Coomera Connector

[#130km/hforthehume]

I just had a look at https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/programs/coomera-connector and it'll be pretty cool to have a second motorway from Brisbane to the Gold Coast. I think Brisbane (Greater Brisbane at least) and the Gold Coast will soon be the first two Australian cities to be connected to each other by two parallel motorways (kinda like Interstates 5 and 15 from LA to San Diego or Autoroutes 20 and 40 from Montréal to Quebec City). I do wonder what will it be called when it opens though. Coomera Motorway?

[Aevion]

Probably won't be named something like that until it's constructed in its ultimate configuration. That could be quite a long time off yet.

[AlienChex]

What route should it get? M1E? Then you can name Pacific Mwy M1W (similar to how interstates in US split up and rejoin)

[Aevion]

I do like the M1E and M1W idea. In saying that, they'd probably need to stop using the "M1 NORTH" and "M1 SOUTH" labels on signage if they did that (I'm completely okay with this).

Being Queensland, it'll probably become A2/M2, contributing to TMR's penchant for duplicating route numbers. I guess they could always extend M6 along there from the Logan Motorway.

Or it could end up an...… unnumbered route *shudders*.

[AlienChex]

Parallel motorways are a new concept in Australia, I think this is the only iteration we have of one so far. So the M1W/E works best because it’ll essentially be the same route, North-South Brisbane-Gold Coast route.

I am hoping it doesn’t get M2 because that defeats the purpose of it being a Darwin-Brisbane route if it extends to Gold Coast

Worst case, it gets a hideous state route that is already a copy of an existing route in both GC/Brisbane 

[#130km/hforthehume]

It probably won't be numbered as M2 as they'd need to renumber M6, which, if they did do, would probably stuff it up. I also do like the M1E and M1W idea, but since this motorway won't directly connect to the Pacific Motorway, it'll likely be numbered something else. Maybe even M20? (as a continuation of SR20 with a spur route to Nerang) 

[Musa Hodzic]

The W and E splits on the Interstates are not currently adopted, actually since a very long time ago. Only a few examples of those remain that have never been changed and probably won't as people are too used to them.

I would prefer it to be M11, as it's technically a "spur" off the main freeway and spurs get added an odd number if they don't reconnect to the main freeway as per the way interstates work. If they reconnect, they get an even number. Normally on the interstates, the auxiliary freeways get three digits, so if they branch off the single digit interstate, a zero gets added in front of it. So if M1 would follow the same rules, it would become M301, M501 or M701, but that just "sounds" ridiculous for the Australian system.

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[#130km/hforthehume]

Regarding the Interstate example, the currently-under construction I-69 in Texas is going to have an E, a W and even a C split near the Mexican border once it opens. It'll likely get a new number though.

[AlienChex]

I suppose the W and E routes is a bit out-there and confusing, but this being QLD I expect nothing less.

I do like M11, since it will be parallel to M1 but also do it’s own thing. I do not like the extension of M2

[Jason Kumar]

M11 also makes more sense as the idea of the road is for localised journeys to use the road to take traffic off the M1, so it serves a different purpose than the M1.

Jason 

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[#130km/hforthehume]

As a joke, it'd be humorous to see the Coomera Connector as M101, the M3 Pacific Motorway/Inner City Bypass + AirportlinkM7 as M201, Smith Street Motorway as M301, Southern Cross Drive as M401, the M6 bit of the Logan Motorway as M501, the Port of Brisbane Motorway as M701 and the Sunshine Motorway as M901 in the Interstate style. Unlikely to ever happen though.

[Luke W]

M11 would also probably fit in with what TMR did with re-numbering routes around the Toowoomba Bypass - where the old A39 became A139 and the old A2 became A21.

Of course, this is TMR we're talking about, they'd just as easily put a Gold Coast "regional" state route shield on it for all we know. SR5 maybe, as it's still free (and avoids confusion with the Sunny Coast's SR6 corridor?) 🤷‍♂️

On Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at 11:24:47 AM UTC+10 Musa Hodzic wrote:

[#130km/hforthehume]

I had a detailed read-through of https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/coomera-connector-stage-1 again, and I cannot believe what I'd just read in the last two points listed in the "Key milestones" section:

• 2023: Stage 1 Central main road construction to start.
• Late 2024: Stage 1 is expected to progressively open to traffic in sections

I didn't expect that parts of the motorway will open two years from now. 

