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  • South Coast Region
  • Coomera Connector
  • Pacific Motorway M1 upgrade program
Location
Pacific Motorway and Logan Motorway interchange, Loganholme to Shipper Drive, Coomera
Timing
Business case completed in March 2024
Status
Planning
Artist impression of the connection to M1 and Logan Motorway.

Coomera Connector (Future stages) Loganholme to Coomera, planning

Coomera Connector (Future Stages), between Loganholme and Coomera, is around 29km and will connect with Coomera Connector Stage 1.

The Coomera Connector (M9) is a 45km north-south future motorway between Loganholme and Nerang, east of the Pacific Motorway (M1). Coomera Connector (Future Stages) is the final step in delivering the new M9 motorway to connect fast growing communities and business hubs and allow for efficient movement of trucks and people within South East Queensland and beyond.

The business case for Coomera Connector (Future Stages) is complete and currently under review by Infrastructure Australia (IA).

Planning continues for future stages of the Coomera Connector, including Stage 2, the next priority section of the new motorway, from Yawalpah Road in Pimpama to Shipper Drive in Coomera.

The decision to proceed with future stages of the Coomera Connector, and the timing, will be at the discretion of the Australian and Queensland governments.

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

Key features

  • North-south alternative corridor to the M1, between Loganholme and Coomera, easing congestion from local traffic on the M1.
  • Connection to Coomera Connector Stage 1 via Stage 2, the next priority section, from Pimpama to Coomera.
  • 29km high-speed motorway, located east of the M1 and Gold Coast Heavy Rail Line.
  • 29km walking and bike riding path, with connections to local roads and key community hubs.
  • Additional bridge crossings of the Logan and Albert rivers, providing crucial alternative crossings to the M1.
  • 8 new interchanges.
  • Wildlife crossings to support safe movement between habitat areas.

Funding

The Australian and Queensland governments committed a total of $22 million on a 50:50 (federal:state) basis to continue planning future stages of the Coomera Connector from Loganholme to Coomera.
Investment ID: 2012259 (QTRIP 2023-24 to 2026-27).

Total investment
$22 million
Australian Government
$11 million
Queensland Government
$11 million

Key milestones

Coomera Connector (Future stages) Loganholme to Coomera project map

Coomera Connector Future Stages Project Map - October 2023

Flythrough video

Transcript

The Queensland Government is progressing planning for the future stages of the Coomera Connector between Loganholme and Coomera.

Once complete, the Coomera Connector will be a 45-kilometre new motorway between Logan and the Gold Coast, which will relieve congestion on the M1 by providing an alternative route for local trips.

The corridor will be wide enough for up to 6 lanes of traffic and will include provision for public transport and a dedicated shared path for cyclists and pedestrians.

Eight grade separated interchanges along the 29-kilometre future stages corridor will improve connectivity and support the growth of residential, commercial and industrial areas of the northern Gold Coast.

Since 2022, we’ve been working with a range of experts to develop a business case and concept design for this project.

The business case is a detailed investigation into all aspects of the project including social impact, engineering, economic analysis and costing, concept design and environmental assessment.

Once the business case is complete the Australian and Queensland Governments will make decisions on the funding, staging and timing of the future stages of the Coomera Connector.

Minimising impacts to the environment, while delivering infrastructure projects that support the needs of a growing population, is a key objective for the Queensland Government.

A comprehensive program of bio-diversity surveys and field investigations have taken place over 18 months as part of the environmental assessment.

These investigations have helped inform the design of the road to limit environmental impacts as much as possible.

The mitigation measures in the concept design will be assessed by the Australian Government as part of the environmental approvals process.

We've also developed hydraulic models to ensure the Coomera Connector can be built in a way that does not worsen any flooding impacts in flood prone areas.

These models, which are being assessed by independent experts, have informed the design of the road which includes bridges, embankments, culverts and other measures.

Improving the active transport network is also a key objective of the Coomera Connector project.

A dedicated active transport path will extend along the full route with connections to key community hubs between Loganholme and Nerang.

We've also carried out extensive traffic modelling to determine how the Coomera Connector will work with the existing road network and to identify what future local road upgrades might be required.

The business case for the future stages of the Coomera Connector is on track to be finished by the end of 2023.

The environmental approvals process and decisions by the Australian and Queensland Governments on funding, staging and timing will follow.

To find out more about the Coomera Connector project, visit tmr.qld.gov.au/coomeraconnector.

Community consultation

Initial community consultation on the Coomera Connector was undertaken in late 2019. While 4 out of 5 people surveyed at that time supported the Coomera Connector being built as soon as possible, some community members had questions about the alignment of the Coomera Connector near Eagleby and potential impacts on the wetlands at Eagleby.

