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Brisbane Airport Corp welcomes Sugarmill Road upgrade

Brisbane Airport has welcomed the Queensland Government’s $12 million commitment to upgrade the Sugarmill and Kingsford Smith Drive intersection to

Brisbane Airport has welcomed the Queensland Government’s $12 million commitment to upgrade the Sugarmill and Kingsford Smith Drive intersection to improve access and egress to the airport as well as help manage non-airport traffic that uses Sugarmill Road and Lomandra Drive as a peak hour “rat run”.

There been a huge increase in non-airport traffic in the past 18 months, including heavy vehicles from the Eagle Farm and Pinkenba areas, and Government’s upgrade will complement a $2 million upgrade to the Lomandra Drive end of Sugarmill Road, where a roundabout is due for completion in early May.

Brisbane Airport Corporation’s Jim Carden says: “Sugarmill Road was never really intended to be an airport entrance, but it now carries more than 8,500 vehicles per day onto airport land, 30 percent of which do not have business here.

“We recognise that the road is now part of the region’s road network, and we welcome these new funds as a further measure to assist in easing traffic congestion around the airport.

“South East Queensland is growing at a rapid pace, and as a result we are all experiencing the challenges it brings through urban congestion. It is important we act to make sure our city has the infrastructure to keep ahead of this growth.

“Brisbane Airport’s and the State Government’s upgrades to Sugarmill Road will help to ease this congestion until the long-term solution is delivered in 2009 through the Brisbane Airport northern access road and the Gateway upgrade project.”

Brisbane Airport is currently undergoing a $2.5 billion infrastructure program, funded by BAC, which includes the Northern Access Road, expansions to the international and domestic terminals and a new parallel runway.

The Northern Access Road is a $200+ million project, delivering a vital second major access and egress point to the Airport, which will reduce traffic on Airport Drive by up to 40 percent.

The five-kilometre, multi-lane road will be privately funded by Brisbane Airport in its entirety and will link up with the Queensland State Government’s Gateway upgrade project.

Brisbane Airport is responsible for over 60 kilometres of road within the 2,700-hectare precinct, ensuring the airport has one of Australia’s most extensive private road networks.

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