Traffic delays as Brisbane goes into lockdown

Motorists faced significant peak-hour delays across Greater Brisbane on Monday afternoon as the region entered a three-day lockdown.

Congestion across the Greater Brisbane region has started to clear after the 5pm COVID lockdown sent peak-hour traffic into meltdown.

As well as heavy traffic in Brisbane city itself, by 4.30pm there were delays on all major highways out of Brisbane.

While the CBD traffic had largely cleared by 5.45pm, the delays on the M1 southbound still stretched from Nerang all the way back to Upper Mount Gravatt – a distance of 67km that at 5.50pm was taking drivers about 80 minutes to get through.

The Western Freeway was seeing delays southbound from the Ipswich Mwy back to Brisbane city at 4.45pm but these had eased by 6pm, with delays reduced to between Kenmore and Mount Coot-Tha.

The Gateway Mwy was seeing heavy delays from Carindale back to Murarrie at 4.45pm but by 6pm these had reduced to be from around Rochedale back to Belmont.

The Gateway northside was still seeing heavy traffic northbound from Bracken Ridge back to the airport at 6pm.

Traffic on Gympie Rd was heavy northbound from Murrumba Downs back to Aspley at 6pm, while patches of the Bruce Hwy were also congested.

The Logan Mwy was also experiencing delays eastbound but these had eased by 6pm to mainly impact the Meadowbrook and Loganholme region.

RACQ shared images of bumper-to-bumper traffic near Woolloongabba just after 4pm.

A photo showing traffic on the Pacific Mwy around Arrow St at 4.16pm.

Westbound traffic was also seeing delays at 4.45pm as a crash on Moggill Road near Brisbane Boys College had blocked the right lane in both directions at Union St in Toowong.

Congestion from this crash was expected to be felt from and including Coronation Dr with buses in the surrounding area to be delayed up to 15 minutes.

This evening’s traffic comes after a crash on the Pacific Motorway created delays as people in Brisbane started to leave ahead of the lockdown.

A three-vehicle crash on the Pacific Motorway at Slacks Creek southbound was causing delays back to Eight Mile Plains.

Paramedics were called to the scene at 1pm treated one person for minor injuries.

They were taken to Logan Hospital in a stable condition.

Congestion is starting to build south bound on the M1 at Slacks Creek ahead of the 5pm Greater Brisbane lockdown. Pack your patience! pic.twitter.com/lpDnSfhff4

— RACQ (@RACQOfficial) March 29, 2021

The Pacific Motorway at Loganholme was also at a crawl earlier this afternoon at Rochedale as the Pacific Motorway and Gateway Motorway merge.

Traffic was also stretching back past the Hospital on the Logan Motorway just before 2pm, as it merges with the Pacific Motorway southbound.

A huge backlog of traffic on the Pacific Motorway at the Gateway merge as people head south just before 2pm. Photo: QLD Traffic

Meanwhile on the Sunshine Coast, two people, including an infant, were taken to hospital after a crash on the Bruce Highway on-ramp at Woombye.

The two-vehicle crash happened just before 1pm.

Three patients were treated at the scene with two taken to Nambour Hospital, including an adult female and an infant, as a precaution.

The third person declined transport.

All three were stable.

The incident affected traffic in northbound lanes of the highway with delays expected.

The Greater Brisbane lockdown will begin at 5pm today. Those who have been within the Greater Brisbane area since March 20 have been asked to lockdown for three days.

Last time the region was thrown into lockdown there were massive traffic delays the day the lockdown started and again as it ended.