That probably means the motorway won't be numbered M6, knowing TMR; hope stage 2 materialises well beyond the papers. M90, as a continuation of SR90, is still an option, though.

[Aevion]

Given that full construction hasn't seemed to have begun yet, I wonder if any of this will be opening in 2024.

Chances are the route number will either be some unusual and completely out-of-whack number none of us will be able to predict, or they won't give it one at all; hopefully that's not the case.

Oh, and they'll probably name the road after somebody as well.

[Rob Tilley]

They could name it after the Mayor, Tacky Tate Turnpike!

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[Aevion]

Catchy!

[#130km/hforthehume]

+1 to agree that it's catchy.

Jokes aside, any name is better than Coomera Motorway, IMO.

[#130km/hforthehume]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-22/gold-coast-coomera-connector-environmental-approval-conditions/102129846

Looks like Stage 1 is one step closer to becoming a reality. The TMR website's timeline, however, has slightly changed with the opening now projected for mid-2025. 

[Ethan “CainNKalos” Barrow]

Just found this, and it's gonna be called the M9! ...for some godforsaken reason. Also exit numbering is from Logan, which'll make sense when Stage 2 is finished, but otherwise gonna be fuckin bizarre in the meantime.

Personally, not exactly a fan of the small 'exit' and large number style here, but I'll take it over the Victorian styling they have on the M1 at the Palm Beach/Tugan area and some Logan exits. I think the sign is slightly confusing, but at least it's distinguishable.

But overall this'll mean we have the M1 (Pacific/Gateway/Bruce), M2 (Gateway/Logan/Ipswich/Warrego), M3 (Pacific/Riverside/ICB/Gympie Arterial), M4 (Port of Brisbane), M5 (Western/Centenary), M6 (Logan), M7 (Ipswich/Clem/AirportLink), M9 (Coomera) and maybe M15 (Cunningham (still unsure if they've actually even maked it as an A or M route yet?)). But otherwise only missing the M8, which is fascinating.

On Monday, 18 July 2022 at 12:53:56 UTC+10 #130km/hforthehume wrote:

[Ethan “CainNKalos” Barrow]

Also they're just seemingly keeping to the name 'Coomera Connector' as well, which'll be funky. They've labelled it above a few intersections; I'll try and get a few photos

[Aevion]

I think M15 is signed between Dinmore and Yamanto? Not 100% sure given it was nearly ten years ago that I last went down that way.

On Thursday, 14 August 2025 at 13:30:28 UTC+10 Ethan “CainNKalos” Barrow wrote:

[Aevion]

That's honestly one of the nicest signs I've seen from Queensland in a long time, and it's not even the greatest design.

I genuinely thought they'd slap something really weird on this road for a route number, or even nothing at all. Actually, slightly impressed with M9; it's not the worst they could have done? M6 would have perhaps made more sense though. Not sure how I feel about Coomera Connector as a name, but I can't think of any potential alternatives. Perhaps it could be renamed once fully built. Or maybe they'll name it after somebody; they're good at that up there.

On Thursday, 14 August 2025 at 13:30:28 UTC+10 Ethan “CainNKalos” Barrow wrote:

[Ethan “CainNKalos” Barrow]

Yeah I'm pleasantly surprised with M9 as well; it makes sense as well. I've seen someone point out that so far they've only allocated odd numbers to north-south routes and even numbers to east-west routes, and that actually tracks when ya look at the M routes on a map (Cunningham is a bit of an exception, but it is generally a north-south route). My main qualm with the sign is that's almost the exact same signage you'd see on the M1 for the same road. But that's honestly probably a local annoyance.

(Also it is signed M15 - but also not really. Lotsa NH15 signs still floating around for now.)

[Ethan “CainNKalos” Barrow]

Finally went out and got the photos of the name on it at Hope Island Rd, and it's damm nice. However putting it up on the side with the railway as well seems to be a bit...stupid, to be blunt. (Plus new Hope Island railway station construction!)