Both Sugar Road and Maud Street are heavily congested during peak hours, with long traffic queues and delays. Congestion impacts bus services as well as motorists heading to local businesses along the route or travelling to destinations in the centre of Maroochydore such as Sunshine Plaza and beyond.

Sugar Road is one of the Sunshine Coast’s busiest Council-owned roads and carries up to 25,000 vehicles a day, well over its design capacity of 15,000.

It links the two sides of a commercial precinct split by the Sunshine Motorway via an underpass and the southern end of the road is well used by freight.

Traffic queues through this section regularly stretch back south to Mooloolaba Road and north to Wrigley Street. Motorists turning out of side streets often struggle to find a space in the traffic during peak hours.

Neither street has dedicated riding paths and there are only two signalised crossings – located at the very northern end of the corridor where Maud Street meets Dalby Street and Bungama Street – which makes crossing difficult for walkers and riders.

Plans to improve the Sugar Road and Maud Street corridor have been in place for 20 years. The former Maroochy Plan 2000 classified the corridor as an arterial road and upgrade works are listed in the local government infrastructure plan (LGIP) – included in the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 ­– for delivery between 2026 and 2031.

Sugar Road and Maud Street provide a significant link between the Sunshine Motorway and the eastern side of the Maroochydore principal activity centre. There is no other north–south road route into the heart of Maroochydore located east of the city centre that directly connects to the Sunshine Motorway. Maroochy Boulevard is located west of the city centre and is the only other north–south route through the area.

The road upgrades will:

• improve travel journeys by increasing the capacity of both roads
• make it easier, safer and more pleasant to walk or ride down and across both roads
• beautify both roads with landscaping and verge plantings
• improve bus services using both roads by making travel times more reliable.

The original concept design was released in August 2023 for public consultation. The project team have since released an updated concept design and will be working towards starting detailed design in mid-2025, with Maud Street to be the initial focus.

While some interim changes are required to address safety and traffic flow concerns, construction will be undertaken in stages, with the timing subject to council budget deliberations.

The concept design was updated based on consideration of community and stakeholder feedback, and further technical investigations. The changes to the concept design seek to:

• reduce conflict points between road traffic and people walking or riding
• increase connections to the broader transport network
• improve intersection traffic flow
• increase landscaping opportunities for improved amenity.

Several intersections on Maud Street have been updated from the original draft concept design, with a design emphasis on directing traffic to the Maroochydore city centre using appropriate routes.

Coghlan Court will be closed to traffic at the Maud Street intersection, and Easton Street will become a left only exit onto Maud Street, with no incoming traffic. Residents in these streets will instead be able to use Sugar Road North via City Centre Access to travel to and from Maud Street.

On Sugar Road, two intersections have been reviewed and updated since the original draft concept design.

Oloway Crescent will be a signalised intersection, allowing traffic to travel in all directions when entering and exiting Sugar Road. This will improve local connectivity to eastern neighbourhoods.

Centenary Crescent will remain unsignalised and become a left in and left out only intersection at Sugar Road. This will ease the likelihood of traffic queuing in this section of the road given the close proximity to the signalised intersection at Oloway Crescent.

Overall, the updated concept design allows for intersection changes to reduce points of conflict between walkers, riders and vehicles. There are also new improvements planned for additional landscaping to improve scenic amenity and increase shade for walkers and riders.

The riding path has been extended to provide an active transport option into Maroochydore city centre, with one-way riding paths extending along the eastern end of Sunshine Coast Parade.

At the Dalton Drive intersection with Maud Street and Sugar Road, the crossing signals have been revised to reduce waiting times for riders and walkers with crossing signals on all four legs of the intersection. The riding path will be extended along Dalton Drive, with one-way paths on both sides of the street.

A new signalised pedestrian crossing is included in the updated concept design between Wrigley Street and Centenary Crescent, on Sugar Road. This will provide better connectivity between two bus stops and provide safer crossing for people walking and riding.

You can attend a pop-up information session in November to speak to the project team.

Saturday 9 November

10am – 1pm

Sunshine Plaza, Maroochydore

Tuesday 12 November

10am – 1pm

Sunshine Coast City Hall, Maroochydore

In late 2023, Council released the draft concept design, and the community and key stakeholders were invited to provide feedback. Overall, more than 80% of people who completed the survey supported upgrading Sugar Road and Maud Street.

Community and stakeholder feedback indicated some key areas of interest on the draft concept design which included:

• access for business and community
• changes on the local street network
• support for greening the corridor
• support for safe and attractive walking and riding paths
• parking for adjacent land use
• optimising traffic flow
• broader network transport connections
• future use of residential land.

Council has reviewed ideas and input from the community and investigated improvements to the concept design where feasible.

Access for business and community

Community consultation revealed the community had some concerns about current access when turning right on Sugar Road and Maud Street. The draft concept design proposed changes to traffic flow by introducing a centre median and provided facilities for u-turns. The community provided varying feedback regarding the changes to access with the proposed centre median and the dedicated u-turn facilities.

