The Queensland Main Roads Minister, Craig Wallace, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Maxine McKew, today officially turned the first sod on the next stage of works on the Ipswich Motorway funded in the 2009/10 Commonwealth Budget.
(Media-Newswire.com) - The Queensland Main Roads Minister, Craig Wallace, and the Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Maxine McKew, today officially turned the first sod on the next stage of works on the Ipswich Motorway funded in the 2009/10 Commonwealth Budget.
The $2.5 billion upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway will employ more than 6,700 people directly and indirectly, making it one of the largest construction sites in the country.
Jobs on the site vary from carpenters, concreters, crane drivers, form setters, labourers, pipe layers, plumbers, steel fixers, traffic controllers to truck drivers.
The construction site is also a training ground for the next generation of Aussie nation-builders:
• The Ipswich Motorway site will have over 80 trainees working on it over the next year; and • Traineeships for Certificate III Civil Construction involve learning about plant operations, road construction and maintenance, bridge construction and pipe laying.
The construction contractors delivering the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway are involved in skills training programs supported by the Federal and State governments.
The 2009/10 Budget included an additional $884 million investment to ensure additional work on the Ipswich Motorway could get underway immediately.
This investment will:
• Increase from four lanes to six lanes and improve safety on the 8 kilometre section of the Motorway between Dinmore and Goodna; • Increase from four lanes to six lanes the 2.5 kilometre section of the Motorway between the Logan Motorway Interchange and Sandy Creek ( Wacol to Darra Stage 2 ); and • Undertake planning for the future upgrade of the 6 kilometre section of the Motorway between Darra and Rocklea.
A key aspect of the design has been to ensure the road meets the latest motorway design standards, including having a minimum speed capacity of 100km/h.
The works will improve traffic flow during peak periods and will reduce travel times for the 80,000 motorists who use this route every day.
Vehicle numbers are expected to grow as the Ipswich region becomes home to 800,000 people, as proposed in the Queensland Government’s strategy for the development of South East Queensland.
The additional works will also address safety on the road by improving alignment and increasing sight distances. The Motorway had 465 accidents between 2001 and 2006.
The Ipswich Motorway also plays a critical role in the transport of freight within Queensland, particularly for Brisbane’s south-west industrial and transport hub. 70 per cent of all Brisbane’s road and rail freight is destined for the Wacol-Rocklea-Acacia Ridge area.
Work on the Wacol to Darra section is scheduled to be completed in 2011. Work on the Dinmore to Goodna section is scheduled to be completed in 2012.
The Australian Government’s nation-building initiatives include $8.6 billion in road and rail infrastructure in Queensland.
Media enquiries: Mr Wallace’s office – ( 07 ) 3896 3691 Ms McKew’s office – ( 04 ) 3465 6971
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