Ipswich Motorway

Queensland
Ipswich Motorway upgrade, looking east at Oxley Road roundabout, Oxley
General information
TypeMotorway
Length21 km (13 mi)
Route number(s)
  • M2
  • (Warrego Highway to Logan Motorway)
  • M7
  • (Logan Motorway to Ipswich Road)
Former
route number
  • Metroad 2
  • National Highway 15
Major junctions
NE end Ipswich Road
Rocklea, Brisbane
 
SW end
Location(s)
Major suburbs / townsOxley, Darra, Wacol, Gailes, Goodna
Highway system

The Ipswich Motorway (M7) is a major road that connects Brisbane and Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia. It commences at the junction of Ipswich Road and Granard Road and proceeds through to the M2 Logan Motorway interchange. It is then signed M2 until the junction of the Warrego Highway and the Cunningham Highway.

It initially passes through the suburbs of Rocklea, Oxley and Darra in south west Brisbane before reaching the eastern suburbs of Ipswich such as Redbank Plains, Goodna and Riverview. The Motorway is directly connected to the M5 Centenary Motorway at Darra and the M2 Logan Motorway at Gailes. In 2008, it was estimated that 80,000 cars use the road daily.[1] In late 2010, this figure had risen to close to 100,000 vehicles per day.[2] In 2002, the morning peak traffic volume was greatest between 7:00 am and 8:00 am. By 2008, the morning peak traffic volume peaked between the hours of 5:00 am and 6:00 am.

The motorway was formed from the original Ipswich Road/Cunningham Arterial Road, which was upgraded during the 1980s and 1990s to form a grade-separated motorway-grade route. The Ipswich Motorway was commissioned on 17 May 1994.

This road consists of two separate state-controlled roads as defined by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR). The part from Rocklea to Goodna is named Cunningham Arterial Road (number U16) and the other is named as part of the Cunningham Highway (number 17A). Road U16 is part of the state strategic network, and road 17A is part of the national network.[3][4]

Upgrade

In 2003, planning for an upgrade of the entire road began.[5] The road was identified in the South East Queensland Infrastructure Plan and Program as one requiring urgent attention. An upgrade was needed to improve safety and relieve traffic congestion.[6]

With the Federal Government funding provided, the upgrades were completed from the Centenary Motorway interchange to the Logan Motorway interchange.

The upgrade from four lanes to six between Wacol and Darra was one of the Australian Labor Party's key 2007 federal election promises.[7] The upgrade included widening the Ipswich Motorway from four to six lanes, transformation of the Centenary Highway Interchange to a free-flowing multi level system interchange and work on adjoining service roads that aims to reduce traffic on the motorway by up to 20%.[1] The Federal government has contributed a total of $3.1 billion for the upgrade.[6] The Wacol to Darra section of the motorway was officially opened on 18 April 2010.[8]

The eight kilometres upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway between Dinmore and Goodna started in mid-2009. It was completed in 2012 and officially opened on 15 May 2012.[9] The A$1.95 billion project funded by the Australian Government is delivered by the Origin Alliance consisting of the Department of Transport & Main Roads, Abigroup, Seymour Whyte, Fulton Hogan, SMEC and Parsons Brinckerhoff.[10]

The final section to be upgraded is a 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) stretch between Darra and Rocklea with its planning finalised in 2011.[5] Stage 1 of the Ipswich Motorway upgrade, the 3km section between Granard Road, Rocklea and Oxley Road, Oxley, has commenced in 2017. Construction works are scheduled for completion in late 2020.[11] This work was completed in April 2021 at a cost of $400 million.[12]

The proposed Goodna Bypass or Northern Bypass of the western section of the M2 was cancelled following the 2007 elections.[7] This 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) section of new Motorway would have taken traffic from the Warrego and Cunningham Highways to the Logan Motorway interchange including four crossings of the Brisbane River.

Interchanges

LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
BrisbaneRocklea00.0 Ipswich Road (A7) north / Granard Road (Metroad 2) east – Brisbane CBD, Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast, Brisbane AirportNorth–eastern terminus: continues as Ipswich Road
10.62Suscatand StreetNorth–eastbound exit and entrance
Randolph StreetSouth–westbound entrance and exit
Oxley31.9 Oxley Road (State Route 35) north / Blunder Road (State Route 35) south – Oxley, InalaAccess to frontage roads
42.5Douglas Street north / Rudd Street south – Inala
Darra53.1Harcourt Road north / Acanthus Street south – Richlands, DarraSouth–westbound exit and entrance via frontage road
6.54.0 Centenary Motorway (M5) – Jindalee, Brisbane, Springfield, Gold CoastNo north–eastbound exit to M5 southbound, no south–westbound entrance from M5 northbound
Wacol95.6 Progress Road (State Route 30) east / Wacol Station Road west – Inala, Woodridge, Wacol
10.56.5Brisbane Road – Goodna, Redbank Plains, to Logan Motorway and Queen StreetSouth–westbound exit only
Brisbane–Ipswich boundaryWacol–Gailes boundary116.8 Logan Motorway – Logan, Gold Coast, Brisbane AirportRoute transition: M7 north–eastbound, M2 south–westbound; north–eastbound exit and south-westbound entrance only
IpswichGoodna138.1 Church Street (State Route 61) – north to Woogaroo Street; south to Brisbane Road, Queen Street (State Route 61), Mill Street, Smiths RoadNo south–westbound exit; south–westbound entrance via Brisbane Road
Redbank169.9Mine Street north / Collingwood Drive south / Francis Street east – Collingwood Park, RedbankNorth–eastbound entrance via Francis Street
Riverview1912 Warrego Highway (M2) south-west / Cunningham Highway (M15) north–west – Esk, Toowoomba, WarwickSouth–western terminus: continues as Cunningham Highway; partial Y interchange: no access between Warrego and Cunningham highways

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Labor PM Kevin Rudd kicks off Ipswich Motorway upgrade". couriermail.com.au. Queensland Newspapers. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  2. ↑ Tony Moore (16 November 2010). "Early bird gets the traffic jam". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  3. ↑ The State Road Network of Queensland (PDF) (Map). Queensland Government ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. 30 June 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Metropolitan District Map (east-west) Page 1 and Page 2 (Dinmore/Riverview) (PDF) (Map). Department of Transport and Main Roads ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. March 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Ipswich Motorway (Darra to Rocklea) Newsletter 2" (PDF). State of Queensland. October 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Ipswich Motorway Overview". Nation Building Program. Department of Infrastructure and Transport. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Rudd opens Ipswich Motorway upgrade". ABC News online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "Ipswich Motorway upgrade: Wacol to Darra". Department of Transport and Main Roads. 27 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 February 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  9. ↑ Tony Moore (15 May 2012). "Five stages down, one to go: $2.8b road upgrade completion in sight". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "Ipswich Motorway upgrade: Dinmore to Goodna". Department of Transport and Main Roads. 17 October 2011. Archived from the original on 4 September 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  11. ↑ "Ipswich Motorway Upgrade: Rocklea to Darra Stage 1 project". Department of Transport and Main Roads. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  12. ↑ "Ipswich Motorway—Rocklea to Darra - Stage 1 (Granard Road to Oxley Road)". Queensland Government. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2022.

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