Posted by admin on 21 August 2008
If your eyes glaze over when you hear the words “infrastructure” and “construction methodology” you might not be keeping up with all the changes to our major roads, and the possible property benefits that could flow on. So here’s the latest:
“Clem 7″ is the $3billion, 4.8km tunnel that will run from the Gabba and Shafston Ave, under the river to Bowen Hills. If the earth’s moving for you in Fortitude Valley at the moment that’s where the boring machines are up to – and next month they’ll be under Brisbane River on their way to a 2010 ribbon-cutting. You’ll then be able to skip 18 sets of lights with the new motorway linking up 5 roads that today carry a combined 400,000 cars a day.
The first pile was driven this week on the “Hale Street Link” (forgettable, politically-correct name still to be decided…) and this 4 lane toll bridge will also open in 2010. Piles are going 30 metres below the river bed in what will be a vehicle, cycle and shaded pedestrian crossing from South Brisbane to Milton.
Following design changes and community cups of tea, approvals are expected this month for “Airport Link”, another of our great tunnels in planning. A 5.3km rabbit hole this one promises to speed cars from Bowen Hills to the airport roundabout in 6 minutes. Burrowing under Lutwyche Road then east under Clayfield, it’s proposed for a 2012 completion.
Keeping up?! The last of the inner city’s big road projects is the “Northern Link”. Hooking up the Western Freeway at Toowong and the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove this is 5km of tunnel that’ll run north-west of Milton Road under Auchenflower and Paddington. Approvals should happen soonish with an opening around 2014.
Tags: Airport Link Brisbane, Brisbane traffic, Clem 7 Brisbane, Hale Street Link Brisbane, Inner City Bypass Brisbane, Northern Link Brisbane
Posted in Brisbane's future & new infrastructure, Woolloongabba | No Comments »
Posted by admin on 30 July 2008
If you’re one of the many people who believe parking in Brisbane is expensive you’re spot on. We didn’t know exactly how it compared to other major cities throughout the world – until now. Colliers recently released its first ever global parking report that surprisingly enough includes 3 Australian cities in the top 10 for monthly unreserved parking rates; Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, with Melbourne just outside at number 11 on the list.
So where exactly does Brisbane rank? In the top five! London City wins (?!) at $1,167 followed by London’s West End at $1,136. Sydney ranks third at $775 with Hong Kong following with a monthly rate of $742. Brisbane rounds out the top five at $592, and yes it’s ahead of whopping big metropolises such as New York, Tokyo and Boston. Not that we doubt the research – but we thought it’d be fun to call the USA and check out those New York carparks for ourselves because we happen to have an American work experience guy here to speak the lingo (he’s from the hood – yo what up?!). And yep, Mahmoud at the Regency Garage Corp on Manhattan’s Second Street tells us today that they charge just $414 for a monthly pass!
There are a couple of factors that are attributed to the high parking rates in Brisvegas. Australia’s thriving resource based economy and surging currency (all rates are in US dollars) are the two most responsible for the boom. Good news for parking is that even though Brisbane’s monthly parking rates are number five our daily parking rates are somewhere in the middle of the pack when compared to other major world financial centres.
Tags: Brisbane traffic, carparking Brisbane
Posted in trends in Brisbane property | No Comments »
Posted by admin on 31 October 2007
In former Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s day the count of cranes on Brisbane’s skyline was the simplest measure of progress. Today of course you need to look a little lower, with much of the major infrastructure works now below our city’s streets. The CBD currently looks like a giant bunny has been burrowing about with the new Inner Northern route been built to take our buses below ground, and King George Square being rebuilt in the process. The biggest rabbit warren of them all of course is the North South Bypass, a mammoth $3billion project that will soon see two boring machines disappear under the city. BCC are holding a limited open day this Sunday for a chance to see the 12m diameter borers up close and 4000 people quickly snapped up the passes. These oversized drill bits are more than 200m long and will each chew through 20 metres of rock a day.
