The Western Freeway is a freeway in western

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

that runs from Milton Road in

Toowong Toowong is a riverside suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Toowong had a population of 10,830 people. Geography Toowong is situated between Mount Coot-tha and the Brisbane River and is made up of rolling hills w ...

to the western side of

Indooroopilly Indooroopilly is a riverside suburb 7km west of the Brisbane CBD, Queensland, Australia. In the , Indooroopilly had a population of 12,242 people. Geography Indooroopilly is bounded to the south and south-east by the median of the Brisbane Ri ...

where the freeway becomes the M5

Centenary Motorway The M5 (Centenary Motorway) is a motorway in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Australia. It starts as a two-lane arterial road at Yamanto, travelling to Springfield, where it becomes a two-lane highway and travels across the M2 Logan Motorw ...

. The freeway bears the symbol and forms part of Metroad 5. There is one interchange, at

onto

Moggill Road Moggill is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Moggill had a population of 4,641 people. Geography Moggill is about by from the Brisbane GPO. The Brisbane River bounds the suburb to the east, south and west with ...

. A bicycle path runs the length of the freeway, allowing commuting to

and onto Brisbane by bicycle. Options are currently being investigated in to a possible Kenmore Bypass. This would connect with the M5 along the existing preserved corridor to

Chuwar, Queensland Chuwar is a town and suburb of Ipswich in the City of Ipswich and a locality of the City of Brisbane in South East Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Chuwar had a population of 2,244 people. Geography Chuwar is north of the Ips ...

. This preserved corridor was identified in the 1960s for a future freeway.

History

The Western Freeway was constructed in two stages. The first stretched from Milton Road at Toowong south to Taringa Parade at Taringa, and was opened to traffic on 31 August 1970. Construction of the second stage (Taringa Parade to Moggill Road) commenced in 1975 and was opened on 24 May 1979. Later construction began on a direct link to the Centenary Highway, and this extension was opened to traffic on 19 December 1984. Work began in 1985 on the duplication of the freeway as part of the larger Mount Cootha Road to Calmont Street project, which also involved the duplication of Centenary Bridge. The works were completed and commissioned by Russ Hinze on 27 March 1987. In 2008–2009, the Toowong Bicycle and Pedestrian Overpass was constructed across the Toowong end of the freeway to connect the Western Freeway Cycleway (which runs parallel and east of the freeway) to Mt Coot-tha Road. The fifteen span composite bridge cost $5.4 million. Work began in April 2011 on the

Legacy Way The M5 Legacy Way (formerly Northern Link Tunnel) is a long tunnel linking the Western Freeway at Toowong and the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove, Brisbane. The project consisted of two bored tunnels carrying two motorway grade lanes of tr ...

, a tunnel to link the Toowong end of the Western Freeway with the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove to reduce travel time between the Centenary Bridge and the Inner City Bypass by 70%. In February 2014, work began on widening of Western Freeway (executed as part of Legacy Way tunnel project). The existing four lanes of freeway between western approach ramp of Legacy Way and Moggill Road interchange were upgraded to six lanes. The upgrade was intended to improve traffic flow on the freeway between Moggill Road and Legacy Way tunnel. As a result of a citizens e-petition, on 9 October 2019, the overpass across the Western Freeway adjacent to the

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest cemet ...

(formerly known as the Toowong Bicycle and Pedestrian Overpass) was renamed the Canon Garland Overpass in honour of David Garland who pioneered

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands New ...

ceremonies at the cemetery. The renaming occurred on the 80th anniversary of Garland's death.

Exits and interchanges

The entire freeway is in the

City of Brisbane The City of Brisbane is a local government area (LGA) which comprises the inner portion of the metropolitan area of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. Its governing body is the Brisbane City Council. Unlike LGAs in the other mainl ...

local government area.

History

Exits and interchanges

References

See also