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Ipswich Motorway

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Ipswich Motorway

Queensland
Ipswich Motorway beginning at Moorooka, 2017
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.

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]

Construction

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The motorway was constructed in stages from 1988 to 1994:

  • 1988 - Blunder Road/Oxley Road interchange completed in September at a cost of $12 million.
  • 1989-1990 - Church Street interchange and Granard Road overpass.
  • 1991-1992 - Progress Road/Wacol Station Road and Endeavour Road interchanges.
  • 1993 - Acanthus Street/Harcourt Road, Rudd Street/Douglas Street, and Donaldson Road/Banting Street interchanges.
  • 1994 - Centenary Highway interchange (elevated roundabout).

Following completion of the final interchange, the Ipswich Motorway was commissioned on 17 May 1994.

Upgrade

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In 2003, just 9 years after it was completed, planning for an upgrade of the entire motorway 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]

An upgrade of the Granard Road interchange was the first project to be built. It was opened on 31 August 2006 by Federal Minister for Transport Jim Lloyd. Next was an upgrade to the section between Wacol and Goodna, including the rebuilding of the Logan Motorway interchange. Construction commenced in February 2007, and was completed in late 2009.

Widening of the motorway from four lanes to six lanes between Wacol and the Centenary Motorway at Darra was one of the Australian Labor Party's key 2007 federal election promises.[7] The upgrade included the 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 was commenced in mid-2009. It was 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]

Construction of a 3km section between Granard Road, Rocklea and Oxley Road, Oxley, was commenced in 2017, and was completed in April 2021 at a cost of $400 million.[11]

Widening of the final section, between the Centenary Motorway and Oxley Road, is still in the planning stages.

Interchanges

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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. ^ "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. ^ a b "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. ^ "Rudd opens Ipswich Motorway upgrade". ABC News online. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 2008. Archived from the original on 4 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—Rocklea to Darra - Stage 1 (Granard Road to Oxley Road)". Queensland Government. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
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Media related to Ipswich Motorway at Wikimedia Commons


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