This article is about the Pacific Motorway in Queensland and Northern New South Wales. For the Pacific Motorway between Sydney and Newcastle in New South Wales, see Pacific Motorway (Sydney–Newcastle). For the freeway in South Australia, see South Eastern Freeway.
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 150 kilometres (93 mi) long, and features eight traffic lanes with a 110 km/h (68 mph) 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 100 km/h (62 mph) on other sections. The motorway passes through the major tourist region of the Gold Coast, the destination for most of the vehicular traffic from Brisbane. More than a $2 billion was spent on the motorway between 1990 and 1998, including widening the road and safety measures.
There are also plans to progressively widen the four lane section from Nerang to Tugun to six lanes. The first section of this upgrade (Nerang to Varsity Lakes) was completed in May 2012. Planning is ongoing for the remaining section of the upgrade (Varsity Lakes to Tugun).[1]
The highest point of the motorway is 92 metres (302 ft) AHD on a cutting 130 km (81 mi) south of Brisbane (between Cudgera Creek Rd and Sleepy Hollow Rest Area).[2]
History
Queensland section
The first section, opened in Brisbane in November 1972, was originally known as the Southeast Freeway.[3] It included the Riverside Expressway which was designed to alleviate traffic congestion in central Brisbane. The first segment reached south to Greenslopes, then to Upper Mt Gravatt by 1982.[4] The Southeast Freeway was connected to the Pacific Highway at Springwood by 1985.[3] The Southeast Freeway was designated originally as the F3, but this nomenclature was removed in 1994.
On 15 April 1996 it was announced that the Pacific Highway between the Logan Motorway interchange at Loganholme and Nerang would be upgraded to motorway standard.[5] From the Albert River at Beenleigh to Coombabah Creek at Gaven, about 28 km (17 mi), the road surface is portland cement concrete. The upgraded road was opened to the public in October 2000.[5]
In March 2006, the Queensland Government released planning for substantial changes to the section between Springwood and Daisy Hill, mainly at the entrances and exits along the section to deal with substantial traffic problems on surrounding streets and traffic backups onto the motorway. The planned upgrade led to some popular protest, mainly by people whose homes would be resumed for the project. Construction of the upgrade commenced in November 2009 and was completed in November 2012.[6]
The Tugun Bypass was completed in 2008. It has four lanes (two in each direction in 2008 and provision for six lane widening in the future). Widening from four lanes to six lanes is planned for 2025.[7]
Below is an overview of when each construction project on the highway (later motorway) was completed (from earliest to latest):
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 – Gold Coast Highway interchange. Grade-separated interchange at Gaven Way in Helensvale.
1963 – Oakey Creek duplication. 0.7 miles (1.1 km) of highway widened to four lanes at Oakey Creek in Coomera.
1965 – Halfway Creek to Bridge Creek duplication. 1.84 miles (2.96 km) of new pavement between Yatala and Ormeau opened to traffic by the end of June 1965.
1965 – Beenleigh bypass. First carriageway of the Beenleigh bypass opened to traffic in December 1965, followed by the second carriageway in December 1966.[8]
1965–1966 – Coomera deviation. Highway realigned to replace an old railway bridge with very windy approaches on the north side of Coomera. As the railway had closed in 1964, the new alignment did not need a bridge. Aerial photos show it was open by 1967.
1967 – Ormeau duplication. Highway duplicated from Goldmine Road at Ormeau to Mirambeena Drive at Pimpama including a short deviation 1 mile (1.6 km) between the two ends of Reedmans Road at Ormeau. Total construction spanned 2 miles (3.2 km). The old highway is now Tillyroen Road.
1968 – Logan River bridge duplication. Second bridge across the Logan River from Loganholme to Beenleigh opened as part of the duplication of the Pacific Highway.
1970 – Pimpama Deviation. 3.1 miles (5.0 km) of new road constructed to four lane standard.
1970 – Oxenford Deviation. 1.1 miles (1.8 km) of new road constructed to four lane standard.
1970-1971 – 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.[9]
1972-1973 – 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.[10]
1974-1976 – Riverside Expressway. New expressway between Hale Street in Milton and Alice Street in the Brisbane CBD, mostly constructed on bridges, officially opened on 22 July 1976.[11]
1975-1976 – Nerang to Reedy Creek. Reconstructed and realigned highway along the former rail reserve completed in December 1976.[12]
1977 – Slacks Creek 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.
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.[13]
1978-1979 – Nerang bypass. 2.5 miles (4.0 km)two-lane bypass of Nerang officially opened by Minister for Main Roads Russ Hinze on 6 April 1979.[14]
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.[15]
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.[16]
1983 – Bryants Road interchange. This interchange opened at Bryants Road Loganholme to eliminate the previous at-grade intersection.
1984 – Oxenford/Helensvale Interchanges. Two new interchanges opened at Hope Island Road/Tamborine-Oxenford Road at Oxenford and Helensvale Road at Helensvale. One interesting part of this project was the extra off-ramp built directly to The Ox Tavern at Oxenford. The person behind this was most likely Minister for Main Roads Russ Hinze, who would later become very well known for his corruption.
