Gatton–Helidon Road, improve safety
Traffic flow and safety has been improved on Gatton–Helidon Road.
Gatton–Helidon Road is an important rural road connecting agricultural communities in the Lockyer Valley, including Gatton, Grantham and Helidon with the Warrego Highway.
The project involved construction of safety improvements at the 4 high-speed sections of Gatton–Helidon Road to improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of fatal and serious injury crashes.
The project involved a range of safety treatments, including road widening, installing wide centre lines, dedicated turning lanes, audio tactile line marking, new signage and line marking and removal of roadside hazards.
The construction was carried out in 4 sections:
- Section 1 – between Robinsons Road and Gatton–Clifton Road.
- Section 2 – between Lockyer Creek Bridge and Armstrongs Road, Grantham, including the Old Toowoomba Road intersection.
- Section 3 – between Nicholls Street at Grantham and east of the railway underpass to Lawlers Road.
- Section 4 – west of the railway underpass to Lawlers Road and east of the Warrego Highway underpass, including Flagstone Creek Road intersection.
Benefits
- Improves safety
- Increases capacity
- Improves network efficiency
- Increases traffic flow
- Reduces peak hour congestion
- Contributes to economy
- Contributes to regional growth
Key features
- Road widening and wide centre line installation has improved the separation between vehicles travelling in opposite directions to reduce the risk of head-on crashes.
- Dedicated right and left turn lanes installed at Old Toowoomba Road and Flagstone Creek Road intersections to improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of rear-end crashes.
- Application of audio tactile line marking on the centre line and edge lines through the high-speed sections.
- Wider road shoulders at smaller intersections to allow through traffic to more easily overtake turning vehicles and move around turning vehicles.
- Improved visibility and safety of the roadside environment by clearing vegetation, removing hazards and re-shaping table drains.
- New signage and line marking installed at Robinsons Road, Wells Road, Old Toowoomba Road and Flagstone Creek Road intersections.
- Cuttings between the Lockyer Creek Bridge and Old Toowoomba Road have been stabilised.
Funding
The Australian and Queensland governments provided $67.1 million to deliver the Gatton-Helidon road safety upgrades through the Australian Government's Road Safety Program, as published in the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program 2024-25 to 2027-28.
Investment IDs: 3035392 and 2081571
- Total investment
- $67.1 million
- Australian Government
- $33.55 million
- Queensland Government
- $33.55 million
Current status
Construction on all 4 sections of road upgrades was completed in October 2025.
Gatton–Helidon Road, improve safety project location map
- Section 1 - between Robinsons Road and Gatton–Clifton Road.
- Section 2 - between Lockyer Creek Bridge and Armstrongs Road, Grantham, including the Old Toowoomba Road intersection.
- Section 3 - between Nicholls Street at Grantham and east of the railway underpass to Lawlers Road.
- Section 4 - west of the railway underpass to Lawlers Road and east of the Warrego Highway underpass, including the Flagstone Creek Road intersection.