Court delayed as ‘emergency roadworks’, crashes cause CBD chaos

The Brisbane morning commute was thrown into chaos after “emergency roadworks” relating to the Brisbane Metro project, combined with several crashes, caused traffic gridlock.

The Brisbane morning commute was thrown into chaos after “emergency roadworks” related to the Brisbane Metro project and multiple crashes shut down major arterials.

Brisbane City Council confirmed a section of Adelaide Street between North Quay and George streets were closed after complications relating to the construction of the city’s new bus line.

The Brisbane morning commute was thrown into chaos after emergency roadworks relating to the Brisbane Metro project. Picture: Tara Croser.

“This decision was made for safety reasons after a contractor reported an issue with tunnelling works beneath Adelaide Street for the Brisbane Metro project,” Council’s transport chair Ryan Murphy said.

“Thankfully no one was injured.

“We will continue to update residents with information as it becomes available and thank them for their patience.

Those roads have since been reopened.

Traffic gridlock inbound on Ann St in the Brisbane CBD on Wednesday morning. Picture: Tara Croser

Motorists had been urged to seek alternative routes, with long delays across the CBD.

Traffic was reduced to a crawl on Gregory Tce, Wynnum Rd, Coronation Dr and Adelaide St, while it is understood the delays also impacted court proceedings at the Brisbane Magistrates Court.

Brisbane CBD in gridlock on Wednesday morning.

Multiple crashes also affected drivers heading into the city this morning, further impacting peak-hour conditions.

A two-vehicle incident on Ann St near Newstead, another two-vehicle crash at Kippa Ring, a multi-vehicle crash in Logan and a truck breakdown on Legacy Way all contributed to the heavy CBD gridlock.

Traffic in the Brisbane CBD on Wednesday morning. Picture: Tara Croser.

At about 9.45am there were delays of at least 30 minutes for drivers heading into the city via the Pacific Motorway from Mount Gravatt; while there were 25 minute delays for those heading in from Indooroopilly and at least 15 minute delays for drivers taking the Airport Link.

The CBD was a sea of red, with heavy congestion affecting almost all inner-city roads.

Congestion was most prominent along Ann St, St Pauls Terrace, Gipps St, Wharf St, Edward St and all of Coronation Drive.

Brunswick St, Lutwyche Rd, Skyring Terrace and the Inner City Bypass were also affected.

Traffic was banked back to the Gateway Mwy merge with the M1 at Eight Mile Plains by 6.45am. Picture: Google Maps.

Earlier three trucks were involved in a nose-to-tail incident on the Gateway Mwy at the Old Cleveland Rd on-ramp at Tingalpa about 6am.

All three drivers were assessed and one - a man in his 40s - was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in a stable condition to be treated for neck pain.

While the incident itself was resolved relatively quickly, it caused big delays for morning commuters.

Traffic stretched back to Eight Mile Plains by 6.45am, adding up to 50 minutes for northbound trips.