Brisbane northern suburbs corridor capacity
Residential growth in northern Brisbane and the Moreton Bay Region, combined with employment growth primarily in the inner Brisbane suburbs, is straining capacity on Brisbane’s northern transport corridors. By 2041, 46% of people living in the Moreton Bay area north of Brisbane (about 141,000 people) are expected to commute to Brisbane for work.
Gympie Arterial Road is one of the main transport links in north-west Brisbane performing a critical function to facilitate commercial and general traffic and public transport (bus) movements. Joining with the Gateway Motorway to become the Bruce Highway, it also provides access to the Sunshine Coast, and further north. In 2019, some sections of the Gympie Arterial Road carried more than 150,000 vehicles per day. Average weekday travel speeds along the road were 36km/h and 32km/h in the AM and PM peak periods respectively, and this congestion is expected to worsen over time.
Many people also travel between Brisbane and its northern suburbs via Sandgate Road and the Gateway Motorway (to the east of the Gympie Arterial Road) and via Beckett Road (to its west). All three of these alternative north–south routes face similar congestion pressures to the Gympie Arterial Road, which will continue to worsen over time.
The proposal is to improve the capacity of the transport corridors between the Brisbane CBD and the northern suburbs. Options to address the proposal could include:
- upgrading road intersections for enhanced safety and efficiency
- enhancing existing roads through additional lanes and smart technologies
- improving public transport options.
- providing integrated active transport infrastructure to support these solutions
Potential upgrades will be considered in the context of an integrated and balanced program, as improvements to any of the north–south routes may reduce pressure on others.
Proponent to identify and analyse potential investment options (Stage 2 of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework).
Refer to Infrastructure Glossary for terms and definitions.