IN a few weeks time Owen and Helen Anderton will leave their home of more than 20 years for good.
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Their home, on the corner of Virgil Road and Rosia Road at Park Ridge, lies in the path of the future Park Ridge Connector (PRC) road corridor.
The PRC was approved by Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson in March last year but construction is not expected for 20 years.
The 100 metre wide, six lane highway will run between Wembley Road at Browns Plains and Granger Road at Chambers Flat and east of the Logan Metro Indoor Sports Centre.
The Andertons' one hectare property was bought by Main Roads in November last year and the couple has been renting it back off the department until their new home at Logan Reserve is built.
They sought an early buy out from Main Roads as Ms Anderton is a full-time carer for her brother, who has special needs and requires stability and routine.
Ms Anderton said while it would be very hard to leave their home of 23 years, where they have raised their children and created many happy memories, they were focusing on the positives to get through it.
"If you don't bounce back from what life throws at you it will gobble you up," she said.
"Packing has been hugely emotionally draining and it does worry me how we will cope on a much smaller property because we like and enjoy this lifestyle and will miss it.
"We can understand why people with young families would be upset about having to give up their home and lifestyle for the PRC and I'm sure if it happened to us 20 years ago we would feel differently, but our priorities have changed."
Ms Anderton said she and her husband had their solicitor and an independent valuer work with Main Roads during the settlement process and she has recommended to other people with homes in the PRC corridor who have asked them for advice to do the same.
Main Roads requires 34 properties in the PRC corridor and has so far bought three properties, including residential and commercial, for a total cost of $1.9m.
Currently Main Roads is only buying properties where owners have applied for early acquisition due to hardship and the remaining properties will not be resumed until the year before any construction starts.
A Main Roads spokeswoman said the timing of construction was dependent on significant traffic growth resulting from developments at Yarrabilba, Flagstone and Bromelton.
She said detailed planning and construction were also subject to future funding and government approval.
