Pacific Motorway M1 Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes upgrade

We have delivered an upgrade of the M1 between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes to reduce travel time and congestion, improve safety, and increase traffic flow. Interchange enhancements have improved access on and off the motorway.

The Pacific Motorway (M1) upgrade between Mudgeeraba (Exit 79) and Varsity Lakes (Exit 85) has provided additional capacity to meet current and future traffic demands. 

On average, the 4-lane section of the motorway between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes carries more than 80,000 vehicles per day, a volume which exceeds practical capacity. Traffic on this section of the M1 is growing and expected to exceed 120,000 vehicles per day by 2026. 

Fly-through video

Video Transcript
Super: Getting you home sooner
V/O (to 22 second transition): The Queensland and Federal Governments are upgrading the Pacific Motorway – or M1 - between Mudgeeraba (Exit 79) and Varsity Lakes (Exit 85). This upgrade is designed to meet current and future traffic demands and includes new bridges, new barriers and improvements to major interchanges.

(From Mudgeeraba Overpass super transition)
Super: Future proofing your M1 journey
V/O: The M1 is the busiest road in our State and is a vital transport link between Queensland and the southern states. This section of the M1 carries over 80,000 vehicles per day. This M1 upgrade will reduce travel time and congestion, improve safety and increase traffic flow. Access on and off the M1 will be improved and allow for better connectivity to your suburb.

(to start between Exit 79 super and Linkway super)
Super: New structures and connectivity
V/O: New bridge structures over Mudgeeraba Creek will not only increase the capacity in what has been a notorious pinch point on the southern M1 journey, but will also protect this section of the M1 during times of flood.

Super: Making access to the M1 safer
V/O: There will also be extensions to on and off-ramps and enhancements at busy interchanges that will ensure access to the M1 is hassle free and safer than ever.

Super: more space = more reliability
Super 2: giving you travel time reliability
V/O: These additional lanes will increase capacity and traffic flow and will allow you to arrive home sooner and in a more reliable timeframe.


Super: Managed Motorways technologies
V/O: During the project, provisions for new smart technologies known as Managed Motorways will be installed. These smart technologies will allow for the management of traffic flows via variable speed limits and control the flow of traffic at interchanges via ramp metering.

Super: connectivity to the suburbs
V/O: By upgrading the Stapley Drive interchange you’ll find easier access to the surrounding suburbs of the M1, keeping you connected to the places you love.

Super: Building a better M1
V/O: Jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, this upgrade is currently under construction.
It is expected to be complete by mid-2020, making your travel on the M1 smoother, more reliable and safer than ever before.

Benefits

  • Improves safety
  • Reduces travel time
  • Contributes to economy
  • Increases capacity
  • Improves network efficiency

Key features

Widening a 5.7km section of the motorway to: 
  • 3 lanes in each direction between Mudgeeraba (Exit 79) and Varsity Lakes (Exit 85) 
  • 4 lanes northbound between Robina (Exit 82) and just south of Mudgeeraba (Exit 79) 
  • Extending entry ramps and exit ramps to meet current design standards 
  • Reconstructing the Mudgeeraba Creek and Mudgeeraba Creek overflow bridges on the northbound side to better withstand flood events 
  • Removing the right turn movement from The Link Way (Exit 80) off-ramp to The Link Way/Railway Street northbound to improve safety 
  • A new wider bridge for Stapley Drive 
  • Combining the southbound exit ramps to Stapley Drive and Reedy Creek Road 
  • New 'smart motorways' technologies.

Funding

Jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments.

Total investment
$218.5 million
Australian Government
$110 million
Queensland Government
$108.5 million

Traffic information   

Possible short-term closures and speed reductions in the next few week to test new variable speed limit signs. 

The project team would like to thank motorists and residents for their patience. 

Stapley Drive timelapse video

Video Transcript

Mudgeeraba Creek overflow timelapse video

Video Transcript

A timelapse video of the construction of the Mudgeeraba Creek overflow bridge that includes information about the bridge's deck units.

Bridge decks form the surface of a bridge, and the deck units for this particular bridge weighed 10 tonnes each and spanned over 12 metres in length.

A 110-tonne crane was required to lift each individual deck into place, which took around one week to complete.