Back above ground and construction’s also started on the $63million Tank Street bridge (pictured left), linking North Quay to the Kurilpa Point corner of South Brisbane for pedestrians and cyclists. The bridge will feature a continuous all-weather canopy for its entire length and is planned to finish in late 2009 to coincide with Queensland’s 150th birthday celebrations. Architects Cox Rayner are behind the design again, having worked on the neighbouring Goodwill Bridge that’s now 6 years old. That one cost around $33million and while the new crossing is more complex it does give you some idea of cost rises in recent times.
Tags: Brisbane City Council, Brisbane traffic, Goodwill Bridge South Brisbane, King George Square Brisbane, Northern Busway Brisbane
Posted in Brisbane CBD, Brisbane's future & new infrastructure, South Brisbane and South Bank | No Comments »
Posted by admin on 24 May 2007
As petrol prices climb yet again and our major roads slow to bicycle speed in peak hour, Brisbanites seem to be embracing public transport. Council’s 820 buses will carry 63 million passengers this year, and we’re filling them up as quickly as they can add them to the fleet. Bus numbers are up 210 in the past 3 years while passenger numbers have also jumped 30%.
For a city once said to be dependant on cars we might be changing our thinking – at least for the workday commute. Proving that “if you build it people will come”, three-quarters of buses are now airconditioned so at least if commuters have to stand in the aisles they won’t be confronted with as many smelly armpits! And for those budding statisticians at home: BCC buses travel over 47million km every year, about the same as 1,000 trips around the earth or three return trips to the moon!
Tags: Brisbane City Council, Brisbane public transport, Brisbane traffic
Posted in Inner Brisbane events | No Comments »
Posted by admin on 27 December 2006
An important milestone for inner city infrastructure with the December 17th opening of the new Elanor Schonell Bridge linking Dutton Park with St Lucia’s University of Queensland campus. It provides a long awaited extra access point to UQ, hopefully reducing the massive traffic flows past the city each day and along roads like Coronation Drive as more than 30,500 students and staff make their way to the Uni.
Naming rights went to a deserved Queenslander: Dr Eleanor Schonell’s work with dyslexia and cerebral palsy earned her international recognition and along with husband Fred the couple made a significant contribution to this State’s education and health in the middle of last century.
As the first river crossing between Indooroopilly’s tiny Walter Taylor and the City’s William Jolly, this new ‘Green Bridge’ is intended to carry buses, pedestrians and cyclists only. It’s a striking piece of engineering that’s been well planned and will do its job well. But with continuing pressure on the city’s transport network cynics have suggested it won’t be long before Elanor’s bridge is connected to Sir Fred’s Drive in St Lucia, and the cars will come rolling through.
Tags: Brisbane traffic, Coronation Drive Brisbane, Dutton Park Brisbane, Eleanor Schonell Bridge Brisbane, St Lucia Brisbane, University of Queensland
Posted in Brisbane's future & new infrastructure, Dutton Park | No Comments »
Posted by Rob Honeycombe on 2 November 2006
It’s hard to not comment on the traffic crisis that’s hit Brisbane over the past two weeks. Uncovered (or caused?) by resurfacing works, a tiny sliver of a crack in one onramp of the Riverside Expressway brought Brisbane’s traffic network to its knees. Patience and solutions were both short on the ground.
Some commentators are already claiming that inner city property will boom further as a result. But even those of us that live close to the CBD have cars and while you can walk more often than those in the ‘burbs, it’s rare to find any city household without a car. We should encourage people out of their cars but no-one will walk more than 20 minutes in the 30 degree-plus subtropical heat of Brisbane. And until we have a light-rail system or similar efficient utility to match the convenience of Melbourne trams our cars will remain popular.
Additional river crossings have to be built or, despite the increasing appeal of city living (and to some extent because of it), inner Brisbane will choke on its popularity. Brisbane City Council is currently considering the future of the Hale Street Link from South Brisbane to Milton, and while our new office fronts the route (and we’d cop more noise and interruptions), we hope the short-term vision of some community leaders does not prevent this critical piece of infrastructure being built.
Brisbane’s population growth will not stop and this latest incident highlights our lack of political fortitude in recent years in making the tough decisions.
Tags: Brisbane City Council, Brisbane traffic, Hale Street Link Brisbane, population growth Brisbane, Riverside Expressway Brisbane
Posted in Brisbane's future & new infrastructure | No Comments »
