Long-awaited Palmwoods intersection & rail overpass plan due within weeks

PALMWOODS residents are just weeks away from getting their first look at a long-awaited plan to tackle the town’s notorious rail overpass and surrounding intersections.

Nicklin MP Marty Hunt told about 40 people at a Palmwoods Community and Business Association public meeting on Tuesday September 1 that he had seen the preferred concept prepared by Department of Transport and Main Roads traffic engineers.

The project covers the Jubilee Drive, Chevallum Road and Woombye-Palmwoods Road intersections and their connection with the Palmwoods rail overpass.

Mr Hunt secured $700,000 before the 2024 State Election for a business case and design work, with the preferred concept now expected to be released for community consultation within weeks. “It is a complex intersection with overpasses and so we had to get the best traffic engineers on it,” Mr Hunt said.  “Once the concept is released, we will engage with the community to seek feedback and ensure local voices are heard as the project progresses.”

The concept will seek to improve traffic flow, road safety and flooding resilience, but Mr Hunt stressed it remained a planning exercise and would have to proceed through consultation and detailed design before construction. No construction timetable was announced at the meeting.

Mr Hunt said the intersection had overwhelmingly been the biggest Palmwoods issue raised with him over years of door-knocking. “The number one thing – and daylight second – was the overpass and intersections,” he said.

Residents told the MPs, however, that fixing the immediate bottleneck should be only part of a broader look at access to the growing town.

One long-time resident recalled trees falling across Woombye-Palmwoods Road during school pick-up on November 9, 2024, leaving hundreds of vehicles unable to move.

He said Palmwoods’ limited entry and exit routes posed a potentially much greater problem during a bushfire or other emergency.

“When I was a boy growing up, there used to be a sign at the subway that said Palmwoods, population 1000,” he said. “It ain’t that anymore.”

Glass House MP Andrew Powell, who will gain Palmwoods in his electorate at the next State election, said concerns about traffic and access were well known. As a long-term local resident, Mr Powell joked: “My wife often talks about the need for another exit out of Palmwoods.” 

Mr Hunt said community feedback was welcome and could substantially improve road designs.  “Some of the best ideas come from community,” Mr Hunt said. “Locals know the roads and you’ll be able to say what will work and what might not work.”

The meeting also provided something of a political handover for Palmwoods. Mr Powell represented much of Palmwoods during his first three terms as Glass House MP and said he had continued to live locally for 23 years, with all five of his children having played for the Palmwoods Warriors. “We know this community back to front,” he said.

Mr Hunt stressed he would remain Palmwoods’ MP until the next election and would continue taking up residents’ concerns.