Boundary Road Level Crossing Upgrade Stalls: No Construction Date Set

A derelict Brisbane block occupied by squatters and vandals will remain abandoned indefinitely as a government construction project stalls with no explanation. It comes after the Queensland government evicted shopkeepers along Boundary Road in Coopers Plains so construction could begin on an overpass in mid-2025. That construction never happened, and now the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says it has no timeline for when it expects work to begin. The overpass is a joint project by all three levels of government and featured heavily as a federal election promise on the 2022 campaign trail. The Coopers Plains overpass has been promised by successive governments since the 1980s. A broken promise Suresh Chandra, who lives down the road from the abandoned "eyesore", said residents felt disillusioned. "The promise has been broken to the local people," Mr Chandra said. "Those poor shopkeepers have stopped earning money and their livelihoods have been lost." Mr Chandra said it was "scary" living near the site due to the trespassers he had seen hanging around the abandoned shopping malls and business centre. The project was supposed to remove the level crossing at Coopers Plains and replace it with an overpass with an elevated three-way intersection and pedestrian-cycle lanes. A spokesperson for Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said they were working towards a start date. "The Boundary Road Level Crossing Removal was a 2022 election commitment and remains a priority for the Australian government," the spokesperson said. "Residents of Coopers Plains experience some of the longest delays due to the level crossing gates being down and this will only get worse when the Cross River Rail project is completed. "The Australian government remains willing to work with the Queensland government to ensure early works can commence without further delay, and to understand what is required to deliver the project in full." The spokesperson did not respond to 612 ABC Radio Brisbane's questions on what caused the delay. No explanations given Better Transport Queensland president Rowan Gray said this was a serious lack of transparency from the state and federal governments. "It's really disappointing that the Queensland government and TMR haven't been up-front with the public on what's causing this delay," Mr Gray said. "It makes the travelling public a lot more sceptical of whether we're going to have a successful Cross River Rail opening or whether we're going to have a successful 2032 Olympic Games." Mr Gray said the level crossing removal would drastically improve commute times for public transport users, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers. He said it was crucial to remove the Boundary Road level crossing before the Cross River Rail project was completed, since it intersected with the rapidly growing Gold Coast Line. A TMR spokesperson said the project remained a priority. "The Queensland government remains committed to the project with procurement and construction timeframes subject to further negotiation with the Australian government."