Sir Leos – more than six months ahead of schedule

All 12 lanes on the new Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges spanning the Brisbane River are open to traffic, more than six months ahead of schedule, Premier Anna Bligh announced today.

The Premier said it was a major milestone, marking the end of major works as part of the $2.5 billion Gateway Corridor upgrade.

“Australia’s biggest road and bridge project will double the road capacity across the Brisbane River,” Ms Bligh said.

“This is congestion-busting infrastructure with six lanes north, six lanes south, delivered more than six months early.”

“Three years ago we had six lanes across the river to strategic locations like the Brisbane Airport, Australia Trade Coast and Port of Brisbane but we’ve doubled it, making it possibly the biggest river crossing in Australia.

“Hundreds of thousands of motorists use the Sir Leo Bridges every day and many hundreds of thousands more will benefit in the future.”

Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace said more than 90,000 LED lamps would bring the bridges to life.

“They’re shaped to reflect the curves of the Brisbane River and we’ve hit the Christmas switch with green and red lights to mark the delivery of all 12 lanes,” he said.

Some of the urban design features on the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges include:

• Light poles and ‘light sticks’ on approach to the bridges, shaped to reflect the curves of the Brisbane River;
• Terrain wave steel sculptures built at the northern and southern approaches to the bridges; and
• A new pedestrian and cycle path on the Sir Leo Hielscher Bridge with views to Moreton Bay from four viewing platforms.

Mr Wallace said the original Gateway Upgrade Project is now largely complete, with the southern extension from Mt Gravatt-Capalaba Road to Miles Platting Road due for completion by mid-next year.

“Every step of the way, we delivered sections of the project as soon as they were ready so motorists could get the benefits straight away,” Mr Wallace said.

“We’ve slashed travel times by up to 13 minutes a trip and delivered a big boost to road safety along one of the state’s busiest and most important corridors.”