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,[12] Reedy Creek to West Burleigh in November 1983,[12] and Palm Beach to Tugun on 17 May 1985.[17]
1984-1985 – Helensvale to Nerang duplication. Four-lane duplication works completed between Gold Coast Highway and Nerang River in June 1985.[18]
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.[19]
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.[18]
1986 – Logan River bridge duplication. New concrete bridge across Logan River between Loganholme and Beenleigh, 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.[20] 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 May 20 1987.
1988 – Worongary Interchange (now known as the Merrimac Interchange). The half-diamond interchange at Gooding Dr was opened by Deputy Premier and Minister for Main Roads Bill Gunn on 27 July 1988.
1988 – Chatswood Road Interchange Stage 1. This stage involved construction of the Paradise Road roundabout at Slacks Creek, service roads and northbound on and off-ramps.
1989 – Reedy Creek Interchange. Interchange completed in September 1989.
1989 – Chatswood Road Interchange Stage 2. Chatswood Road at Daisy Hill linked to Paradise Road roundabout at Slacks Creek via a new access road under the highway. Over 30 years later the interchange is still in use.
1990 – Computer Road Interchange. This interchange at Yatala only lasted 9 years, being replaced by the current one in 1999.
1991 – Peachey 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 Drive at Worongary was opened by Federal Minister for Transport Bob Brown on 23 December 1991.
1992 – Helensvale Interchange. Upgraded interchange at Gold Coast Highway opened by Federal Minister for Transport Bob Brown on 29 October 1992.
1993 – Mirambeena Drive Interchange. This interchange at Pimpama like the two interchanges north of it was also replaced in 1999.
1993 – Rochedale Road to Watland Street at Springwood six lane upgrade.
1993-1994 – Mudgeeraba to Reedy Creek duplication. Duplication to four lanes between Mudgeeraba Road and Reedy Creek Road and a new overpass at Reedy Creek Road 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 – Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill six lane upgrade.[21]
1996 – Daisy Hill to Loganholme six lane upgrade. Widening to six lanes from Winnetts Road in Daisy Hill to Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road at Loganholme. A new interchange was also opened at Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road. The upgrade was completed in December 1996.[22]
1996-1997 – Reedy Creek to Tugun duplication. Duplication to four lanes between Reedy Creek Road and Stewart Road and a southerly extension of Bermuda Street (Southport-Burleigh Road) at Burleigh Heads to the highway opened by Minister for Main Roads Vaughan Johnson on 16 June 1997.[23]
1998-2000 – Loganholme to Nerang Upgrade (Pacific Motorway Upgrade). 36 miles (58 km)-long eight-lane upgrade of the Pacific Motorway between Loganholme and Gaven, and six lanes including various interchange and service centre upgrades 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.[24]
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.
2011-2012 – Nerang to Merrimac Upgrade. six lane widening works between Pappas Way and Gooding Drive completed on 25 May 2012.[25]
2014 – Merrimac to Mudgeeraba Upgrade. Six lane widening works between Gooding Drive and Robina Town Centre Drive completed on 26 September 2014.[26]
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.[27]
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.[28]
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.[29]
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
List of projects on the Pacific Motorway (Brisbane–Brunswick Heads) (Queensland section)
Banora Point Upgrade on the Pacific Motorway (looking south)Barneys Point Bridge over the Tweed River, 2017
The NSW section of the Pacific Motorway to Brunswick Heads is part of the Pacific Highway upgrade from the Queensland border to Ballina. It was renamed to Pacific Motorway from Pacific Highway in February 2013.[33][34]
The motorway's first stage was completed in July 1985 with the opening of the first stage of the Tweed Heads Bypass, followed by the second stage in November 1992.[35] 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.[36] For more comprehensive information on this section of motorway, see the Ozroads website.
Below is an overview of when each stage of the motorway was completed (from south to north):
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.
There is a fixed speed camera on the Pacific Motorway at Tarragindi, facing northbound. There is another at Loganholme just after the Logan Motorway exit facing northbound.[42] A third set of speed cameras, situated on the northbound side of the motorway at the Smith Street overpass at Gaven, became active around March 2013.[43][44]
M1 Motorway at the Helensvale North exit looking out towards Oxenford.The southbound Pacific Motorway at the Smith Street Motorway exit at Gaven.
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 completed in 2002. The tunnel was built to avoid the visual impact of a road cutting.
Trumpet interchange. Pacific Motorway continues north as the M3. Gateway Motorway heads northeast as the M1. Heading south, the Pacific Motorway carries the M1 shield.
^ abListing includes: terminals, declared roads, former alignments, and intersections where a turn is required to remain on the highway, and minor roads at these intersections.
^Exits are numbered progressively from the Brisbane CBD.
^"Track". Pacific Motorway (Brisbane to Ewingsdale). GPSies. Archived from the original on 23 April 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
^ abGregory, Helen; Dianne Mclay (2010). Building Brisbane's History: Structure, Sculptures, Stories and Secrets. Warriewood, New South Wales: Woodslane Press. pp. 8–10. ISBN9781921606199.
^Cole, John (1984). Shaping a city : greater Brisbane 1925-1985. Brisbane, Qld: William Brooks.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^"Locations of speed and red light cameras". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 22 February 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015. Fixed speed cameras are located: ...Pacific Motorway at Gaven, Pacific Motorway at Loganholme, Pacific Motorway at Tarragindi...
