Cunningham Highway – Yamanto Interchange to Ebenezer Creek
The Cunningham Highway is a key interstate freight corridor that forms part of the Sydney to Brisbane inland corridor. It is part of the National Land Transport Network, and plays a significant role in transporting people and freight to and from Brisbane and the Port of Brisbane from the west. It records 2,700 heavy vehicle movements per day.
With the construction of the Port of Brisbane Motorway, and the recent upgrading of the Gateway Motorway South and the western Ipswich Motorway, the Cunningham Highway at Amberley is one of the few remaining ‘pinch points’ for interstate freight along the western corridor.
The identified ‘pinch point’ is the intersection of the Cunningham Highway and the Ipswich Rosewood Road. It results in high levels of congestion, particularly during
the morning peak. Preliminary modelling suggests that the current direct cost of congestion at this location is approximately $45 million per year.
The material impacts of the problem include declining levels of service, which reduces freight efficiency and through-traffic movements, as well as potentially limiting major developments planned for the area.
The intersection does not meet current design standards, resulting in significantly higher than average crash rates. These problems are likely to worsen in the face of the significant population and freight growth expected in the region.
The proposal involves upgrades to a 4.75 km section of the Cunningham Highway between Warwick Road at Yamanto and Ebenezer Creek, including the Amberley Interchange. Specific capital works include a major off-line deviation with grade separation for the Amberley Interchange, additional capacity at the Amberley Interchange off-ramp, and a new service road between Coopers Road and Yamanto.
The Australian and Queensland Governments have committed $20 million (on a 80:20 basis) to plan upgrades to the Cunningham Highway. The proponent is finalising the priority planning projects to be funded under this commitment.
A commitment of $1.65 million has already been made for the development of a business case for Cunningham Highway (Ipswich - Warwick) and Ipswich - Rosewood Road intersection.
A business case for Yamanto Interchange to Ebenezer Creek was submitted to Infrastructure Australia by the Queensland Government for evaluation in 2017. This was then withdrawn in July 2018 due to the Queensland Government’s reassessment of priorities within the corridor.
The proponent will complete business cases for various upgrades to the Cunningham Highway and submit them to Infrastructure Australia where more than $250 in Australian Government funding is being sought.
Refer to Infrastructure Glossary for terms and definitions.