The Riverside Expressway is part of the Pacific Motorway that runs through

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. It is located on the western side of the Brisbane CBD and is made up of various

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

s and

overpass An overpass (called an overbridge or flyover in the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth countries) is a bridge, road, railway or similar structure that crosses over another road or railway. An ''overpass'' and '' underpass'' together for ...

es. The North Bank development is proposed to alleviate the visual disruption of the expressway and recapture Brisbane for pedestrians. The Expressway runs the entire western length of the Brisbane CBD from Coronation Drive to the Captain Cook Bridge at Gardens Point, an estimated before becoming the Pacific Motorway which ends at the Gold Coast. The roadway has been described as a concrete barrier on the river's edge and an

eyesore An eyesore is something that is largely considered to look unpleasant or ugly. Its technical usage is as an alternative perspective to the notion of landmark. Common examples include dilapidated buildings, graffiti, litter, polluted areas, and e ...

, however others have praised the dramatic and visually arresting views of the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the river, named it after the ...

, city skyline and surrounds experienced by drivers and passengers on the elevated expressway.

Congestion

Traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s. When traffic de ...

in the central city area became problematic in the late 1950s and 1960s. The

Story Bridge The Story Bridge is a heritage-listed steel cantilever bridge spanning the Brisbane River that carries vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic between the northern and the southern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is the long ...

, William Jolly Bridge and Victoria Bridge were clogged with traffic wanting to cross from one side of town to the other. A traffic engineering company called Wilbur Smith and Associates was asked to study Brisbane's traffic problems by the state government. They delivered a report, the ''Brisbane Transportation Study'', which included plans for traffic management for many years. In 2016, the road was the most congested in the state with average traffic speeds in afternoon peak times slowing to 19 km per hour.

History

Construction on the Riverside Expressway began in late 1968, when the pylons for the bridge were laid on the north bank of the

. It was built over the former Short Street which provided access to a wharf. The bridge was completed in 1975 as was the Southeast Freeway to

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that contains a street and public park of the same name. It has no official boundaries but is roughly bounded by Kensington High Street to the south, Holland Road to ...

. The Brisbane River was used as a source for gravel to make much of the concrete used in construction. The freeway was opened on 22 July 1976 by Governor Sir

Colin Hannah Air Marshal Sir Colin Thomas Hannah, (22 December 1914 – 22 May 1978) was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a Governor of Queensland. Born in Western Australia, he was a member of the Militia before joining the ...

. The development of the Expressway necessitated an increase in Turbot Street's capacity as an arterial road, so the street was widened. In 2018, a three car accident at

Greenslopes Greenslopes is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Greenslopes had a population of 8,936 people. It is by road south-east of the Brisbane GPO and is mostly residential with some commercial and light industrial a ...

caused around a 10 km traffic delay including the whole of the Riverside Expressway. In February 2021, Extinction Rebellion staged a protest on the roadway at the Turbot Street offramp.

2006 appearance of cracks

During September and October 2006, roadworks occurred on the Expressway, and surrounding structures, including the Captain Cook Bridge. Maintenance on these structures had not been done since its construction in the 1970s. On 17 October 2006, parts of the expressway were closed due to safety concerns regarding hairline cracks in the Alice Street and Ann St ramps. The initial conclusion reached by engineers is that the hairline fracture, measuring over 2 metres long and 0.4 mm wide, was caused by the stress on the structure due to "The weight of both ramps is owbalanced on one bearing and they are failing to shift their weight to their other bearings as designed." This road closure caused widespread delays for motorists travelling through the inner city.

Public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typi ...

facilities were heavily utilised to travel to work at peak periods. Business activity in the

Brisbane central business district Brisbane City is the central suburb and central business district of Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, Australia. It is colloquially referred to as the "Brisbane CBD" or "the city". It is located on a point on the northern bank of the ...

was affected by a dramatic reduction in customers as shoppers avoided the area. On 20 October Department of Main Roads workers successfully drove a 22 tonne truck up and down the Ann Street ramp deeming the ramp to have passed a weight test. The main section of the Expressway was reopened, except for the Alice St. and Ann St. ramps. A few days later the ramps were completely reopened to all but heavy vehicles.

Major intersections and crossings

At the northern end the road start where North Quay ends at the intersection with Herschel Street. Nearby the road is crossed by the

Kurilpa Bridge The Kurilpa Bridge (originally known as the Tank Street Bridge) is a 63 million pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The bridge connects Kurilpa Point in South Brisbane to Tank Street in the ...

. Entrance and exits are provided for both Turbot Street and Ann Street. The Riverside Expressway is then crossed by the Victoria Bridge. Further south there are entrances and exits for Elizabeth Street, Margaret Street and Alice Street.

References

External links