrow and dangerous. Extending the Veloway would make cycling safer, connect local networks and take pressure off the M1,” she said.
