Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

This month saw the release of plans for the Green Camp Road corridor upgrade at Wakerley. I have spoken many times here about this project. That's because it is such a huge win for my electorate. Green Camp Road carries 30,000 vehicles every day. This part of the road network will no longer grind to a halt at peak times, thanks to this vital project. The upcoming works to widen Green Camp Road to at least four lanes between Rickertt Road and Manly Road as well as upgrade the Tilley Road and Rickertt Road intersections will drastically improve peak-hour commute times for thousands of my constituents.

Earlier this month, I joined Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and local councillors Adrian Schrinner and Ryan Murphy to unveil details of the project. Brisbane City Council is investing $18 million to tackle traffic congestion along Green Camp Road. Thanks to a further $10 million contribution from the coalition government, the scope of the project has been increased to also include capacity and safety upgrades at the Rickertt Road intersection. Construction is expected to start mid-2018 and to be completed in late 2019. It will include: two through-lanes in each direction on Green Camp Road from Manly Road to approximately 180 metres past the Rickertt Road intersection; three through-lanes on Green Camp Road's northbound carriageway at the Tilley Road intersection; signalisation at the Green Camp Road and Tilley Road intersection; the Tilley Road intersection approach widened, with one left-turn and one right-turn lane; two through-lanes on Rickertt Road in each direction over a distance of 200 metres from the Green Camp Road intersection; the Rickertt Road intersection approach widened, with a separate left-turn lane and two right-turn lanes; a new on-road cycling lane and an off-road shared pathway; and raising Green Camp Road and upgrading culverts to improve drainage and flood immunity.

The Green Camp Road corridor upgrade will reduce motorists' commute times up to 50 per cent in the mornings and 35 per cent in the afternoons. It will cut down long peak-hour queues on Rickertt Road and Tilley Road and reduce congestion not only on Green Camp Road but on the arterial roads across the eastern roads network. More importantly, it will deliver safety improvements for thousands of commuters who travel through the area.

I applaud the Brisbane City Council's vision and commitment to deliver this infrastructure that will help meet the needs of future generations. I also thank the Minister for Urban Infrastructure, the Hon. Paul Fletcher, and the member for Bowman, my good friend Dr Andrew Laming, for their hard work in securing the federal government's additional $10 million investment. This upgrade wouldn't have been possible without valuable feedback from the public. That is why I'm encouraging my constituents to share their ideas for other vital upgrades in our area by filling out my online infrastructure survey. I appreciate their comments so far which will help secure more important projects for Bonner in the future.

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