The Pacific Motorway is a motorway in Australia between Brisbane, Queensland, and Brunswick Heads, New South Wales, through the New South Wales–Queensland border at Tweed Heads.
Pacific Motorway –New South Wales | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Motorway |
| Length | 158 km (98 mi) |
| Route number(s) |
 M1 M1 |
| Former route number |
 Metroad 3 National Route 1 Alternate National Route 1 National Route 1 (1955–2013) |
| Major junctions | |
| North end |  Inner City Bypass |
 Gateway Motorway Logan Motorway Gold Coast Highwayfor full list see exits. | |
| South end | Pacific Highway Brunswick Heads |
| Location(s) | |
| Major suburbs / towns |
|
| Highway system | |
The motorway starts at Coronation DriveatMilton in Brisbane, The Brisbane city section of the motorway is often referred to by its former name, the Riverside Expressway. The motorway is about 150 kilometres (93 mi) long, and features eight traffic lanes with a 110 km/h (68 mph) speed limit between the M6 Logan Motorway and Smith Street Motorway and generally six or four lanes at 100 km/h (62 mph) on other sections. The motorway passes through the major tourist region of the Gold Coast, the destination for most of the vehicular traffic from Brisbane. More than A$2 billion was spent on the motorway between 1990 and 1998, including widening the road and safety measures.
The motorway passes Gold Coast attractions such as Warner Bros. Movie World, Wet'n'Wild Water World, and Dreamworld, which are among the most popular theme parks in Australia.[citation needed] Since 2008 the motorway connects with the Tweed Heads bypass in New South Wales.
There are also plans to progressively widen the four lane section from NerangtoTugun to six lanes. The first section of this upgrade (Nerang to Varsity Lakes) was completed in May 2012. Planning is ongoing for the remaining section of the upgrade (Varsity Lakes to Tugun).[1]
The highest point of the motorway is 92 metres (302 ft) AHD on a cutting 130 km (81 mi) south of Brisbane (between Cudgera Creek Rd and Sleepy Hollow Rest Area).[2]
The first section, opened in Brisbane in November 1972, was originally known as the Southeast Freeway.[3] It included the Riverside Expressway which was designed to alleviate traffic congestion in central Brisbane. The Southeast Freeway was connected to the Pacific HighwayatSpringwood in 1985.[3] The Southeast Freeway was designated originally as the F3, but this nomenclature was removed in 1994.
On 15 April 1996 it was announced that the Pacific Highway between the intersection with the Logan Motorway and Nerang would be upgraded to motorway standard.[4] From the Albert RiveratBeenleigh to Coombabah Creek at Gaven, about 28 km (17 mi), the road surface is portland cement concrete. The upgraded road was opened to the public in October 2000.[4]
In March 2006, the Queensland Government released planning for substantial changes to the section between Springwood and Daisy Hill, mainly at the entrances and exits along the section to deal with substantial traffic problems on surrounding streets and traffic backups onto the motorway. The planned upgrade led to some popular protest, mainly by people whose homes would be resumed for the project. Construction of the upgrade commenced in November 2009 and was completed in November 2012.[5]
The Tugun Bypass was completed in 2008. It has four lanes (two in each direction in 2008 and provision for six lane widening in the future). Widening from four lanes to six lanes is planned for 2025.[6]
Below is an overview of when each construction project on the highway (later motorway) was completed (from earliest to latest):
| Project | Length (km) | Construction dates | Value | Status | Description | Distance from Brisbane (km) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | End | ||||||
| Watland Street to Sports Drive.[29] | November 2020 | $750 million | Under construction | Provide additional lanes | |||
| Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway.[30] | $1 billion | In planning | Increase capacity | ||||
| Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill.[31] | Mid 2022 | $750 million | Under construction | Rochedale bus station and park 'n' ride | |||
The NSW section of the Pacific Motorway to Brunswick Heads is part of the Pacific Highway upgrade from the Queensland border to Ballina. It was renamed to Pacific Motorway from Pacific Highway in February 2013.[32][33]
The motorway's first stage was completed in July 1985 with the opening of the first stage of the Tweed Heads Bypass, followed by the second stage in November 1992.[34] Over the next 20 years, sections of the motorway progressively opened to traffic, until the final section, the Banora Point upgrade, opened in September 2012.[35] For more comprehensive information on this section of motorway, see the Ozroads website.
