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FAQs

1. What is the Sundale Bridge and Waterways Drive Upgrade?

The $34 million Sundale Bridge and Waterways Drive Upgrade will increase network capacity and improve traffic flow along the popular route connecting Main Beach and Southport.

We’ll do this by:

• Upgrading the Gold Coast Highway to a continuous three lane northbound road from Tedder Avenue through to Ada Bell Way. This includes demolishing the old pedestrian path on the Sundale Bridge to provide a third northbound lane.

• Adding a third southbound lane on the Gold Coast Highway from Waterways Drive to Tedder Avenue.

• Adding a third right-turn lane from Waterways Drive onto Gold Coast Highway.

• Extending the second eastbound lane on Waterways Drive through to the Seaworld Drive intersection.

• Adding a signalised pedestrian crossing on Macarthur Parade (near the Southport Yacht Club).

• Upgrading the Main Beach Parade and Waterways Drive intersection.

• Changing the Macarthur Parade and Seaworld Drive roundabout to a signalised T-intersection.

This project is part of our ongoing investment in our road network.

2. Why is this project needed? Our priority is to ensure that we have the transport infrastructure, sustainable travel options and traffic flow solutions in place to support the city’s continued productivity and growth.

We’re making these improvements in the heart of the Gold Coast so you can spend less time on the road, and more time enjoying our beautiful city. Currently, drivers are experiencing delays of up to 35 minutes travelling from The Spit to Southport during peak times. Without intervention, by 2041 peak travel time is expected to increase to around two hours.

Once the Sundale Bridge and Waterways Drive Upgrade is delivered, it’s projected that trips from The Spit to Southport will take around eight minutes during peak times.

3. Are you upgrading Waterways Drive to support The Spit Masterplan?

The Sundale Bridge and Waterways Drive Upgrade aims to increase network capacity for trips from The Spit to Southport to meet current demand and reduce peak travel time from 35 minutes to around eight minutes. The project also supports The Spit Masterplan.

The City has worked closely with the State Government on The Spit Masterplan to ensure a coordinated and considered approach to addressing the needs of the road network.

4. How will the community benefit from this project?

Community benefits include:

• improved traffic flow, reduced congestion and greater network capacity

• improved road safety.

5. How much will the project cost? The total project cost is $34 million. This includes the bridge and road works.

6. When is construction happening? Works started late-August 2019 with completion scheduled for late-2021. To minimise impacts, the project will be delivered in stages. We’ll do our best to let you know of upcoming changes by updating our website regularly. You can also sign up to receive updates straight to your inbox via the website.

7. Who is delivering the project? The City of Gold Coast is undertaking the road works and acting as the Principal Contractor to ensure the smooth coordination of the project. Various contractors will be procured to support delivery.

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FAQs

8. Why is the project focussed on northbound improvements?

Our priority is to ensure that we have the transport infrastructure, sustainable travel options and traffic flow solutions in place to support the city’s continued productivity and growth.

Currently, drivers heading northbound are experiencing delays of up to 35 minutes travelling from The Spit to Southport during peak times. Without intervention, by 2041 peak travel time is expected to increase to around two hours.

Once the Sundale Bridge and Waterways Drive Upgrade is delivered, it’s projected that trips from The Spit to Southport will take around eight minutes during peak times.

9. Why is the additional bridge lane northbound?

The additional lane on the bridge is northbound as:

• it is a critical part of the capacity improvements aimed at clearing traffic faster off Waterways Drive to reduce peak travel times for trips from The Spit to Southport

• northbound traffic volumes are higher than southbound for most of the day.

10. Are you improving southbound traffic on the Gold Coast Highway?

We’re improving southbound traffic by:

• Allowing more green time for southbound drivers on the Gold Coast Highway: clearing northbound traffic faster off Waterways Drive enables us to allocate more green time for cars heading south on the Gold Coast Highway. This will help to keep southbound traffic moving.

• Removing the merge on the Gold Coast Highway between Waterways Drive and Tedder Avenue: we’re adding a third southbound lane on the Gold Coast Highway between Waterways Drive and Tedder Avenue. This removes the merge and improves traffic flow by providing three continuous southbound lanes from the bridge through to Tedder Avenue.

• Removing the merge on Waterways Drive (eastbound): extending the second eastbound lane from mid-Waterways Drive through to the Seaworld Drive intersection provides two continuous eastbound lanes along this route. Removing the merge will help keep eastbound traffic moving and reduce delays for drivers turning left into Waterways Drive from the Gold Coast Highway.

