Brisbane busways kick another goal with a new section coming online sooner than expected
September 1, 2010
Work on Brisbane’s $465 million Eastern Busway is three months ahead of schedule with the project due for completion late next year instead of early 2012.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh inspected progress on stage two of the works, a 1.05 kilometre section from Buranda to Main Avenue at Coorparoo this week, a year after the first sod was turned on the project.
In the past 12 months about 36,000 cubic metres of earth has been removed, 12,000 cubic metres of concrete poured, 470 concrete beams put into place and 1,380 reinforcement rods installed.
When completed the 1.05 kilometre Eastern Busway project will connect the existing South East Busway at Buranda with Coorparoo via Stones Corner and new busway stations will be built at Stones Corner and Langlands Park.
“The section will cut up to nine minutes off bus trips through the most congested section of Old Cleveland Road, saving regular commuters from Coorparoo to Brisbane City nearly 1.5 hours in travel time per week,” Bligh says.
“It will bypass four sets of traffic lights and the heavily-congested Logan Road and O’Keefe Street roundabout at Buranda.
“Eventually it will carry 7000 passengers in the morning peak and to carry the same number of passengers by car you would have to build two extra traffic lanes along Old Cleveland Road.”
Bligh says the first stage of the Eastern Busway project which opened in August last year has been used by 2.8 million commuters.
“We are committed to delivering infrastructure that will give people the most efficient and convenient access to the places they need to go,” she says.
Transport Minister Rachel Nolan says this section of busway is the next stage in what will ultimately be the 20 kilometre-long Eastern Busway linking eastern suburbs Capalaba and Chandler through to Buranda.
“It will reduce travel times and provide commuters with convenient access to the city and the Princess Alexandra Hospital as well as the University of Queensland and the Boggo Road Urban Village,” Nolan says.
The Eastern Busway is expected to save city commuters up to 1.5 hours in travel time per week with buses bypassing four sets of traffic lights and the heavily congested O’Keefe Street-Logan Road roundabout.