Below is an overview of when each stage of the motorway was completed (from south to north):
| Southern terminus | Northern terminus | Distance | Date completed | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km | mi | ||||
| Tyagarah | Ewingsdale | 16 October 1998 | Realignment[36] | ||
| Tandys Lane bypass | 19 December 2001 | Bypass[37] | |||
| Yelgun | Brunswick Heads | 11 July 2007 | Realignment[38] | ||
| Chinderah | Yelgun | 6 August 2002 | Included the Cudgen Road Tunnel[39] | ||
| Chinderah bypass | 29 November 1996 | Included the Barneys Point Bridge[40] | |||
| Banora Point upgrade | 22 September 2012 | ||||
| Minjungbal Drive | Kennedy Drive | 14 November 1992 | Tweed Heads bypass | ||
| Kennedy Drive | Tugun bypass | 18 July 1985 | |||
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The Pacific Motorway, when it was upgraded in September 2000, was the first motorway in Queensland to have service centres integrated. There are two service centres, Stapylton servicing southbound traffic, and Coomera servicing northbound traffic. The travel centres include fuel and fast-food restaurants, picnic areas and a shop. Solar panels on the roofs of the centres provide power to the facilities.
| Southern terminus | Northern terminus | Speed limit | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| km/h | mph | |||
| Tyagarah | Chinderah | 110 | 68 | Some variance |
| Chinderah | Gaven | 100 | 62 | Crosses the state border |
| Gaven | Beenleigh | 110 | 68 | |
| Beenleigh | Greenslopes | 100 | 62 | |
| Greenslopes | Vulture Street, Woolloongabba | 90 | 56 | |
| Vulture Street, Woolloongabba | Elizabeth Street (CBD) | 80 | 50 | Concurrency with the Riverside Expressway |
| Elizabeth Street (CBD) | Herschel Street (CBD) | 70 | 43 | |
| Herschel Street (CBD) | Hale Street (CBD) | 60 | 37 | |
There is a fixed speed camera on the Pacific Motorway at Tarragindi, facing northbound. There is another at Loganholme just after the Logan Motorway exit facing northbound.[41] A third set of speed cameras, situated on the northbound side of the motorway at the Smith Street overpass at Gaven, became active around March 2013.[42][43]
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Yatala to Coolangatta is within the City of Gold Coast. The city has a population of 500,000 and is Australia's sixth-largest city. The oceanside parts of the Gold Coast are characterised by high-rises, residential canal developments, a casino, theme parks, amusement parks and numerous tourist attractions, whilst its inland suburbs are leafy and well kept, looking much like the newer suburbia of other large Australian cities. The Gold Coast attracts tourists from around the world and is one of Australia's leading tourist destinations. Most of the city is bypassed by the Pacific Motorway (M1 Motorway) which continues from Metroad 3atLogan City south of Brisbane. The former route of the Pacific Highway through the Gold Coast has been renamed as the Gold Coast Highway. The Gold Coast Highway was very congested until the Tugun Bypass opened in June 2008 bypassing a badly traffic snarled section near the Gold Coast Airport.
The highway crosses the Tweed River south of Banora Point. Tweed Heads is the major commercial centre of the southern part of the Gold Coast, which extends as far south as Chinderah in New South Wales. It was known as a "twin town" along with Coolangatta, Queensland before they coalesced with other towns to form the suburbia of the Gold Coast. The Tweed River valley contains the Cudgen Road Tunnel completed in 2002. The tunnel was built to avoid the visual impact of a road cutting.
