Brisbane traffic: Legacy Way tunnel closed to fix power supply issue, causing traffic nightmare

Traffic on multiple major routes into the Brisbane CBD are being severely impacted as a result of the sudden closure of the Legacy Way tunnel due to a power supply issue.

Legacy way entrance at Herston. Picture: Jono Searle

Brisbane commuters are suffering “apocalyptic delays” as a result of the sudden closure of the Legacy Way Tunnel due to a power supply issue.

An alert was issued by Department of Transport and Main Roads at 6am, with commuters encouraged to use alternative routes, causing further delays on surrounding roads.

Heavy traffic is already building up on Milton Road in Auchenflower and on the Inner City Bypass in Herston, while city-bound traffic on the Western Freeway through Chapel Hill and Indooroopilly is also being impacted.

Ipswich Rd is at a standstill. Photo: Google Maps

Inner City Bypass traffic is backed up from the Abbotsford Rd on-ramp in Bowen Hills all the way through to the Riverside Expressway, with knock-on effects pushing vehicles back to the intersection with Sandgate Rd in Albion.

Northside commuters are reporting “apocalyptic” conditions, with the journey time from some suburbs blowing out from 20 minutes to 90 minutes.

A frustrated commuter said a normally 10-minute drive along Abbotsford Road took her 35 minutes, despite her map showing her trip would only take 18 minutes.

The M5 Western Freeway is also gridlocked. Photo: Google Maps

Another commuter said the traffic was “insane” and that they had never seen anything like it.

On both Kelvin Grove Road and Coronation Drive, commuters are reporting speeds of just 8kmh.

Western Freeway traffic faced 10km of queues from the tunnel entrance near Mt Coot-Tha to Sumners Rd in Sumner at the peak of the delays.

Commuters using Moggill Road to travel from Kenmore in the western suburbs are facing a journey time of close to an hour, as the tunnel closure impacts speeds.

The Inner City Bypass has been hit hard. Photo: Google Maps

City-bound vehicles are stuck in heavy traffic along almost the entire length of Milton Rd, as motorists are forced to find other routes.

A Transurban spokeswoman said power supply to Legacy Way tunnel was impacted after an incident occurred in one of the tunnel substations early this morning.

“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 alternate route,” she said.