FAQs

The Panorama Drive / Wellington Street road upgrade program is a road duplication project servicing a key Council controlled north-south arterial link in the centre north of Redland City. The design of the project commenced in 2020 with the delivery program comprising three project stages:

Stage 1 - Boundary Road to South Street, Thornlands (2023 – 2024)

Stage 2 - South Street to Bay Street, Thornlands/ Cleveland (TBC*)

Stage 3 - Bay Street to Russell Street, Cleveland (TBC*)

* Stage 2 and Stage 3 works are subject to future Council approval, availability of Federal and State grants and other city-wide capital works priorities.

Stage 1 is expected to be completed in 2024 (weather permitting). This is a complex project and factors including storm seasons, supply chains and service providers availability may affect project delivery.

The current road features two lanes, one travelling north and one south. Two additional lanes are being built so the final road will be four lanes. The design includes additional shoulders for cyclists and dedicated turning lanes with extended queuing lengths to improve intersection performance. A pedestrian and cyclist shared path will be built for the full length on the western side of the road. Signalised intersections will improve pedestrian and cyclist safety to cross from east to west.

A lot of construction can be done without affecting the current road layout. There will be times when traffic will move under a contraflow arrangement, however this will be kept to a minimum. As is usual practice, road barriers will be in place and speed through the work site will be reduced to 40km/h. Safety of road users and those building the road is the highest priority of Council, so at times there may be minor delays and we ask for your patience at these times.

Emergency Services and businesses in and around the hospital will be informed about the program as works progress. Priority access will be given to emergency vehicles at all times. Staging of the road works will minimise disruption and provide for alternate routes.

Work will generally be carried out during daylight hours from 7am to 6pm during weekdays and 7am to 4pm on weekends and public holidays (as required), with traffic management, speed and roadwork speed restrictions in place. Some construction activities will unavoidably take place at night and may cause noise and disruption to neighbours. Council apologises in advance for this inconvenience.

A few disruptions are expected during Stage 1, however much of the work will allow for the existing road to continue to carry traffic while the new lanes are constructed on the adjacent road reserve. To avoid the need for extensive nightworks, alternate day works will be prioritised between peak hours to minimise nuisance to residents and motorists.

The project is expected to alleviate peak hour congestion and improve journey to work times.

The final surface of the road will be asphalt. This will provide a smoother, quieter and longer lasting surface that will reduce ongoing maintenance costs.

The road will be lit to the current Australian road lighting standards. LED fixtures will minimise light spill to adjoining properties.

Road works will incorporate stormwater upgrades to meet the new road alignments.

Yes, currently traffic lights exist at Ziegenfusz Road and Wieppin Street along the route. These will be upgraded as part of the intersection upgrade. A further four sets of lights are proposed as follows:

• Panorama Drive (new three way signalised intersection)
• South Street (four way signalised intersection to replace roundabout)
• Enterprise Street (new four way signalised intersection)
• Bay Street (new three way signalised intersection).

The new signalised intersections will deliver safer road movements for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Some partial land resumptions will occur for road widening and Council is already in talks with affected landowners. These will be resolved before work commences.

Council will contact all residents whose driveways will need to be reconfigured, at Council’s cost, to suit the new road and kerb alignment.

The project team has made every effort to avoid impacting nearby vegetation, including trees. However, due to factors including services alignments, service providers requirements, road safety, technical requirements, standards and constraints within the available verge space, a number of trees, shrubs and weed species will need to be removed.

Vegetation management for Stage 1 works was started early in 2022 and will continue when main contractor works begin. Council is proactively planning mitigation measures through options such as tree plantings (offsets).

In addition, fauna-friendly underpasses and fauna exclusion fencing are incorporated in all stages of the new road design to reduce fauna mortality caused by vehicle strikes.

Council will undertake a diversified approach to mitigate the loss of koala habitat through the delivery of the project’s environmental offset plan. Council will undertake targeted enhancement plantings in the local Enterprise and Ross Creek environmental corridors. As per the Offsets Requirements Council Activities policy, three new koala habitat trees will be established for every non-juvenile koala habitat tree (NJKHT) removed.

Ensuring your backyard is wildlife-friendly can help our native animals as they navigate the suburbs. For example, simply placing a wooden pole or ladder against your fence enables animals to easily leave your yard, and a floating water aid in your pool helps them climb out if they fall in. For more tips, visit https://www.redland.qld.gov.au/info/20287/wildlife-friendly_backyard

Council will not be providing noise barriers for this local road upgrade. Local governments rarely provide sound barriers for local roads, for the following reasons:

• the volumes of traffic do not warrant such measures,
• their effectiveness is limited, especially when driveways and side streets provide opportunities for noise to spill around them, 
• they are prohibitively costly, and
• because they act as an obstacle to the connectivity of people and wildlife. 

Instead, Council’s Planning Scheme contains a Transport Noise Corridor overlay for the purpose of triggering building measures such as double glazing, and door and window sealing to effectively manage noise in buildings. The Transport Noise Corridor overlay contained in the planning scheme is for information purposes only. The Transport Noise Corridor overlay identifies land affected by transport noise in accordance with Chapter 8B of the Building Act 1975. In these areas, building work will be assessable against the Queensland Development Code Part 4.4 – Buildings in a Transport Noise Corridor. 

The Queensland Development Code provides acceptable solutions for new building measures such as double glazing and door and window sealing to effectively manage noise in buildings.

If you live on a main road and are concerned about noise, these are effective measures to make your living space more comfortable.

The Queensland Development Code outlines that the acceptable solution for the combined height of fences and retaining walls is two metres. If you are proposing a fence/wall over two metres in height, a concurrence agency referral to Council will be required. A structure over two metres will also require building approval, which is administered by a private building certifier. 

For further information on concurrence agency referrals, visit https://www.redland.qld.gov.au/info/20192/development_tools_and_advice/400/concurrence_agency_referral 

The Wellington Street / Panorama Drive road upgrade is designed to improve intersection performance and reduce congestion, and will not necessarily increase the volume of traffic moving through the city along this corridor. Council is committed to supporting active transport options such as walking and cycling, with this project including dedicated cycle lanes and supporting improved pedestrian and cycle safety.

Council will investigate the specification of low noise asphalt along with other measures including road geometry and driver behaviour to make a more comfortable city for us all.

During construction, vibration can be caused from the use of heavy machinery. Human perception of vibration depends on factors including the individual’s location in relation to the source of the vibration and their activity at the time. People who are sleeping or sitting may feel vibration more than those who are moving about.

Many aspects of the Wellington Street / Panorama Drive road upgrade program involve construction activities that will create vibration above background levels, for example when:

• piling, boring, digging and hammering steel and concrete structures to support retaining walls 
• rolling to compact fill material during road sub-grade preparation
• breaking up or fracturing concrete pavements with specialised machinery
• tree felling, chain-sawing, stump grinding and when demolition equipment is used.

The contractor is required to adhere to strict guidelines as they undertake the road upgrade and an approved vibration management plan is in place. Vibration monitoring stations are located along the route and will be frequently monitored and assessed to ensure vibration remains within approved limits.