Coomera Connector Stage 1—Helensvale Road interchange
The Coomera Connector project includes building a full system interchange at Helensvale Road with north and south ramps to connect Helensvale Road with the new motorway.
The Helensvale Road interchange is on the border between the Stage 1 North and Stage 1 Central packages. The on-ramp and off-ramp on the north side of the interchange, as well as the crossing over Helensvale Road, will be constructed as part of Stage 1 North. The on-ramp and off-ramp on the south side of the interchange will be built as part of the Stage 1 Central package.
The City of Gold Coast is responsible for completing any additional necessary upgrades to the supporting road network, including Helensvale Road, as part of the their transport planning for the area. City of Gold Coast's transport infrastructure is funded through developer contributions collected by Council.
Hope Island Road
Based on community feedback, the Department of Transport and Main Roads carried out further investigations to determine the feasibility of an interchange at Hope Island Road instead of Helensvale Road.
The investigation found that without an interchange at Helensvale Road, a full system interchange with both northbound and southbound on-ramps and off-ramps would be required at Hope Island Road to accommodate traffic demands.
To achieve this full system interchange, the Coomera Connector would need to be shifted further to the east to make room for the on-ramps and off-ramps. This change in the corridor alignment would require a significant number of residential and commercial property resumptions.
In addition to extensive property impacts at Hope Island, the site is also constrained by the planned Hope Island infill station. This new rail station will utilise a large area to the west of the rail line for access to the new car park and transit facilities meaning the Coomera Connector cannot use any land to the west of the rail line.
Additionally, the on-ramps and off-ramps would need to be on new bridge structures connecting to Hope Island Road. This will likely cause substantial hydraulic impacts and potentially result in flooding to nearby properties where flooding is not currently an issue.
These considerations have confirmed conclusively that it is not feasible to provide an interchange at Hope Island Road.
Monterey Keys Drive
Transport and Main Roads understands residents of Monterey Keys have concerns about motorists potentially using local roads to access the Coomera Connector from Hope Island Road to the interchange at Helensvale Road.
The project team is working closely with City of Gold Coast on potential treatments to discourage the use of Monterey Keys Drive, however it may be determined that further traffic modelling and actual traffic data once Stage 1 North is open to traffic is needed before making a final decision.
Project location map
Map shows Helensvale Road interchange as part of the Stage 1 North package (southern end of Stage 1 North). Ramps on the southern side of the interchange will be constructed as part of the Stage 1 Central package.
Download a more detailed version of the Helensvale Road interchange map (JPG, 1.7MB) for more information.
