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MOVING BRISBANE
Moving Brisbane is the Newman Liberal team’s blueprint for a modern and efficient transport system.
Moving Brisbane: Roads & River Crossings
The Newman Liberal team has the courage and commitment to invest in a road network capable of carrying Brisbane commuters into the future.
For too long, serious road planning has been put in the too-hard basket, leaving Brisbane with an outdated road network that has failed to keep up with the changing needs of our growing population.
The situation is now critical. The Austroads National Performance Indicators (2000) showed Brisbane's morning peak-hour traffic to be the worst in Australia, with commuters experiencing an average delay of 52.2 seconds for every kilometre travelled. Five of our seven river crossings reach or exceed the limit of their carrying capacities every day. (Source: RACQ Transport Vision for South-East Queensland, 2000 and Brisbane Traffic Study, 1989) Our ineffective radial road network exacerbates these problems, forcing cross-town commuters into the choking
CBD. During morning peak periods, 43 per cent of private vehicle traffic on CBD streets is through traffic - an inefficient and ultimately unsustainable situation. (Source: Property Council of Australia Central City Transport Report, 2001)The Liberal team recognises the urgent need for action on our roads. Our plan will not simply look to increase road carrying capacities - it will strategically redistribute traffic to create an efficient and free-flowing road network.
MOVING UNDERGROUND:
Project TransApex will transform Brisbane's traffic flow. Involving the construction of five tunnels - three of which will cross the river - this plan will revolutionise cross-town travel for motorists and provide for the creation of cross-suburban bus routes for public transport patrons. The tunnelling strategy will ensure minimal property resumption and riverscape disturbance, while its resultant free-flowing road network will mean shorter trips, reduced fuel consumption and decreased vehicle emissions.
Stage One of TransApex is a 10-year, $3.2 billion plan to build four strategically located tunnels:
1. The East/West Distributor: a 5.8-kilometre, four-lane tunnel (including a river tunnel) linking Logan Road and Old Cleveland Road at Stones Corner, the South East Freeway and Ipswich Road at Woolloongabba and the Western Freeway at Toowong.
2. The North/South Distributor: a 5.7 kilometre, four-lane tunnel running under Main Street and the Story Bridge, linking Ipswich Road, the South East Freeway, Logan Road and Old Cleveland Road with Bowen Bridge Road and the Inner City Bypass at Bowen Hills.
3. The Northern Link: a 3.6-kilometre, four-lane tunnel connecting the Western Freeway with the Hale Street Inner City Bypass route. This tunnel will also serve as a link between the East/West Distributor and the North/South Distributor, completing Brisbane's first inner ring road system.
4. The Hale Street/South Brisbane Con-nection:
a 600-metre, four-lane tunnel linking Hale Street with Merivale and
Cordelia Streets at South Brisbane. This tunnel repre-sents a pre-emptive move against an expected growth in traffic in the area caused by the West End Urban Re-newal Program.
Stage Two of the project is a long-term, $800 million plan to build a tunnel that completes the underground network:
5. The Kingsford Smith Drive Duplication: a 3.9-kilometre tunnel linking the Inner City Bypass at the Breakfast Creek Hotel with the new alignment of the Gateway Arterial Road. This tunnel ensures that each of the city's main arterial roads is directly connected to the inner ring road system.
TransApex will be funded on the basis of a public toll set at $2.00 (inclusive of GST) per segment link.
(part of document)
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