11. Are you building a new Sundale Bridge? We are not building a new bridge.

12. How are you creating an additional lane on the Sundale Bridge?

We are not changing the width of the bridge or modifying the structure. The additional northbound lane will be accommodated within the existing bridge sub-structure.

To create space for the additional lane, we are:

• Removing the kerb on the eastern side that makes up the old pedestrian path (cyclists and pedestrians can continue to use the adjacent 5 metre wide green bridge).

• Reconfiguring the lanes and line markings. Lane widths will be reduced slightly and the shoulder reduced from 1.0 metre to 0.5 metres in both directions.

13. Are you adding contra flow lights on the bridge?

Contra flow lights are not being added to the bridge as part of this project.

14. Why didn’t you extend the bridge five years ago when you built the new bridge?

The bridge built five years ago was for the light rail connection. The light rail project (including the light rail bridge west of the Sundale Bridge and the green bridge on the eastern side) was led and delivered by the Queensland State Government. These bridges are not impacted by this project.

With the green bridge helping pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the Nerang River, we’re able to demolish the old redundant pedestrian path (on Sundale Bridge) to create the third northbound lane on the Sundale Bridge.

The Sundale Bridge and Waterways Drive Upgrade helps to reduce peak travel time to meet current as well as future demand for the area. It’s all part our vision outlined in the Gold Coast City Transport Strategy 2031.

15. Why aren’t you rebuilding the Jubilee Bridge?

The current project provides a cost effective and efficient solution to address the congestion issue on Waterways Drive. Our investigations have shown that the packages of work being delivered as part of this project will reduce peak travel time from The Spit to Southport to around eight minutes.

16. What are you doing to ease congestion past the bridge?

To help keep northbound traffic moving beyond the bridge, we’re creating a third northbound lane on the Gold Coast Highway from Australia Fair to North Street. Works will be delivered in stages to minimise impacts.

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FAQs

17. How are you creating the additional space on Waterways Drive?

We will be mainly utilising the road reserve (green space) located between Waterways Drive and Rankin Parade to create the extra lane. Minor widening on the Broadwater side of Waterways Drive will also occur in the vicinity of Main Beach Parade intersection. There will be a temporary removal of cycle lanes on Waterways Drive while we are widening the road. Once the project is delivered, there will be dedicated cycle lanes on Waterways Drive.

18. Will local parks stay open to the public during works?

Hollindale, Proud and The Old Sea Wall Beach (OSWB) Park will remain open to the public but sections will be closed off at times to enable works. Hollindale and OSWB Park will also house a site compound during works.

19. Will there be a U-turn facility at the new T-intersection?

There will not be a U-turn facility at the new intersection. However, the signalised traffic lights will provide a clear break in the traffic (i.e. when the lights are red for drivers on Seaworld Drive) making it safer for people exiting the Southport Yacht Club to turn right directly onto Macarthur Parade.

20. Will I be able to turn right out of the Southport Yacht Club onto Macarthur Parade?

You will continue to be able to turn right out of the Southport Yacht Club onto Macarthur Parade. This will be made safer with the introduction of signalised traffic lights as there will be a clear break in the traffic when the lights are red for drivers on Seaworld Drive.

21. Are you closing the road during construction?

Road access will be maintained during construction so you can continue to enjoy the beautiful beaches and destinations in the area. Just allow a little more travel time as there will be traffic management in place.

Although there are no planned road closures, some lane closures will be required at times. For up-to-date impacts and traffic changes visit the project web page. We’ll do our best to let you know of upcoming changes by updating it regularly. You can also sign up to receive updates straight to your inbox.

22. Can I still cycle across the Nerang River?

Due to on-road traffic volumes and constraints, cyclists will be encouraged to use the off-road shared path network (the adjacent green bridge) to cross the Nerang River. The green

bridge provides a safe shared path for both pedestrians and cyclists. Confident cyclists can continue to use the traffic lanes.

23. Are you improving active transport? We’re improving the active transport network by expanding the off-road pedestrian and bike paths with a new shared path from the Gold Coast Highway to Main Beach Parade. The path will be located in the green space between Waterways Drive and Rankin Parade. There will also be an upgrade of the pathways on Macarthur Parade between Main Beach Parade and Stafford Avenue.