Council completed further investigation following the community consultation studying the impacts on travel time through the corridor based on retaining additional options for turning right. Forecast traffic indicated a substantial delay for vehicles turning right and significant safety concerns.

The updated concept design therefore retains the centre median and three dedicated u-turn facilities as the most suitable solution for the community to continue to access business and properties along Sugar Road and Maud Street.

Changes on the local street network

Feedback from community consultation indicated a desire to reduce the number of conflict points between turning traffic and the walking and riding paths and to minimise short cutting, where possible, in surrounding streets.

A key objective of upgrading Sugar Road and Maud Street is to provide an efficient transport route that minimises the need to short cut through adjacent streets.

Following investigations, Council has made the following local street network changes in the updated concept design.

Sugar Road North, Easton Street and Coghlan Court

Sugar Road North will connect to City Centre Access to provide residents of Coghlan Court and Easton Street a signalised exit to Maud Street. Coghlan Court will be closed to Maud Street and Easton Street will only allow a left turn to exit to Maud Street, with no incoming traffic.

This change reduces conflict points between walkers, riders and road users in this section of Maud Street. The update will also ensure city centre traffic arrives through City Centre Access, removing the option for shortcuts through surrounding streets.

Centenary Crescent and Oloway Crescent

The community provided varying feedback during consultation regarding the planned signalised intersections and turning limitations for Centenary Crescent and Oloway Crescent.

Council committed to further investigation, and as a result, the updated concept design plans for a signalised intersection only at Oloway Crescent, to minimise the risk of traffic queuing between the intersections and resulting safety issues.

Oloway Crescent will allow all traffic movements as it provides a more direct connection to eastern neighbourhoods. Centenary Crescent will remain unsignalised and be limited to left turn in and left turn out traffic to Sugar Road, however u-turn facilities are available on Sugar Road if required.

Support for greening the corridor

The community provided support for additional greening in the corridor to improve amenity and increase shade. In response, Council has improved kerb buildouts to allow for additional landscaping, ensuring sight lines are maintained for safety.

Landscaping plans will progress during the detailed design stage but will ensure selected trees meet requirements around existing powerline infrastructure.

Support for safe and attractive walking and riding paths

The community and stakeholders provided support for safe and attractive walking and riding paths. The updated concept design minimises conflict points between walkers, riders and road users by revising some intersections and turning access to the local street network.

An additional signalised walking and riding crossing has been provided on the updated concept design on Sugar Road between Wrigley Street and Centenary Crescent, to improve crossing opportunities and safety.

The signalised crossing for walkers and riders at Dalton Drive where it meets Maud Street and Sugar Road has been updated from the original design and will provide better crossing choices and improved access to surrounding businesses.

A new priority crossing for Newspaper Place creates a safer and connected crossing for walkers and riders.

Parking for adjacent land use

During community consultation it became apparent that providing parking, where possible, was important to residents and businesses of Sugar Road and Maud Street.

Parking has been retained where feasible on the western side of Maud Street and eastern side of Sugar Road.

Optimising traffic flow

General community feedback during community consultation provided a desire to optimise traffic flow throughout Sugar Road and Maud Street, and some community members expressed a desire to prioritise roundabouts over additional signalised intersections.

The updated concept design retains the planned removal of roundabouts and incorporates signalised intersections.

Roundabout removal accommodates the requirement for safe and attractive walking paths and safe crossing opportunities. Multi-lane roundabouts are not able to provide priority for walkers and riders crossing the road.

Traffic signals at intersections provide a natural break in traffic which assists motorists entering from the local street network. Signalised intersections will be carefully designed and operated to allow safe and efficient travel. Phasing of traffic signals will be considered when the project moves to detailed design, with an emphasis on balancing the needs of all users.

Broader network transport connections

The community feedback during consultation highlighted an interest in understanding broader network changes surrounding Sugar Road and Maud Street. The Queensland Government is undertaking transport planning on either end of Sugar Road and Maud Street.

Sugar Road passes beneath the Sunshine Motorway between two nearby motorway interchanges – Maroochy Boulevard and Buderim–Mooloolaba Road.

The Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) is currently planning an upgrade of the motorway between the two interchanges through the Buderim–Mooloolaba Interchange to Maroochy Boulevard (BMI2MB) project. For more information on that project visit tmr.qld.gov.au.

The upgrade layout of the Sugar Road and Wises Road intersection is subject to Queensland Government planning. Council continues to work with TMR as planning progresses to ensure these projects are integrated and that the roads controlled by different levels of government function as ‘one network’.

Future use of residential land

Council has been resuming property required to accommodate the widening of Sugar Road and Maud Street. Some residual land may be available after the upgrade is finalised.

Feedback from the community consultation indicated the transparent buildings on residual land on the draft concept design caused confusion. Future use of residual land has not been confirmed but will not include any direct access to Sugar Road and Maud Street, to preserve the upgrade benefits.

