Ipswich Motorway

Ipswich Motorway

Ipswich Motorway beginning at Moorooka, 2017
General information
TypeMotorway
Length21 km (13 mi)
Route number(s)
  • M2
  • (Warrego Highway to Logan Motorway)
  • M7
  • (Logan Motorway to Ipswich Road)
Former
route number
  • Metroad 2
  • National Highway 15
Major junctions
NE end Ipswich Road
Rocklea, Brisbane
 
SW end
Location(s)
Major suburbs / townsOxley, Darra, Wacol, Gailes, Goodna
Highway system
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The Ipswich Motorway (M7) is a major road that connects Brisbane and Ipswich in South East Queensland, Australia. It commences at the junction of Ipswich Road and Granard Road and proceeds through to the M2 Logan Motorway interchange. It is then signed M2 until the junction of the Warrego Highway and the Cunningham Highway.

It initially passes through the suburbs of Rocklea, Oxley and Darra in south west Brisbane before reaching the eastern suburbs of Ipswich such as Redbank Plains, Goodna and Riverview. The Motorway is directly connected to the M5 Centenary Motorway at Darra and the M2 Logan Motorway at Gailes. In 2008, it was estimated that 80,000 cars use the road daily.[1] In late 2010, this figure had risen to close to 100,000 vehicles per day.[2] In 2002, the morning peak traffic volume was greatest between 7:00 am and 8:00 am. By 2008, the morning peak traffic volume peaked between the hours of 5:00 am and 6:00 am.

The motorway was formed from the original Ipswich Road/Cunningham Arterial Road, which was upgraded during the 1980s and 1990s to form a grade-separated motorway-grade route. The Ipswich Motorway was commissioned on 17 May 1994.

This road consists of two separate state-controlled roads as defined by the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR). The part from Rocklea to Goodna is named Cunningham Arterial Road (number U16) and the other is named as part of the Cunningham Highway (number 17A). Road U16 is part of the state strategic network, and road 17A is part of the national network.[3][4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference cm1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Tony Moore (16 November 2010). "Early bird gets the traffic jam". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  3. ^ The State Road Network of Queensland (PDF) (Map). Queensland Government ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. 30 June 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 March 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  4. ^ Metropolitan District Map (east-west) Page 1 and Page 2 (Dinmore/Riverview) (PDF) (Map). Department of Transport and Main Roads ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. March 2007. Retrieved 25 November 2021.