Mooloolaba Transport Corridor Upgrade (widening of Brisbane Road and Walan Street)

Last updated:
23 May 2019

As part of a major transport infrastructure investment, council is upgrading Brisbane Road (south of Hancock Street and Walan Street) and Walan Street to four traffic lanes with provision for potential future light rail. The transport corridor will be constructed in stages over a period of four years. In addition to improving traffic flow, this important project will enhance the southern entrance into Mooloolaba and create a corridor that is integrated and inviting for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and public transport users. This is one of many Mooloolaba infrastructure projects council is investing in to create a world-class destination for residents and visitors to enjoy.

Project scope

The Mooloolaba Transport Corridor Upgrade (MTCU) of Brisbane Road and Walan Street, is a multi-stage upgrade project. The first stage, stage 1a, is a preliminary component of the broader project. It includes the extension of Naroo Court through to Muraban Street and is now underway.

The MTCU Project and associated staging was endorsed by council at the July 2018 Ordinary Meeting.

It includes the following project stages and scheduled timeframes (which will be subject to weather, site conditions, council’s budget process and other funding and may change).

Construction stages

To minimise inconvenience to the community the project has been broken into three major stages and scheduled to take place over several years (between 2019 and 2023). You can view each stage via the maps:

Construction for stage 1a is underway now (May 2019). The design for stages 1b, 2a, 2b and 3 is in progress and expected to be complete in 2019 (for stage 1b) and 2020 (for stages 2a, 2b and 3).

The stages include:

Stage 1 Naroo Court, Walan Street

Construction: February 2019 – early 2020.

Stage 1a: Extension of Naroo Court through to Muraban Street

Demolition works: February – April 2019
Construction: May 2019 – early 2020

Stage 1b: Walan Street Upgrade (between Venning Street and Smith Street)

Construction: early 2020 – late 2020

four traffic lanes
signalisation of the intersection of Walan Street and Naroo Court
retaining existing bus stops on Walan Street.

Stage 2 Intersection of Brisbane Road-Walan Street-Hancock Street to River Esplanade

Stage 2a: Brisbane Road-Walan Street-Hancock Street intersection

Construction: 2021

upgrading the intersection of Brisbane Road-Walan Street-Hancock Street to four lanes
on-road cycle lanes
limited on-street parking.

Stage 2b: Brisbane Road-Walan Street-Hancock Street intersection to River Esplanade

Construction: 2022

four traffic lanes
upgrading the intersection of Brisbane Road-Foote Street-Tarcoola Avenue to a signalised intersection
on-road cycle lanes
limited on-street parking.

Stage 3 Brisbane Road from Mayes Canal Bridge to Bindaree Crescent-Tuckers Creek Bridge

Construction: 2022 – 2023

four traffic lanes
upgrading the intersection of Brisbane Road-Bindaree Crescent-Woomba Place to a signalised intersection
on-road cycle lanes
retaining existing bus stops on Brisbane Road
limited on-street parking

What to expect during construction

Construction hours for Stage 1 works will be from 7am to 6pm Monday to Saturday. Times and details for construction of other stages will be determined closer to the start of each stage of works.

Council will make every effort to minimise impacts to the local community during construction however, throughout the construction period there will be:

changed traffic conditions–reduced speed limits
temporary lane closures, traffic and pedestrian realignments, traffic control
temporary and permanent changes to on-street parking
increased heavy vehicle movements
construction noise.

The project team will continue to liaise with directly affected businesses and residents to inform them of specific construction activities, timeframes and impacts

To register to receive regular construction updates via email send your details (name, address and email address) to mooloolabatransportcorridorupgrade@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.

Where to from here

Council is committed to keeping residents and businesses in the affected areas informed about ongoing works.

View the latest project news and construction notifications:

Background

Mooloolaba is one of the major coastal tourism destinations on the Sunshine Coast. As a result Mooloolaba has had an increase of through traffic and congestion on the roads. This has made accessing the Mooloolaba Centre and its local attractions increasingly difficult.

Considering this, council is progressing plans to upgrade Brisbane Road and Walan Street. This will deliver an outcome that:

supports the local economy
provides accessible public and active transport options
protects our lifestyle.

In 2003, the former Maroochy Shire Council conducted the Mooloolaba Integrated Land Use and Transport Assessment Study to determine the transport system that would best serve the future needs of Mooloolaba. This study included transport options:

car
public transport
cycle and pedestrian elements.

The study considered a range of alternative options for the Corridor.

In 2010, council re-examined the proposed transport corridor upgrade for Mooloolaba. This was to ensure that any work would be consistent with council’s vision for Australia’s most sustainable region. Following the review, council engaged external engineering consultants. Council further refined the options and developed a preferred layout. This layout proposed a four lane carriageway with a central median strip.

The preferred layout was adopted at the Ordinary Meeting on 2 February 2011. This layout was later incorporated in the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 commencing 21 May 2014. Council has continued to revise and improve The Strategic Traffic Model, Mooloolaba Local Area Traffic Model the preferred layout for the Mooloolaba Transport Corridor.

At the 19 July 2018 Ordinary Meeting the following were adopted:

the refinement of the Mooloolaba Local Area Model
the preferred layout and construction staging.

Public consultation for the Brisbane Road upgrade began in 2003 as part of the Mooloolaba Integrated Land Use and Transport Assessment Study. This involved both a community forum and feedback analysis. Public participation has indicated an understanding of the need for future transport planning and broad community support for the Corridor upgrade. Council has engaged with Mooloolaba:

households
local businesses
affected land holders and
interested parties.

Engagement was via newsletters, media releases and council’s website. Improvement of the Mooloolaba Transport Corridor has had increased public enquiry and comments. Over the last four year period stakeholder engagement has been undertaken. As a part of the Mooloolaba Master Plan process over 3000 participants were involved.

Further community consultation on trunk transport corridors was undertaken in 2018 as part of the Local Government Infrastructure Plan public consultation phase across the Sunshine Coast region.