Member for Ipswich West Wendy Bourne has again called on the Crisafulli Government to reprioritise the Mount Crosby Interchange project after construction was delayed beyond 2030 in the 2026–27 Budget.
Responding to the 2026 Transport and Main Roads Annual Report, which revealed worsening congestion across South East Queensland and, alarmingly, even outside of peak hour traffic, Ms Bourne said residents in Ipswich West were all too familiar with bumper-to-bumper traffic.
“This report comes as no surprise. We’re continuing to see congestion worsen on major roads like the Warrego Highway, and locals are sick of sitting in traffic while the government drags its feet on the infrastructure Ipswich West needs,” Ms Bourne said.
“The Crisafulli Government needs to stop putting up roadblocks for projects like the Mount Crosby Interchange and get on with the job of delivering the generational infrastructure they promised and that our fast-growing region needs.”
During Budget Estimates, Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg attributed delays to the Mount Crosby Interchange to the federal environmental approvals framework, stating that the Commonwealth required additional surveys beyond what was originally scoped.
However, Ms Bourne said the approvals process was being used as a convenient excuse for the delay, stating that despite recent changes to the environmental approval process, the Mount Crosby Interchange plans were being assessed under the previous 2013 framework.
“This approval process has remained unchanged for the past decade. Either the Government failed to properly plan for these requirements, or they are using them as a convenient excuse to justify delaying the project,” Ms Bourne said.
The Mount Crosby Interchange is one of several congestion-busting projects in South East Queensland planned by the previous government that have been cut or delayed under the Crisafulli Government.
“We are seeing a pattern of important infrastructure projects being cut or pushed further down the road,” Ms Bourne said.
Ms Bourne said that pattern was particularly concerning for Ipswich West, with Ipswich City Council planning for 20,000 homes in the Western Growth Corridor and forecasting its population will grow from around 10,000 today to almost 59,000 by 2041.
“We know there is a huge amount of growth coming, and that means we’re going to need significant investment in our roads, public transport and other infrastructure.”
“If the Government is already pushing the Mount Crosby Interchange into the next decade, it doesn’t give our community much confidence that the rest of the infrastructure we’re going to need will be delivered when we need it.”
“Ipswich West is growing quickly. We need the Government to look to the west and invest in that growth now, not wait until our infrastructure falls even further behind.”
ENDS
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Photo supplied: Member for Ipswich West Wendy Bourne and Shadow Minister for Transport Bart Mellish at the Mount Crosby Interchange