| LGA | Location | km[44] | mi | Destinations[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byron | Brunswick Heads | 0 | 0.0 | Gulgan Road [west] – Mullumbimby | Partial Dumbbell interchange |
| 3.0 | 1.9 | Old Pacific Highway / Gulgan Road – Brunswick Heads | Dumbbell interchange | ||
| 6.0 | 3.7 | Old Pacific Highway | Dumbbell interchange | ||
| Brunswick River | 6.2 | 3.9 | Matthew Devine Bridge | ||
| Byron | Billinudgel | 10.0 | 6.2 | Wilfred Street – Ocean Shores, Billinudgel | Northbound exit and entrance to the west only |
| 11.5 | 7.1 |  Tweed Valley Way / Brunswick Valley Way (Tourist Route 40) – Yelgun | Trumpet interchange, with partial dumbbell | ||
| Tweed | Cudgera Creek | 24.5 | 15.2 | Cudgera Creek Road – Cudgera Creek, Pottsville, Hastings Point | Diamond interchange |
| Clothiers Creek | 31.5 | 19.6 | Clothiers Creek Road – Clothiers Creek, Tanglewood, Bogangar | ||
| Cudgen Road (no access) | 37.1 | 23.1 | Cudgen Road Tunnel | ||
| Tweed | Chinderah | 40.0 | 24.9 | Tweed Valley Way (Tourist Route 40) – Tumbulgum, Condong, Murwillumbah | Trumpet interchange |
| 43.0 | 26.7 | Chinderah Road / Tweed Coast Road – Chinderah, Kingscliff | Grade-separated roundabout interchange | ||
| 44.6 | 27.7 | Waugh Street – Chinderah | Northbound exit and entrance to the west only | ||
| 45.3 | 28.1 | Chinderah Bay Drive / Fingal Road – Chinderah, Fingal Head | Southbound exit and entrance only; trumpet interchange | ||
| Tweed River | 45.7 | 28.4 | Barneys Point Bridge | ||
| Tweed | Banora Point | 46.5 | 28.9 | Sexton Hill Drive – Banora Point, Terranora | Trumpet interchange |
| 47.0 | 29.2 | Wilsons Park Tunnel | |||
| 48.0 | 29.8 | Mingjunbal Drive / Sexton Hill Drive – Banora Point, Tweed Heads South | Trumpet interchange | ||
| Tweed | Tweed Heads | 49.7 | 30.9 | Kirkwood Road – Tweed Heads South | Southbound exit and southbound entrance only |
| Terranora Creek | 50.6 | 31.4 | Bridge over the creek (bridge name unknown) | ||
| Tweed | Tweed Heads | 51.2 | 31.8 | Kennedy Drive – Tweed Heads, Tweed Heads West | Dogbone interchange |
| 52.0 | 32.3 |  Gold Coast Highway (Queensland State Route 2) – Coolangatta, Gold Coast, Gold Coast Airport | Diamond interchange | ||
| Tweed Heads West | 52.9 | 32.9 | Tunnel under airport runway | ||
| 55.4 | 34.4 | Pacific Motorway (M1) | Northern terminus in New South Wales; road continues in Queensland as the Pacific Motorway (M1) | ||
| New South Wales – Queensland state border | New South Wales – Queensland state border | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
| LGA | Location | km[45] | mi | Exit[b] | Destinations[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales – Queensland state border | 0.0 | 0.0 | New South Wales – Queensland state border | Continues from 55.4km above | ||
| Gold Coast | Currumbin Waters | 3.1 | 1.9 | 95 | Stewart Road – west – to Currumbin Creek Road (State Route 98) – Currumbin Valley Tugun – Currumbin Road – east – Tugun | Diamond interchange connects to Gold Coast Highway (State Route 2) |
| Currumbin Creek | 4.4 | 2.7 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Gold Coast | Palm Beach | 4.5 | 2.8 | 93 | K.P. McGrath Drive / Sarawak Avenue – Elanora, Palm Beach, Currumbin | |
| 5.9 | 3.7 | 92 | Palm Beach Avenue – Palm Beach, Elanora | |||
| Tallebudgera Creek | 8.4 | 5.2 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Gold Coast | Tallebudgera | 8.7 | 5.4 | 89 | Tallebudgera Creek Road – Tallebudgera | Modified trumpet interchange |