Council has purchased numerous properties for the Sugar Road and Maud Street upgrades in recent years as they came to market. Council has recently begun the process of purchasing all remaining properties required.

Council endeavours to give impacted property owners as much notice as possible, which is why road projects are planned years in advance. Council always seeks to acquire properties by negotiation with the landholder rather than through compulsory acquisition (resumption) and pays market value at a price set by an independent valuer. Council has a responsibility to ratepayers to ensure the valuation process and any settlement is fair and reasonable.

Properties impacted by the Sugar Road and Maud Street upgrade and acquired by Council which are not considered safe and suitable for the rental market are being progressively demolished. Other properties purchased have been placed on the rental market to contribute to regional housing supply until closer to the anticipated construction start date.

Road upgrades have been designed to minimise impacts to surrounding homes and businesses.

Where the road isn’t widened, access to property and driveways will not be reconfigured, altered or removed. When staged construction commences, Council will reconstruct any accesses or driveways temporarily impacted by construction works.

The updated concept design includes centre medians which limits motorists from turning right across the road into some properties. However, u-turn facilities have been provided where possible.

Construction is not likely to commence for some time and will be undertaken in stages. Interim line marking changes will be undertaken on Sugar Road south of Oloway Crescent to address safety concerns and improve traffic flow.

Once the upgrade is underway, staged construction work for the overall update will be managed to reduce noise impacts and traffic disruption.

Works may require temporary changes to the road network, property accesses and footpaths for short periods. Council will notify property owners and road users of impacts well in advance of construction.

Council includes planting in road upgrades. Verges will be landscaped following widening works and ornamental plants, grasses and shrubs will green and enhance larger median strips. The updated concept design incorporates additional landscaping from the original draft concept design to improve scenic amenity including planting trees to improve shade and kerb buildouts for additional greenery

Planning for landscaping specifics will form part of the detailed design process and suitable species will be selected for the upgrade design. Following landscaping work, walking paths will be reinstated and street lighting will be improved.

The design includes additional signals at several intersections on Sugar Road and Maud Street. Upgrading intersections to signals provides safer crossing opportunities for people walking and riding. It also assists road traffic entering from side streets by creating breaks in traffic and reducing the likelihood of risky driving behaviour.

The inclusion of additional traffic signals balances safety considerations with serviceability. The updated concept design has reconsidered the distance between signals on Sugar Road to minimise traffic queuing between signals wherever possible.

Council conducts ongoing reviews into signal synchronisation to improve traffic flow across the Sunshine Coast. During the detailed design phase, Council will incorporate consideration of the Sugar Road and Maud Street signals, to optimise the synchronisation and phasing to maintain traffic flow.

The Sugar Road and Maud Street Upgrade is an investment in improving connectivity and travel choice for vehicles, buses, riders and walkers. It’s expected there will be an increase in the volume of people walking and riding through Sugar Road and Maud Street with the introduction of separated riding path and walking path, and signals provide safer crossing opportunities than a multi-lane roundabout.

Council aims to get more people walking, riding and taking public transport however road network upgrades and improvements are still needed. Daily car trips on the Sunshine Coast are projected to jump from 1.2 million to 2 million by 2041 as more than half a million people call the Sunshine Coast home.

Sunshine Coast Council is planning to reduce the growth in car trips by advocating for better public transport, implementing travel behaviour change programs, investing in pathways, dedicated riding paths and delivering limited upgrades to the surrounding road transport network.

The Sugar Road and Maud Street upgrades are part of a construction program Council maintains to keep the Sunshine Coast moving. Like all major road projects, this includes investments in walking and riding infrastructure to support Council’s ‘Strong Community’ goal encouraging a healthy and active community.

Council’s road construction program is funded by revenue from rates, developer contributions and state and federal government grants.

Council undertakes extensive research, detailed modelling and regular traffic assessments to pinpoint congestion hotspots, work out where road upgrades or new roads are needed and prioritise projects. Strategic transport projects planned for the next 20 years are listed in the Local Government Infrastructure Plan (LGIP) which can be found on Council’s website. Priority projects in the LGIP become part of Council’s 10-year capital works program. The current LGIP includes upgrades for both Sugar Road and Maud Street.

The project is anticipated to move to detailed design in mid-2025. The Sugar Road and Maud Street upgrade will be delivered in stages, with interim line marking work required south of Oloway Crescent in the next 12 months. Timing of subsequent stages will be subject to Council budget deliberations.

Council is planning line marking updates for Sugar Road, south of Oloway Crescent. These are necessary prior to the wider upgrade as an interim measure to address current traffic flow and safety concerns. Council will be working with surrounding properties and businesses to understand requirements and implement changes.

Subscribing is a convenient way to keep up-to-date with the project. To receive regular project updates or contact the project team email: sugarmaudupgrade@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au.