Brisbane residents will be able to walk through the new Adelaide Steet tunnel before it becomes buses only at the end of the month.
A community day will be held on Wednesday, September 24, to mark the completion of the latest change to the inner-city streetscape (see a look at Adelaide Street though the ages below).
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the new city-changing Adelaide Street tunnel would then officially open for bus and metro services from Monday, September 29.
Lord Mayor Schrinner said the community event, between 10.30-am and 2pm, would be the only opportunity to experience the tunnel before it opened as a busway, with pre-registered visitors able to enjoy an acoustic experience inside the tunnel with the live string ensemble, Paridiso Strings.
“We’re inviting residents to come and be part of history at the community open day, because this tunnel is another step in securing Brisbane’s reputation as Australia’s lifestyle capital.”
He said the 213m tunnel would carry more than 1400 bus and metro trips every weekday, reducing congestion in the CBD and creating capacity for Brisbane’s future growth.
“The Adelaide Street tunnel is a game-changing project that will keep Brisbane moving.”
Lord Mayor Schinner said the tunnel delivered a dedicated connection between North Quay and King George Square station, linking the Inner Northern and South East busways to make journeys faster and more reliable.
He said George Street and Turbot Street would see benefits, with more than 1000 bus trips per week removed from CBD streets into the tunnel for their outbound journey.
“More than half a million hours of work have gone into this project, and the result is a world-class piece of infrastructure that will support public transport now and into the future.
“By moving thousands of buses underground, we’re freeing up space on our CBD streets for everyone to enjoy.”
Tunnel fast facts:
- The full length of the tunnel is 213 metres.
- The tunnel roof is positioned between 3 and 6 metres (one to two building stories) below Adelaide Street.
- It has two bus lanes, one in each direction, with each 3.5 metres wide.
- Over 39,500 cubic metres of soil have been mined to make space for the Adelaide Street tunnel – enough to fill nearly 16 Olympic swimming pools.
- Over 500,000 hours have been worked on the Adelaide Street tunnel.
- The tunnel project has created approximately 960 jobs.
Adelaide Street Community Event:
- Wednesday, September 24.
- 10.30am to 2pm.
- 7 sessions – registration is essential, numbers are limited.
- To register visit the Eventbrite listing.