| Burleigh Heads | 10.9 | 6.8 | 87 |  Southport–Burleigh Road (formerly Bermuda Street) (State Route 3) – Southport, Reedy Creek | Diverging Diamond Interchange | |
| Reedy Creek | 13.0 | 8.1 | 85 |  Burleigh Connection Road (State Route 80) – Burleigh Heads, Reedy Creek, Varsity Lakes | Modified trumpet interchange | |
| Robina | 16.1 | 10.0 | 82 |  Robina Parkway (State Route 7) – Clear Island Waters | Diamond interchange | |
| Mudgeeraba Creek | 16.6 | 10.3 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Gold Coast | Mudgeeraba | 17.4 | 10.8 | 80 | The Link Way to  Gold Coast – Springbrook Road (State Route 99) – Mudgeeraba, Springbrook National Park | Northbound exit only via a slip lane |
| Robina | 18.3 | 11.4 | 79 |  Mudgeeraba Road (State Route 42) – Gilston | Modified dumbbell interchange | |
| Worongary | 21.0 | 13.0 | 77 |  Mudgeeraba Road (State Route 50) – south – Mudgeeraba Gooding Drive (State Route 50) – east – Carrara | Grade-separated dumbbell interchange | |
| 22.8 | 14.2 | 75 | Elysium Road | Grade-separated dumbbell interchange | ||
| Highland Park | 24.8 | 15.4 | 73 | Alexander Drive – west – Highland Park Nielsens Road – east – Carrara | ||
| Nerang | 29.9 | 18.6 | 72 | Pappas Way – Highland Park, Carrara | Formerly exit 71A | |
| 31.5 | 19.6 | 71 |
 Nerang–Broadbeach Road (State Route 90) – east – Broadbeach | Diamond interchange | ||
| Nerang River | 28.2 | 17.5 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Gold Coast | Nerang | 29.0 | 18.0 | 69 |  Southport–Nerang Road (State Route 20) – west – Nerang – east – Surfers Paradise, Ashmore, Southport | Southbound exit and entrance, and indirect northbound exit and entrance via Nerang Connection Road |
| Arundel | 32.1 | 19.9 | 66 |   Smith Street Motorway (State Route 10) – Gaven, Parkwood, Sea World, Gold Coast University Hospital | Modified trumpet and grade-separated diamond interchange | |
| Helensvale | 35.5 | 22.1 | 62 | Gold Coast Highway (State Route 2) – Pacific Pines, Gold Coast | Modified trumpet and parclo interchange | |
| 37.9 | 23.5 | 60 | Helensvale Road – Hope Island, Oxenford, Movie World, Wet'n'Wild | |||
| 40.4 | 25.1 | 57 |  Hope Island Road (State Route 4) – Hope Island | Diamond interchange | ||
| 57 |  Tamborine–Oxenford Road (State Route 95) – Tamborine Mountain, Oxenford | |||||
| Coomera River | 41.4 | 25.7 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Gold Coast | Coomera | 43.6 | 27.1 | 54 | Foxwell Road – Coomera, Upper Coomera, Dreamworld | Modified parclo |
| Pimpama | 48.3 | 30.0 | 49 | Pimpama–Jacobs Well Road – Pimpama, Jacobs Well | Dumbbell interchange | |
| Ormeau | 51.2 | 31.8 | 45 | Mirambeena Drive / Tillyroen Road – Ormeau, Jacobs Well, Norwell | Dumbbell interchange, northbound exit and southbound entrance only | |
| 53.6 | 33.3 | 45 | Eggersdorf Road / Peachey Road – Ormeau, Kingsholme, Norwell | Dumbbell interchange, northbound entrance and southbound exit only | ||
| 57.1 | 35.5 | 41 | Computer Road – Yatala, Ormeau | Dumbbell interchange | ||
| Yatala | 60.0 | 37.3 | 38 | Stapylton – Jacobs Well Road – Yatala, Stapylton | Dumbbell interchange | |
| Albert River | 61.3 | 38.1 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Logan | Beenleigh | 62.3 | 38.7 | 35 |  Main Street (State Route 94) – Beenleigh | Grade separated roundabout interchange |
| 64.2 | 39.9 | 34 |  City Road (State Route 92) – Beenleigh | Grade separated roundabout interchange | ||
