New Indooroopilly bridge could cost $1.3b: Council study outlines five options to fix traffic horror
A Brisbane City Council study has revealed five options to fix the traffic nightmare on one of the westside’s most congested bridges. “Do nothing’’ was not one of them. SEE THE DETAILS
South West
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A new rail and car bridge from Chelmer to Indooroopilly could cost up to $1.3 billion, but doing nothing is not an option, a Council intergovernmental working group report has concluded.
The existing Walter Taylor Bridge, a car-only bridge adjacent to a cycle/pedestrian bridge and a rail crossing, has been choked with traffic in peak periods for years.
However, Council has consistently called on the State Government to fund any new crossing, while Transport Minister Mark Bailey wants Council to build it.
The working group identified six options for new river crossings upstream or downstream of the Walter Taylor, all of which it said would be technically challenging.
But Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said it was clear locals supported significant transport solutions and that he remained committed to chip in funding if other levels of government did the same.
The options included:
1. A new downstream, four-lane bridge and overpass over the nearby rail line.
2. A four-lane downstream bridge and short tunnel under rail to Coonan St.
3. Making Walter Taylor two lanes, northbound only, and building a new two-lane, southbound-only bridge downstream.
4. A new four-lane upstream bridge.
5. A new two-lane northbound upstream bridge and turning Walter Taylor into a two-lane, southbound-only bridge.
6. Do nothing, which the report concluded was not viable as the Walter Taylor is already over capacity.
Cr Schrinner said Council was prepared to contribute significant funds towards the working group’s preferred option, but the report did not nominate a preferred option at this stage.
Instead, it concluded all of those it considered would be costly, high impact and that any new bridges would need complex engineering because of steep terrain, nearby heritage buildings and the existing rail link.
Cr Schrinner insisted other levels of government needed to chip in, as well as Council, if a new link was ever built.
“This study found locals were concerned about traffic congestion and supported a range of options to ease congestion on the historic Walter Taylor Bridge,’’ he said.
“These solutions are all costly and complex and have impacts on the State Government’s rail corridor.
“Given this, all levels of government are going to need to work together collaboratively to develop a shared solution.”
Congestion, travel time and reliability of travel time were concerns of 79 per cent of locals when crossing the river, the study found.
The top three solutions supported by locals were a second bridge (35 per cent), widening of the existing bridge (19 per cent) and improved public transport (18 per cent).
The study found most vehicle trips would continue to begin and end locally if a second crossing between Chelmer and Indooroopilly was built.
High-level early cost estimates for the options ranged from $800 million to $1.3 billion.
“Congestion on the Walter Taylor Bridge needs to be addressed, however all the viable solutions effectively require not just one, but two, bridges,’’ Cr Schrinner said.
“We stand ready to invest in a solution, however all levels of government will need to work together and contribute for this project to progress.”
The study said more than 30,000 cars per day already used the existing bridge, with 7000 more people expected to move into the Corinda-Taringa corridor by 2041.
“People who travel at the current road crossing and surrounds experience congestion and unreliable travel times and most people are undertaking trips with local origins or destinations,’’ it said.
“Most people are crossing the river between Chelmer and Indooroopilly several times per week.
“While the rail corridor services Corinda to Chelmer well for travel between the suburbs and the inner-city during commuter peaks, public transport options for most traffic using Walter Taylor Bridge are unattractive, particularly for off peak trips and travel to Indooroopilly and the University of Queensland, which are major trip generators.
“The needs of users crossing the river for short trips are not well serviced by the available public transport options and buses share the same lanes as general traffic, resulting in delays and unreliable service plans.
“This reduces the attractiveness of public transport for local trips.’’
The report found current travel demand exceeded capacity and more cross-river capacity was needed, but the site was “highly constrained’’, causing “significant challenges to the construction of additional river crossings’’.
Mr Bailey said he would review the report and consider Council’s offer for the Government to participate in a working group.
Local state Greens MP Michael Berkman said the best way to cater for local trips, especially school drop off and uni students, was fast, frequent public transport and safe bike lanes.
“If we wasted $1.3 billion on a new road bridge, all we’d get is more dangerous traffic in Sherwood, Chelmer, Indro and Taringa,’’ he said.
“Instead, the State Government should upgrade buses to link with trains on both sides, including Indro to UQ and Fig Tree Pocket.
“They should also upgrade our east-west links by reopening the existing Tennyson train line to Yeerongpilly, or creating a cross-campus bus link at UQ.”
Mr Berkman has been pushing to reopen the existing Tennyson train line linking the Gold Coast/Beenleigh line with the Ipswich/Springfield line.
He has also been promoting the Inner West Transitway, a bus link across UQ to connect the South East Busway with Toowong & Indooroopilly.
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