Pacific Motorway Upgrade M1 M3 Gateway merge

Construction to upgrade the M1/M3 Gateway merge to improve safety and reduce peak hour congestion was completed in May 2020.

We are delivering upgrades to the Pacific Motorway. The southbound lanes near the Gateway Motorway merge at Eight Mile Plains had experienced high levels of congestion for years. This section of motorway had been operating over capacity during the afternoon peak resulting in significant delays and unreliable travel times. The M1/M3 Gateway merge upgrade project was undertaken to alleviate these issues.

Pacific Motorway M1 M3 Gateway merge flythrough

Video Transcript

The Queensland and federal governments are helping you to spend less time in the car and more time doing the things you love by upgrading the Pacific Motorway at the M1 M3 gateway merge.

Currently this section of the M1 accommodates almost 150,000 vehicles per day making it one of the busiest sections of the motorway in southeast Queensland.

This upgrade will increase public transport travel reliability with better connections resulting in more reliable travel times.

The installation of smart technologies known as managed motorways will more effectively manage the flow of motorway traffic ensuring that traffic keeps moving and you get to your destination on time.

We're increasing the current capacity and safety of entry and exit to the motorway by replacing the current two-lane overpass with a four-lane overpass at Underwood Road by realigning and signalizing the intersection at Eight Mile Plains State School.

Travel to and from school will be safer for your family.

A new on-ramp dedicated to buses will allow for increased travel reliability not just throughout the project zone but across the public transport network by adding up to five southbound lanes between Eight Mile Plains and Roachdale.

This upgrade increases the capacity of the M1 and offers motorists a quicker safer and less congested journey.

This 190 million dollar upgrade is currently under construction and is expected to be complete by mid 2020.

We are working hard to bring you more reliable motorway travel.

We are getting you where you need to be on time.

Benefits

  • Improves safety
  • Increases capacity
  • Improves network efficiency
  • Increases traffic flow
  • Reduces peak hour congestion
  • Reduces interchange queuing
  • Better road access
  • Reduces travel time

Key features

  • Up to 5 southbound lanes on the Pacific Motorway between Eight Mile Plains and Rochedale South (Exit 19)
  • the relocation of the existing bus entry from the Eight Mile Plains Bus Station onto the Pacific Motorway
  • replacement of the Underwood Road bridge to a new 4 lane overpass
  • smart motorway technologies from Klumpp Road to Rochedale Road.

Funding

This amount has been outlined in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program 2019-20 to 2022-23.

Total investment
$195.3 million
Australian Government
$115 million
Queensland Government
$80.3 million
Pacific Motorway M1 M3 Gateway merge project map

M1 M3 Gateway merge to the Pacific Motorway project map

Current status

The congestion-busting, $195.3 million upgrade of the M1/M3 Gateway Merge at Eight Mile Plains was completed, ahead of schedule, in May 2020.