Coomera Connector Stage 1, Coomera to Nerang

Stage 1 of the Coomera Connector, between Coomera and Nerang, is around 16km and is now open to traffic between Shipper Drive and Helensvale Road.

Benefits

• Improves safety
• Increases capacity
• Improves network efficiency
• Increases traffic flow
• Reduces peak hour congestion
• Reduces interchange queuing
• Reduces travel time
• Contributes to economy
• Better active transport

Funding

Coomera Connector Stage 1 is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments. Investment ID 1776678 (as at QTRIP 2025-26 to 2028-29).

Funding contributions subject to further negotiation with the Australian Government.

Naming and numbering the Coomera Connector

The new Coomera Connector motorway is officially named and sign posted as the Coomera Connector (M9) Motorway.

Exit numbers at interchanges will increase as the route extends south to Nerang, as per the exit's distance from the Coomera Connector's eventual start place, the Logan Motorway and Pacific Motorway interchange. The map above shows the exit numbers and names for Stage 1.

Business case summary for Stage 1

The business case for the Coomera Connector Stage 1 was approved in September 2021 by the Queensland Government and in February 2022 by Infrastructure Australia with additional funding secured to cover increased costs resulting from a competitive building and construction market. This was due to COVID-19, and higher material and labour costs being experienced throughout Australia.

The complete Stage 1 business case is more than 1,000 pages and details the data and extensive investigations completed by numerous subject matter experts. On that basis, most of the report is commercial-in-confidence.

• Read the Stage 1 business case summary.
• Download the Stage 1 business case summary (PDF, 9.62MB).
• View the Infrastructure Australia summary evaluation of the business case. 

Community consultation

The Queensland Government performed initial community consultation on the 45km Coomera Connector corridor in late 2019. Outcomes from this indicated that 80 per cent of participants supported the Coomera Connector being built as soon as possible. It also showed that noise, landscape, and environment were key issues raised by those who live close to the Coomera Connector.

We held a second round of community consultation focusing on Stage 1 in September 2020. This consultation gave the community an added opportunity to have their say on key priorities for the project.

In addition to this, a Coomera Connector Stage 1 Community Reference Group was established for the business case phase of the project. The purpose of the Community Reference Group was to gain community input from key resident, business and environmental stakeholders into negotiable aspects of the project.

As the business case is now finalised, the purpose, scope, and objectives of the Community Reference Group is complete. Its input has been valuable in understanding community priorities and has been instrumental in guiding key urban design and environmental elements of the project.

Urban design elements explored by the Community Reference Group and identified as community priorities were:

• design of noise barriers
• design of retaining walls
• landscaping and planting in and around the project corridor
• design of a shared path for walking and bike riding.

A series of artist's impressions were developed, based on the ultimate 6-lane design, to show how these elements could look for the Coomera Connector Stage 1.

We requested feedback from the wider community on the artist's impressions in March 2021, and this feedback was considered as part of the design process.

Download the questions, issues and opportunities report from the Community Reference Group.

Further consultation was undertaken in March 2023 (North package), November 2023 (South package), March 2024 (Central package) and March 2025 (Stage 1 corridor).

Environmentally sensitive design

We’re committed to designing and delivering the Coomera Connector in a way that respects and protects the environment. To achieve this, we’ve been working closely with experts and stakeholders to ensure the project is environmentally sensitive.

Since 2020, we’ve carried out extensive surveys along the Stage 1 corridor, including:

• wildlife surveys to understand habitats for native animals, such as koalas
• plant surveys to identify and protect important flora
• aquatic surveys and water quality monitoring, including a year-long study in and around Coombabah Lake.

The Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) assessed Stage 1 of the project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. DCCEEW confirmed the Coomera Connector Stage 1 to be a controlled action that was assessed by a Public Environment Report. 

The draft Public Environment Report was released for public review and comment (Appendix 17) from 11 October 2022 to 15 November 2022. 

DCCEEW granted approval for Stage 1 of the project in March 2023 and approved the offset area management plan in August 2024.

• View the DCCEEW environmental approval for the Coomera Connector Stage 1 (EPBC 2020/8646).
• View all EPBC Act compliance reports associated with this project.

Koala management plan

Recognising the significance of koala populations in the northern Gold Coast, we have developed a Koala Management Plan as part of our responsibilities to deliver Stage 1 of the Coomera Connector.

The Koala Management Plan guides the design and implementation of a suite of safe movement solutions to ensure koalas are appropriately protected during clearing, construction and operation of Coomera Connector Stage 1. This approach also ensures we comply with relevant Australian and Queensland government legal requirements and meet community expectations for the welfare and conservation of koalas in and around the corridor.

Conservation strategies forming the basis of the Koala Management Plan include:

• monitoring and research to provide baseline data on koala populations near the Coomera Connector project area
• delivering dedicated safe movement solutions to help koalas move safely between habitat areas close to the road corridor
• working with all levels of government to establish potential future koala habitat areas (local offsets) and maintain important wildlife corridors
• purchasing and rehabilitating additional land to support local wildlife populations and to offset areas of habitat lost for the Coomera Connector.

In August 2021, we formed a Koala Stakeholder Reference Group to share updates on the progress of the Koala Management Plan. At the same time, we engaged Endeavour Veterinary Ecology (EVE) to carry out koala tagging and monitoring for Coomera Connector Stage 1.

As part of an extensive research program, the project has supported trials of various koala egress solutions that has resulted in the innovative koala ‘doggy door’, officially known as the 'Fauna Escape Hatch’. This one-way hatch allows koalas and other wildlife to safely exit road corridors. Testing in near-real-world conditions showed that koalas used the hatch 100 per cent of the time when it was available.

The Fauna Escape Hatch has now been verified by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) as an Australian First Innovation and is being rolled out across all packages of the Coomera Connector Stage 1. Due to our project’s efforts, this innovation is also incorporated in the Queensland Government’s Fauna Sensitive Transport Infrastructure Delivery Manual for use on other projects.

Coomera Connector Stage 1 Koala Preservation

Video Transcript

One of the problems for koalas who find themselves on busy highways or in rail corridors is they find their way in, but they have trouble finding their way out.

Through our work at Endeavour Veterinary Ecology, we've been asked to undertake some trials to see what devices could we develop or test to see which are the most effective for koalas to escape danger areas.

So Sarafina, the koala that we will put through the egress trial today has the choice of three different escape routes, the koala escape pole, the push under and we've got the valve.

We've run over 50 trials now and the results are quite interesting.

The koala escape pulp, which is the traditional escape method that we see on our roads.

Although koalas do choose to go up there, they often will only sit and come back down.

A higher percentage of the koalas successfully escaping through either the escape valve or push under.

Bayer's actually seeing what koalas do in real time, wild koalas.

It has been a game changer for us.

We have teams of vets and field operation workers and ecologists.

And so it's not based on theories, it's based on the koalas that we are actually providing a treatment to, before they released back in the wild.

We provide a very safe scenario in which these koalas help us determine what device would be the most effective.

I don't think there's anyone else in the country that has that capability or the resources to deliver on this really important project.

The issue with wildlife getting onto these highways, onto rail corridors, is one of safety not only of the animals but of the people themselves.

The results can be catastrophic.

Look, I've got to do a shout out to Transport and Main Roads in Queensland.

They were the protagonists for us to undertake these trials, the legacy it will lead.

This benefits the safety of wildlife, but also of humans.