​Major road upgrades around the country are continuing during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In Queensland, the first construction contract has been awarded for the $1 billion Pacific Motorway (M1) upgrade between Varsity Lakes and Tugun (VL2T), with work expected to start in weeks.

The project, jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments, includes widening the M1 from two to three lanes in both directions, extending entry and exit ramps and rebuilding Burleigh Interchange (Exit 87) into a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI). It is set to support 850 jobs throughout the construction phase.

Federal Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge says the federal government has prioritised keeping vital infrastructure projects on track through the COVID-19 crisis. “This project will be critical to infrastructure and hundreds of jobs on the Gold Coast,” Tudge says.

Further north on the M1, work recently finished on a $195.3 million upgrade of the M1/M3 Gateway Merge at Eight Mile Plains. Preliminary works have now begun on the next stage of the M1 North upgrade's $749 million Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill (EMP2DH) project.

“The highway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast is usually one of the busiest stretches of road in Australia and building a better M1 is a priority,” says Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

In New South Wales, the state government recently announced its intention to call for tender applications to build the new ‘missing link’ motorway to connect Sydney’s south, creating an expected 5,300 new jobs.

The $2.6 billion project will allow motorists to bypass up to 23 sets of traffics light on the Princes Highway and take up to 2,000 heavy vehicles a day off surface roads.

In addition, a $20 million upgrade of recreational facilities at popular local parks at Rockdale and Brighton-Le-Sands will start mid-year.

“We know many workers, contractors and sub-contractors are doing it tough during this challenging period, and the start of works on the M6 Stage 1 will be a major boost for the construction industry,” NSW Minister for Roads Andrew Constance says.

“In NSW there are almost 400,000 people employed in property and construction, and we are committed to keeping as many of them in work as possible.”

The M6 Stage 1 connects President Avenue at Kogarah to the New M5 at Arncliffe.