Brisbane Council Redirects Millions to Rivermakers, Delays Logan Projects Two Years

Brisbane City Council voted 9-4 on 3 July 2026 to approve $85 million from the 2026-27 capital works program for stage one of the Rivermakers precinct redevelopment under the SEQ Growth Plan.

The decision reallocates funds previously earmarked for Logan and Ipswich corridor road and rail upgrades listed in the same budget papers. Council officers cited completed design work and land acquisitions already in place at Rivermakers as the reason for the shift.

Direct effects on daily travel and services

Residents in South Brisbane and West End will see new ferry terminals and 12 hectares of riverfront parkland open by late 2028. Workers commuting from those suburbs to the CBD gain an extra river crossing option during peak hours once the terminals operate. Households in the same area also receive direct pedestrian links to the expanded Gabba precinct currently under construction for the 2032 Olympics.

Logan residents in the Flagstone and Jimboomba growth areas will continue using the existing two-lane sections of the Mount Lindsay Highway for at least another budget cycle. Ipswich households waiting on the Redbank Plains rail duplication will face the same delay. Both corridors were listed for 2027-28 construction starts in the original SEQ Growth Plan documentation released in 2024.

Budget figures and next steps

The $85 million represents 14 percent of the council's total 2026-27 infrastructure allocation according to the published budget papers. The remaining corridor projects retain their original cost estimates but now carry revised completion dates of 2030 or later.

Tenders for the Rivermakers works are scheduled to open in October 2026, with construction contracts expected to be awarded by March 2027. Council officers will report progress on the deferred Logan and Ipswich projects at the November 2026 meeting.