The E-petition Upgrade the Amberley Interchange Intersection of Cunningham Highway and Ipswich-Rosewood Road, Amberley which was sponsored by State Member for Scenic Rim Jon Krause, has now been posted to the Queensland Parliament’s website.
“Send Labor a message”, Mr Krause said. “Send Labor a message that they should stop taking Ipswich for granted.”
“Tell them – from Anthony Albanese, to Annastacia Palaszczuk to Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann – that their failure to fix the Amberley Interchange is not good enough. And tell them – after another fatality recently – that this project must be put back on the agenda – designed, costed and funded.”
The petition reads: “Queensland residents draw to the attention of the House the need to upgrade the intersection of the Cunningham Highway and Ipswich-Rosewood Road at Amberley (the “Amberley Interchange”).
“For more than 25 years, the Amberley Interchange has been identified as in need of upgrade. In 2018, the Federal Government allocated $170 million towards its upgrade, but agreement with the Queensland Government to proceed with upgrades was not reached.
“In 2022, the Department of Transport and Main Roads released for community consultations a proposal that would serve only as an interim upgrade, and which proposed the construction of a roundabout on a National Highway.
“In the view of many, this proposal would create new problems such as congestion for Brisbane-bound traffic and dangerous and inefficient movement of heavy vehicles through the roundabout. It would also not meet the needs for there to be a long-term, efficient and safe access to RAAF Amberley, Australia’s largest defence base, or the proposed Ebenezer Intermodal Freight Terminal.
“After more than 25 years of waiting, users of the Cunningham Highway need to see a long-term upgrade designed, costed and funded – not more time wasted on developing “band-aid” measures that will not fully address issues at the Amberley Interchange.
“Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to do all in its power to ensure a long-term upgrade to the Amberley Interchange is designed, costed and funded as soon as possible.”
Mr Krause said the issue was one he had been advocating on for a number of years and he was pleased to be able to sponsor the petition in Parliament.
Image: Traffic jam at Amberley intersection. Photo taken by George Hatchman, Principal Petitioner.