| Logan River | 65.6 | 40.8 | Bridge over the river (Bridge name unknown) | |||
| Logan | Browns Plains | 66.8 | 41.5 | 31 | Logan Motorway (M6) – Ipswich, Toowoomba | Trumpet interchange |
| Loganholme | 68.0 | 42.3 | 30 |  Beenleigh–Redland Bay Road (State Route 47) – Redland Bay, Cleveland | ||
| Tanah Merah | 69.8 | 43.4 | 28 | Bryants Rd – Shailer Park, Tanah Merah | ||
| Slacks Creek | 71.0 | 44.1 | 26 | Murrays Rd – Slacks Creek | Northbound exit and entrance via Nujooloo Road Southbound exit and entrance via Mandew Street (part of Exit 28) | |
| 73.3 | 45.5 | 24 | Winnets Road / Loganlea Road – Daisy Hill, Loganlea | |||
| 74.6 | 46.4 | 23 | Paradise Road / Chatswood Road (State Route 50) – Slacks Creek, Logan Central, Springwood | Northbound entrance and southbound entrance and exit only | ||
| Springwood | 75.8 | 47.1 | 22 | Old Pacific Highway – Springwood | Southbound exit only | |
| 77.3 | 48.0 | 20 |  Logan Road (State Route 30) / Old Pacific Highway – Rochedale, Underwood, Springwood | Trumpet interchange and partial diamond interchange | ||
| Rochedale South | 78.2 | 48.6 | 19 | Rochedale Road (State Route 30) – Rochedale, Underwood | Northbound entrance and southbound exit only | |
| Brisbane | Eight Mile Plains | 81.5 | 50.6 | 16 | Gateway Motorway (M1 [northeast]) – Murarrie, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane Airport Gateway Motorway (M2 [southwest]) – Drewvale, Browns Plains | Trumpet interchange. Pacific Motorway continues north as the M3. Gateway Motorway heads northeast as the M1. Heading south, the Pacific Motorway carries the M1 shield. |
| MacGregor | 83.4 | 51.8 | 14 | Logan Road (State Route 95) – Upper Mount Gravatt, Eight Mile Plains | ||
| Upper Mount Gravatt | 86.6 | 53.8 | 11 |  Klump Road / Mains Road (State Route 36) – Upper Mount Gravatt, Griffith University | Northbound entrance and southbound exit only | |
| Mount Gravatt | 88.6 | 55.1 | 9 | Gaza Road – Mount Gravatt, Griffith University | Northbound exit and southbound entrance only | |
| Tarragindi | 90.0 | 55.9 | 8 |  Marshall Road (State Routes 10 and 11) – Holland Park | Northbound entrance and southbound exit only | |
| Greenslopes | 93.0 | 57.8 | 5 | Juliette Street / Cornwall Street – Greenslopes, Annerley | Northbound exit and southbound entrance via Juliette Street Northbound entrance and southbound exit via Cornwall Street | |
| Woolloongabba | 94.4 | 58.7 | 4 |  Clem Jones Tunnel (M7) – Sunshine Coast, Northern Suburbs, Brisbane Airport | Northbound exit and southbound entrance only | |
| South Brisbane | 95.0 | 59.0 | 2 |  Stanley Street / Vulture Street (State Route 41) – East Brisbane, South Brisbane, Highgate Hill | Northbound exit and southbound entrance via Stanley Street Northbound entrance and southbound exit via Vulture Street | |
| Brisbane River | 95.6 | 59.4 | Captain Cook Bridge | |||
| Brisbane | Brisbane CBD | 96.4 | 59.9 | Margaret Street | ||
| 96.7 | 60.1 | Elizabeth Street | ||||
| 97.1 | 60.3 | Turbot Street | Northbound exit only | |||
| 97.4 | 60.5 | Herschel Street | Northbound exit only | |||
| Riverside Expressway (M3) | Northern terminus of the Pacific Motorway; road continues as the Riverside Expressway (M3) to – Sunshine Coast, Brisbane Airport State Route 33 Coronation Drive – Indooroopilly | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Fixed speed cameras are located: ...Pacific Motorway at Gaven, Pacific Motorway at Loganholme, Pacific Motorway at Tarragindi...
