Qld government considers new tunnel to tackle Brisbane traffic
A congestion-busting tunnel, allowing motorists to bypass the Centenary Motorway, will be investigated amid an expected surge in traffic in Brisbane. VOTE IN OUR POLL
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A congestion-busting tunnel linking Toowong to Darra, allowing motorists to bypass the Centenary Motorway, will be investigated amid an expected surge in traffic across the coming decade.
But it means a masterplan of the Centenary Motorway corridor, meant to be out by the end of the year, will be pushed back as the government looks into the tunnel option.
Premier Steven Miles, alongside Transport Minister Bart Mellish, announced $10m set aside in the budget would be used to look into the viability of a tunnel against further expansion of the existing motorway.
The state government, through the Queensland Investment Corporation, is already investigating a tolled tunnel linking Kedron to Carseldine. The latest move to bypass the Centenary Motorway will be investigated by the same QIC architects looking into the Gympie Rd tunnel.
The Centenary Motorway carries more than 90,000 vehicles a day on average in some sections, with the figures slated to rise to a whopping 152,000 by 2036.
It’s hoped a tunnel, linking up to Legacy Way and to the Ipswich Motorway, would allow local traffic to use the Centenary Motorway with less congestion while those going through the area travel underground.
Mr Mellish said he expected the tunnel feasibility study to take a year and if the option stacks up, the government - should it be re-elected for a fourth term after the October state election - would back it financially.
Whether or not the road should be a toll road will be part of the $10m planning exercise.
“In this part of town your options are ... going on the surface and extending the Centenary Motorway ... with extra lanes. You really are looking at many issues locally ... and I don’t think the community would want to cop that,” he said.
“So we’re having a serious look at this tunnel option.”
Unlike the Gympie Rd tunnel, which is set to cost about $7bn, the tunnel linking Toowong to Darra would need to go under the Brisbane River.
Mr Mellish acknowledged the escalating cost of road infrastructure and said the government wanted to know the feasibility of the tunnel before committing to the project.
The state government, in its recent budget, flagged an eventual takeover of Queensland’s toll roads in a bid to funnel billions of dollars into a new congestion-busting tunnel in the city’s crowded northern suburbs.
Any takeover would happen after agreements with ASX-listed Transurban expire from 2051.
This would fill the government’s coffers with billions of dollars in estimated worth, with government figures pitching the current valuation of all seven tollways at $3.6bn in 2024 and multiplying tenfold to $34.3bn in 27 years.
“Our Government is considering new ways of operating toll roads in Queensland, that will be of more benefit to the people of our state,” Treasurer Cameron Dick said at the time.
“Pending further investigation and advice, this model could provide a present-day funding offset for major expansions of the network, such as the seven-kilometre Gympie Road Bypass tunnel.”
Brisbane has been named one of the worst city’s in the world for traffic, with a growing population expected to make the situation worse.
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