In 2021, we assessed 6 alternative alignments put forward by the community for the Coomera Connector around Eagleby. The assessment determined the gazetted Coomera Connector alignment provides the best overall outcome compared to the alternative alignments. Community consultation was also completed in 2021 to seek feedback on the results of the assessment.

In 2023, community consultation on the concept design plans for Coomera Connector Future Stages was conducted over a 5-week period. Overall, feedback was generally positive with 68% of residents and 72% of businesses being supportive of the Coomera Connector as a potential solution for helping to ease congestion on the M1 in the future. Read the community consultation summary.

The results from community consultation in 2019, 2021 and 2023 informed the project's business case. 

We value input from the community and continue to offer opportunities for consultation with stakeholders.

Local road connections

We identified locations for 9 interchanges in the future stages of the Coomera Connector, to better link people, industry and business in Coomera, Pimpama, Ormeau, Stapylton, Eagleby and Loganholme.

View the interchange layouts:

Amending the corridor to achieve better outcomes

As part of development of the Coomera Connector (Futures Stages) business case, we identified three locations for corridor amendments to improve outcomes and reduce environmental impacts. These locations are the crossing of the Logan River in Eagleby, Kerkin Road North in Pimpama and Foxwell Road in Coomera.

The changed alignment in Coomera and Eagleby was re-gazetted on 27 June 2025, with the Pimpama corridor amendment to be considered in upcoming phases of the project.

Read more about these amendments.

Environmental impacts

We are committed to delivering infrastructure projects that support the needs of a growing population while minimising and mitigating impacts to the environment.

To ensure the Coomera Connector is designed and delivered in an environmentally sensitive manner, we are working with a range of subject matter experts and stakeholders.

Qualified ecologists have conducted thorough land and water surveys to support environmental approvals under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.

These surveys include:

  • flora and fauna surveys to identify habitat values, protected plants, wildlife and habitats
  • migratory bird surveys to identify habitat, species and numbers
  • aquatic surveys to identify aquatic organisms and monitor water quality
  • geotechnical surveys to assess ground conditions, acid sulphate soils, and groundwater.

These surveys have informed the mitigation measures included in the concept design for Coomera Connector (Future Stages).

A referral under the EPBC Act has been submitted to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Flooding

Hydraulic models have been created for each floodplain within the project corridor and analysed by independent experts in flood modelling and hydrology for major infrastructure projects.

The hydraulic modelling and analysis has shaped the Future Stages concept design, determining the size and location of waterway openings, bridges, and culverts to meet strict performance standards, such as limits on water level rise (afflux) and inundation time.

The modelling confirms that the Coomera Connector can be built within the Logan and Albert River floodplains without negatively impacting nearby properties or waterways.

Walking and bike riding

Future stages of the Coomera Connector will extend the dedicated walking and bike riding path that is being built for Stage 1, from Coomera to Nerang. Once complete, people walking and bike riding will have access to a 45km path along the entire corridor between Loganholme and Nerang.

All forms of active transport will be able to use the new shared path including commuter and leisure bike riders, people walking and with prams, mobility scooters and wheelchairs.

Last updated: 1 December 2025

Related projects

Coomera Connector

The Coomera Connector (M9) is a 45km north-south future motorway between Loganholme and Nerang, east of the Pacific Motorway (M1) and heavy rail line.

No image supplied

Coomera Connector (Future stages) Loganholme to Coomera, planning

Coomera Connector (Future Stages), between Loganholme and Coomera, is around 29km and will connect with Coomera Connector Stage 1.

  • South Coast District
  • Planning
Artist impression of the connection to M1 and Logan Motorway.

Coomera Connector Stage 1 North

Stage 1 North of the Coomera Connector is the 4km section from Shipper Drive to Helensvale Road.

  • Construction
Ariel view of the Coomera Connector highway looking south over Nerang River with paddocks on either side of the highway, residential area across the river with mountain in the background.

Coomera Connector Stage 1 Central

Stage 1 Central of the Coomera Connector is the 8km section from Helensvale Road to Smith Street Motorway.

  • Construction
Construction site of the works happening at Coombabah Creek looking south with building and trees on either side and two sets of train tracks on the right-hand side of the construction site.

Coomera Connector Stage 1 South

Stage 1 South of the Coomera Connector is the 4km section from Smith Street Motorway to Nerang-Broadbeach Road.

  • Construction
Construction site next to Nerang River with train tracks on the right-hand side of the site and building across the river with trees along the river and next to the site.