We’re also building a new 3 metre wide shared path from Tedder Avenue to Waterways Drive. It will run along the western side of Helen Park making it even easier for locals and commuters to walk or cycle from the Tedder Avenue light rail station to the waterfront. The existing leisurely path that meanders through the trees will be retained.

To improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians, the two existing signalised pedestrian crossings on Waterways Drive will be maintained and we’re also adding two signalised crossings on Macarthur Parade: one near the Southport Yacht Club and the other at the new signalised T-intersection (which is replacing the roundabout at the Macarthur Parade and Seaworld Drive intersection).

To help keep traffic moving, the two new pedestrian crossings will be synchronised to ensure that pedestrians and cyclists can safely cross the road without slowing up drivers with an additional red light.

24. Are you improving safety on the Gold Coast Highway between Waterways Drive and Tedder Avenue to stop the hooning?

We are improving safety by:

• reducing the speed limit from 70km to 60km per hour • adding a third lane (and removing the merge) in both

directions between Tedder Avenue and Waterways Drive

• providing more green time on the Gold Coast Highway by flushing people off Waterways Drive faster

While the improvements are mainly to improve network capacity and safety, removing the merge will hopefully reduce the incentive for drivers to hoon at the intersection as they try to make the green light.

25. Can I still access Waterways Drive during works?

Access will be maintained at all times during construction so you can continue to enjoy our beautiful beaches and destinations in the area. Just allow a little more travel time.

For up-to-date impacts and traffic changes visit the project web page. We’ll do our best to let you know of upcoming changes

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FAQs

by updating it regularly. You can also sign up to receive updates straight to your inbox via the website.

26. What’s changing during construction? Access will be maintained at all times during construction so you can continue to enjoy our beautiful beaches and destinations in the area. Just allow a little more travel time as there will be traffic management in place.

For up-to-date impacts and traffic changes visit the project web page. We’ll do our best to let you know of upcoming changes by updating it regularly. You can also sign up to receive updates straight to your inbox via the website.

27. Will you be working during the Christmas holiday period?

We've scheduled works outside of peak months to minimise disruption. So we will not be doing road works from December to January.

28. Are you working during the school holidays?

We are committed to minimising disruption as much as possible. This includes not working on weekends or from December to January. We will avoid major works during school holiday periods but will need to be doing some works to enable project delivery in approximately two years. We will do our best to reduce disruption during school holidays by doing lower impact works.

29. Are you removing any trees? To deliver the project, we’ll need to remove some trees. A substantial effort has been made to minimise the environmental impact including consulting with an arborist, removing the minimum number of trees and undertaking compensatory planting.

30. Will the bridge works impact watercraft use on the Nerang River?

Watercraft access on the Nerang River will be maintained, however while we’re working on the bridge there’ll be a clearance zone to ensure safety.

31. Can I still access the boat ramp off Waterways Drive?

The boat ramp off Waterways Drive will remain open to the public but a section of the carpark will house a site compound during works.

32. Are there any changes to parking? At times some parking spaces will be temporarily impacted to enable works. We are doing our best to keep parking spaces free during construction by providing a number of dedicated parking spaces for construction staff.

A few unmarked bays located in the shoulder on Macarthur Parade (near the Southport Surf Life Saving Club) will be

permanently impacted when the Macarthur Parade/Seaworld Drive roundabout gets converted to a signalised T-intersection.

33. Are there any changes to public transport?

Light rail, bus and ferry services are not impacted by the project. Contact Translink on 13 12 30 for bus and light rail services, and hopo.com.au for ferries.

34. Will there be additional noise from the works?

During construction there’ll be general noise and dust near the works area. While we’re removing the kerb from the old pedestrian path on the bridge, the noise will be significantly louder but limited to daytime hours. We’ll monitor this closely and do our best minimise it.

35. When will workers be on-site? Workers will be on site Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm. We're planning to avoid working on weekends when the area is at its busiest. However, at times we’ll need to work outside of these hours and into the evening to complete the works safely and reduce the impact on road users. We’ll let you know in advance of any night works in your area. We thank you for your patience.

36. Where can I get more information? • Visit the dedicated project page

cityofgoldcoast.com.au/sundalebridge • You can also sign up for updates via the project page. • If you have specific questions or concerns about the project

please email sundalebridge@goldcoast.qld.gov.au or phone 1300 465 326.