Legacy Way Tunnel still closed after power outage, drivers told to ‘seek alternative route’

Brisbane’s Legacy Way Tunnel remains closed more than nine hours after it was shut due to a power failure on Wednesday morning.

The unexpected power failure forced operator Transurban to close the tunnel with little notice at 6am on Wednesday.

Legacy Way emergency roadworks have led to traffic delays.Credit: Google Maps

The tunnel, which connects Toowong in the west to the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove, was closed in both directions, bringing traffic in the city’s west to a standstill as motorists tried to find alternative routes to the CBD.

The tunnel remained closed at 3.10pm, raising concerns for evening peak-hour delays.

A Transurban spokeswoman said the operator did not know when it would be able to reopen the tunnel and urged commuters to find an alternative route home.

In a statement, Transurban said: “Early this morning an incident occurred in one of the Legacy Way substations, which has impacted the power supply to the tunnel.

“We are working to restore the power as soon as possible and reopen the tunnel to traffic.

“Legacy Way remains closed in both directions and customers are advised to seek an alternative route.”

The spokeswoman could not answer questions about the nature of the incident at the substation saying the matter was under investigation.

The Legacy Way Tunnel carries an average of 24,000 vehicles every day and generates more than $40 million in annual revenue for Transurban, with about $3 million of that allocated for maintenance.

The problems come after the former government flagged another tunnel in Brisbane’s west, in addition to the mooted Gympie Road Bypass Tunnel in the north, and how it might leverage its other tollways in future.

Traffic reporter Olympia Kwitowski from radio station 4BC said traffic was “really heavy” throughout the morning.

“If this is a sign of what the roads would be like if we didn’t have a tunnel, we absolutely need this tunnel,” she said.

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