Centenary Bridge upgrade: What it means and how it will work for commuters stuck in traffic
It remains one of SEQ’s biggest headaches and hottest topics – but does this congestion-busting plan actually work? VOTE NOW
It’s one of the most hotly-debated projects under way in Brisbane centred on one of the most hated congestion hotspots in the city.
The Centenary Bridge upgrade targets one of SEQ’s worst choke points by expanding the river crossing from four to six lanes.
The new northbound bridge has previously been flagged for completion in late 2025, with full project completion in 2027 and funding now forecast around $353.5 million, up from an earlier $298.5 million.
As the work continues, many remain divided over what difference it will make to clearing congestion – yet another blow-up on Reddit highlighted the issue again.
In an online poll more than half of readers voted that they have no idea if the upgrade will make any difference.
We break down down Brisbane’s contentious project >>>
Why it matters
The Centenary Motorway carries about 85,000 vehicles daily and is forecast to reach roughly 152,000 by 2036, so the single river crossing is a chronic bottleneck that punishes commuters from the western suburbs to the CBD.
Congestion and crash risk at the bridge ripple onto the Western Freeway and city-bound approaches, hammering travel-time reliability for workers, families and freight.
What’s being built
A new three‑lane northbound bridge at Jindalee; the existing bridges will be rehabilitated and widened to three southbound lanes, taking the crossing to six lanes total.
The plan is to deliver improved connections to the Western Freeway Bikeway, with local community assets like the Jindalee Skate Park retained.
The project is to be delivered by the Georgiou – BMD joint venture, which was appointed in December 2022.
Source: TMR
Timeline
Contract award: December 2022; construction commenced 2023.
New northbound bridge open: late 2025; full project completion by 2027.
Expect night works, reduced speeds, lane closures and traffic management during construction.
Cost and funding
Initially costed at $298.5 million, it is jointly funded by Queensland ($186.5m) and the Commonwealth ($112m).
TMR now lists a $353.5 million budget profile with updated contributions (Queensland $214.25m, Commonwealth $139.25m).
There has been growing frustrations over the budget blowouts.
Benefits you can measure
Two extra lanes over the river will boost capacity and reduce queuing at peak, improving travel-time reliability between the west and the CBD.
Meanwhile safer geometry, barriers and rehabilitated structures reduce incidents and shorten recovery when things go wrong.
Then there is expected to be better walking and cycling links for short local trips, taking pressure off the motorway.
Controversies and live criticisms
Critics have argued six lanes there could just push queues to the next merge unless downstream upgrades follow.
There are also concerns over the fact there are no dedicated bus lanes.
This is seen as a missed chance for public transport priority on a growth corridor.
The start slipped from 2022 to 2023 after further bid due diligence, while residents face night works, noise and temporary traffic pain.
What else needs to happen
■ Pair the bridge with smart motorway measures: ramp metering, variable speeds and rapid incident response to smooth flows.
■ Fix downstream merge/weave points and add auxiliary lanes at the locations where queues routinely form.
■ Lock in bus priority and frequent services feeding rail and Brisbane Metro to give people viable alternatives.
■ Expand park‑and‑ride and safe bike links so local trips don’t need the motorway.
What you are saying
Those against the project
Apeonabicycle
Rail projects are getting axed or turned into bus projects. But $300M on a road project to move a choke point a few hundred metres makes perfect sense to our governments.
Diabolical_potplant
$7 billion for a tram network in one of the most frequented places in the state? Nah
$100 billion for yet another tunnel? Hell yes
CatBoxTime
They could have added a bus lane as part of the project. Literally the only thing that may have reduced traffic in the short-medium term …
ConanTheAquarian
Profile Badge for the Achievement Top 1% Commenter Top 1% Commenter
Adding more lanes never solves congestion. In the short term it moves congestion somewhere else. In the long term it makes congestion worse.
Those for the project
Teedubthegreat
The existing bridge is also damaged from the 2011 floods, and has restrictions for some heavy vehicles. Id say this upgrade would fix the damage, and has been very much needed for a long time. The only alternative for heavy vehicles affected by the restrictions, going north bound, was to use the gate way bridge, which is a huge detour.
itrivers
Every single merge point becomes a choke point in peak hour regardless of how much empty space is ahead. People are seemly allergic to acceleration which would help ease the issue.
New-Ad157
The issue is that some people don’t know how to merge, regardless if they’re given a runway length
Suitable_Slide_9647
Yes. Now do public transport
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