Second tunnel on the cards for Brisbane’s long-touted ‘western bypass’

The news

Queensland’s state Labor government will investigate a second potential tolled tunnel between Darra and Toowong to deliver a long-touted “western bypass” of Brisbane’s inner-city.

Advice is being sought by the government’s investment arm on how the Centenary Motorway bypass would stack up against surface upgrades already being considered.

The state and federal governments have already started work on a $300 million duplication of the Centenary Motorway’s Brisbane River crossing at Jindalee.Credit: Dan Peled

“For decades now, we’ve been building out the tunnel network here in Brisbane, and I’ve been particularly interested to see that mega project reach its fruition,” Premier Steven Miles told journalists on Sunday.

“The next two stages of that are, of course, the Gympie Road tunnel … and the Darra to Toowong corridor ... and these additional tunnels would effectively complete that [mega project].”

Why it matters

The Centenary Motorway stretch in question is used for short and long-distance trips and carries an average of 90,000 vehicles daily in some sections – a figure expected to rise beyond the road’s capacity.

How the government suggests the proposed Centenary Motorway bypass tunnel could work to help create a long-touted “western bypass” of Brisbane.Credit: Queensland government

Investigations by the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC) and the transport department will follow a model similar to the one behind a planned multibillion-dollar Gympie Road bypass further north.

Tolling is being considered for both tunnels as part of a complex arrangement that could see the state government borrow against the future value of all south-east tolling rights, and ultimately retake control of them.

Transport Minister Bart Mellish said road operator Transurban had also been approached about plans to add extra lanes to the Logan Motorway, which feeds traffic to and from the Centenary Motorway.

What they said

“We’d expect this to take about a year or so for the feasibility option,” Mellish said of the work now facing QIC and his department, comparing it to the lead-time for an initial $318 million Gympie Road bypass investment.

“It looks like initial thoughts are that it stacks up, but we want to do the work before the real money is committed to this project.”

Mellish said the options for surface upgrades to the Centenary Motorway, including extra lanes, would raise “many, many issues locally … and I don’t think the community would want to cop that”.

He added that existing work by his department on a masterplan for the motorway, expected to be finished this year, was continuing.

Perspectives

The RACQ has long pushed the government to seriously consider a so-called western bypass corridor as part of Centenary Motorway planning, with a focus on boosting public transport integration.

“We commend the state and federal governments for funding the Centenary Bridge upgrade, but a more detailed and long-term plan is needed to effectively alleviate congestion along this vital corridor,” the group’s head of public policy, Dr Michael Kane, said in March.

“If this doesn’t happen, motorists will continue to crawl at school-zone speeds on this major motorway.”

The LNP – polling favourably compared to Labor ahead of next month’s election – has backed the Gympie Road bypass tunnel but was yet to comment on the Centenary Motorway pitch.