State Government gives tollway project approval for Hale Street bridge

The State Government has given the green light to Brisbane City Council’s Hale Street Link after ensuring that vital improvements were made to the project.

Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt said the State Government had secured an outbound viaduct over Coronation Drive and Hale Street intersection to offset impacts on the Riverside Expressway and Pacific Motorway.

Further changes to the project mean that significant impacts on roads during construction will be limited to a four month period between November 2009 and February 2010 instead of up to 15 months under the original council plan.

“Main Roads has worked to amend the proposal to offer better outcomes for Brisbane motorists,” Mr Pitt said.

“Brisbane City Council has come to the table with changes that will reduce the amount of traffic disruption the project will cause during its construction.”

The Minister said that under its original council design traffic impacts could have seen vehicles banking up 6km down the Pacific Motorway for more than a year during construction.

“I think Brisbane motorists and public transport users would agree that simply was not an option,” he said.

“While some degree of disruption is unavoidable when a project of this kind is undertaken, good planning can make it less painful for motorists.

“The changes mean that estimated peak-hour delays on Milton Road have been reduced from up to 50 minutes for up to 15 months of construction to 10 to 20 minutes over the four-month high impact period, which coincides with school and university holidays when traffic volumes are lower.

“But there are still lengthy delays expected on Council’s Coronation Drive, including the addition of up to 50 minutes to an inbound trip.

“This is where we believe there is still some further work for the council to do and the ball is in the council’s court to come up with suitable measures to further mitigate traffic impacts.

“There are other impacts on Council roads in the area, particularly in the Milton and South Brisbane precincts, and on public transport services for Brisbane residents.

“Brisbane City Council will need to address these ongoing issues as part of its responsibility for the local road network.”

Mr Pitt said Main Roads would continue to work with the council to help it develop and implement the best possible measures during construction to mitigate likely impacts.

“I have written to the Lord Mayor today requesting that the council develop further traffic and public transport mitigation measures to minimise impacts,” he said.

“That includes consideration of the implementation of bus priority measures on Coronation Drive that will give bus passengers travel-time reliability and complement the public transport outcomes sought as part of the council’s business case for the nearby Northern Link project.”

Conditional approval for the tollway project was originally granted in May 2007. This approval has now been amended to reflect the current plans for the project. Initial construction work on the project is already underway.

Approval for the revised tollway project involves a number of conditions relating to traffic, land and stakeholder impacts, which Brisbane City Council must meet before final tolling approval is provided.

Mr Pitt said the conditional tolling approval recognised the Hale Street project was a council project, on council-controlled roads and largely funded by the council.

“It is undoubtedly Brisbane City Council’s responsibility to fund and build this project as it and its ratepayers see fit.”

Media contact: Minister Pitt’s Office 3227 8819