Trips between the city’s inner-north and western suburbs are now quicker and safer with the completion of the Inner City Bypass upgrade.
One of Brisbane’s most important routes, the ICB and is integral to the city’s economic growth as it provides a vital link in the road network with its connections to Lutwyche Road, AirportlinkM7, Clem7, Legacy Way, and the soon-to-be-upgraded Kingsford Smith Drive.
Lord Mayor Graham Quirk marked the project’s completion on 20 August 2018.
“Council is committed to tackling traffic congestion right across the city and the ICB upgrade is one of 1,000 road projects that are being delivered as part of a $2 billion investment,” Cr Quirk said.
“With more lanes and bus priority measures, this upgrade will ensure the ICB can cater for future traffic demands which are expected to grow to 130,000 daily vehicles by 2031.”
Credit: Brisbane City Council/YouTube
Upgrades to the ICB included the new 150-metre on-ramp, which will provide direct access to the city from the Inner Northern Busway and Bowen Bridge Road.
According to Cr Quirk, more than 50 bus services travel along this stretch of road every day. Upgrades will allow bus passengers to save up to 10 minutes on their journey along the ICB. With this, new timetables will come into effect from 27 August 2018.
Infrastructure Chairman Cr Amanda Cooper said upgrades offered a significant improvement to the ICB.
“Prior to the upgrade, the ICB was operating at 90 percent capacity with vehicles often queuing up to 700 metres at the Herston Road exit and all road users will now benefit from up to 25 percent travel time savings with the completion of this upgrade,” Cr Cooper said.
According to Transurban Queensland Group Executive, Sue Johnson, Transurban Queensland will provide operations, maintenance, and incident response services on the ICB following the completion of upgrades.
Transurban Queensland was the one who delivered the $60 million ICB upgrade on behalf of the Council. To learn more about the project, visit the official page of the Inner City Bypass upgrade.
Aside from the ICB upgrade, the transport along the Brisbane River is also set to improve with the Council’s investment $68 million investment for new express SpeedyCat services. The new express SpeedyCat will be deployed between Northshore Hamilton and University of Queensland and promises to shorten travel time along the Brisbane River.
