Youngs Crossing flood fix a step closer

After decades of discussions, Moreton Bay Regional Council has paved the way to fix issues caused by flooding at Youngs Crossing Rd.

Councillors voted on two options for the upgrade – either to use the road’s existing alignment or to use an alignment along Andrew Petrie Drive.

The road will be upgraded using its existing alignment, after councillors voted to adopt Option 1, which is expected to cost almost $50 million, plus a further $18 million to upgrade Dayboro Rd.

Mayor Peter Flannery told the council meeting the Youngs Crossing Bridge will be one of the largest road infrastructure projects ever delivered by Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Crucial decision

He said that with more than 20,000 vehicles using the road every day and an additional 240,000 people moving to the region over the next two decades, it was crucial a decision be made on the road’s future.

“Either we start making forward-thinking road decisions now, or we will be contributing to the congestion problems of the future,” Mayor Flannery said.

“When Youngs Crossing floods, traffic is diverted to Gympie Rd, which can create a gridlock that grinds the whole area to a halt.

“Today we have an opportunity to distinguish ourselves from years of indecision and inaction - to deliver the solution that this region and the South East Queensland road network needs.”

Community submissions flood in

More than 4000 submissions were received from the community during an extensive four-week consultation process, with two-thirds of respondents supporting Option 1.

The top five issues raised by the community related to protecting koala habitat, green space and air pollution; the impact on property values and neighbourhood amenity; travel times and flow; traffic volume; and congestion.

Division 8 Councillor Mick Gillam, whose division has its western boundary along Youngs Crossing Rd, said while he was not in favour of either option, he accepted his preferred alignment, outlined in a previous proposal, Option G, was not open for discussion.

Funding concerns

Division 11 Councillor Darren Grimwade told the meeting he was concerned about funding for the project, with talks still underway with the state and federal governments about their contributions and was unable to support the recommendations.

Mayor Flannery said he hoped the bridge would be built by mid-2023

“We’ve already received some financial assistance from the federal government which we are thankful for, and I will continue to work closely with our local member, The Honourable Peter Dutton MP, on opportunities for additional federal support.

“Similarly, I have also advocated to the State Government to support any future upgrades that may be required to Dayboro Rd.

“I have received a commitment from the Deputy Premier, The Honourable Steven Miles MP to work with Council to identify necessary upgrades to Dayboro Rd.”

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