Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The residents in my electorate of Ryan are sick and tired of the traffic congestion they experience in the western suburbs of Brisbane. During my tenure previously as a local councillor and then prior to last year's election, I promised to fix local roads and bust urban congestion so that constituents in my electorate could get home to their families sooner and safer. I'm pleased my residents have seen the fruits of this advocacy, with yet another congestion-busting announcement for our area in this week's federal budget.

As part of the 2020 budget, the Morrison government has committed $112 million in federal funding to upgrade the Centenary Motorway for the residents of Ryan. This will see 650 jobs created and work alongside the commitment of the state LNP team to bust congestion on this busy major arterial road. The collaboration between me and the local LNP state member for Moggill, Dr Christian Rowan, to secure hundreds of millions of dollars to fix the Centenary Motorway and bust congestion is a testament to what can be achieved when the LNP works together at different levels of government.

Just over a year from the last election, the Ryan electorate now has a comprehensive plan to fix our local roads and reduce congestion, with $112 million for the Centenary Motorway, $50 million for the Indooroopilly roundabout upgrade, $12.5 million for the Kenmore roundabout upgrade, $1.4 million for the intersection at Sir Fred Schonell Drive, $700,000 to upgrade the Gresham Street bridge at The Gap and $11.7 million to Brisbane City Council to upgrade our local roads and improve safety. It is now important that the state government and local council get on with the job of helping us fix these local roads.

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