Roundabout upgrades create traffic nightmare as drivers told to avoid it

A $180 million upgrade to fix one of Brisbane’s most infamous roundabouts has turned into a traffic nightmare that’s caused “horrendous” delays for motorists, with works not expected to finish until 2024.

A $180 million upgrade to fix one of Brisbane’s most infamous roundabouts has turned into a traffic nightmare that’s caused “horrendous” delays for motorists, with some opting to boycott it.

Motorists have been advised to avoid the Indooroopilly roundabout with peak-hour traffic reducing to a crawl following lane reductions at key arterials.

The joint-funded upgrades will alleviate congestion and improve road safety for those travelling through western suburbs when completed in early 2024, according to Brisbane City Council.

However, local residents and the RACQ have advised motorists to seek alternative routes to avoid getting stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Traffic crawls along Moggill Rd, Indooroopilly. Picture: Liam Kidston

Sherwood Magpies Australian Rules Football Club president Andrew Thomson said the traffic problems had increased tenfold since the roundabout roadworks began.

Mr Thomson was caught out on Friday afternoon when he left the clubhouse to his son’s football game at Brisbane Boys’ College.

He said he took the backstreets through St Lucia instead of going through the roundabout.

“Normally it would be a 10 minute drive at 4.30pm, but this took me about 35 minutes,” Mr Thomson said.

“We went past friends going to the same school and they went through the roundabout and we beat them by 10 minutes easily.”

Mr Thomson said traffic that stemmed from the roundabout and the Walter Taylor Bridge was “horrendous”, particularly on weekends.

“It can take 30 minutes just to get across the bridge,” he said.

“We tell visiting teams to avoid the roundabout and the bridge and come in other ways.

“It’s already hard enough but this has made it so much worse. Who knows how long it will go on for.”

The upgrades to the roundabout are expected to finish in 2024. Picture: Paul Guy

RACQ’s traffic and safety engineering manager Gregory Miszkowycz described the traffic delays as “short-term pain for long-term gain”.

“Unfortunately, lane closures are required both day and night to deliver this component of the project, however this will ultimately minimise the disruption to traffic as it shortens the time needed to complete the overall project,” Mr Miszkowycz said.

“Our advice to motorists is to seek out alternative routes if they can, take trips outside of peak times, and give themselves extra time to complete their journey while the roadworks are occurring.”

A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said there would be several lane changes at the site throughout the duration of the upgrade.

She said the project was on track to be completed in early 2024.

According to the council’s website, Coonan Street lane closures were put in place from late April and expected to be closed for about three months, weather permitting.

“We encourage anyone that lives, works or travels into Indooroopilly to plan ahead and subscribe to receive the regular email and/or SMS updates for the project,” the spokeswoman said.

“This will help motorists be prepared. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternative routes and use public and active transport where possible.

“We thank residents for their patience as we deliver the upgrade of one of Brisbane’s busiest corridors.”

Greens MP Michael Berkman slammed the upgrades as “ugly” and said the delays were “absurd”.

Indooroopilly Shopping Centre general manager Steven Ihm said the project would benefit the suburb and be a “great” long term outcome from residents and shoppers.