By Juliano Oliveira
Brisbane City Council will permanently close Victoria Bridge to general traffic from Sunday, 24 January, as part of a logistic strategy to reduce congestion in the city centre.
All non-public transport vehicles, including private cars, motorcycles, commercial coaches, taxis, and rideshare vehicles, will have to find alternative routes as of this date.
An additional delay of five minutes for drivers is expected with the road closure. In the beginning, BCC estimates delays up to 20 minutes given the changes to take place.
The general traffic at the intersection of William Street, North Quay and Victoria Bridge, and Melbourne Street and Grey Street’s intersection will be redirected away from the bridge.
“This also means that traffic using Stanley Street outside QPAC will no longer be able to access the street via Melbourne Street. Instead, traffic entering or exiting the carparks in Stanley Street will need to use the Peel Street and Grey Street intersection,” explained BCC.
“We encourage you to choose the connection that best suits your journey.”
The idea behind the closure is to amp up the public transport network linking the CBD to inner-city areas. Victoria Bridge’s new concept will house three lanes for Metro and bus services, and a separated two-way bikeway between North Quay and Grey Street.
“As part of the Council’s plan to deliver improved public realm and active transport connection, Victoria Bridge has been planned to be closed to general traffic since early 2016,” the administration said.