Tom Tate will lobby Abbott Government for $2.1 billion of infrastructure upgrades for 2018

The projects are among 29 named as priorities in a report compiled by the Gold Coast City Council and will be put to the federal government by Mayor Tom Tate who is in Canberra as part of a Council of Mayors delegation.

Top of the wishlist is $600 million to fund stage 2 of the light rail system to connect to the heavy rail network.

Cr Tate said transport upgrades were urgently needed to ease pressure on the city from both an increasing population and the influx of people expected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

“We have struck a great balance by targeting existing bottlenecks in established areas and working to prevent congestion in our northern suburbs.”

The $74 million upgrade of Coomera’s Exit 54 is also up for consideration, with city leaders pushing the urgency of funding the expansion of the existing overpass, which will unlock more than $1 billion in development at the nearby Coomera Town Centre.

The delegation is scheduled to meet with senior members of the Abbott Cabinet, including Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane. Click HERE for the original article from the Gold Coast Bulletin.