RACQ said the State Government’s $10 million plan to explore upgrades or tunnel options for the motorway was urgently needed, with motorists using the Centenary consistently experiencing peak traffic speeds slower than school zones.

General Manager of Advocacy Joshua Cooney said the Government must think of the ‘big picture’ and consider how a tunnel could provide an orbital solution.

“In both morning and afternoon peak times, the Centenary Motorway is congested in both directions with traffic grinding to around 37km/hour from 6am – 10am,” Mr Cooney said.

“We know current works to duplicate the Centenary Bridge is only part of the solution and we welcome the Government’s announcement to investigate a tunnel option.

“However, any study needs to look at what’s happening at the northern end of the route because there’s no point feeding traffic into Brisbane City or the Inner City Bypass. This would effectively mean spending billions of taxpayer dollars to shift the problem from one location to another, and no one wants that outcome.

“This study needs to look at an orbital solution, we need to have an alternative route around the city, not through the city, and that’s why RACQ has been calling for a north-west bypass corridor that could possibly link up with the Gympie Road Bypass once completed.

“We also need to look at these solutions as a network and a system of infrastructure that includes better public transport solutions for the western suburbs.”

RACQ recently surveyed more than 2,000 Queenslanders to determine their top priorities ahead of the State Election in October.

‘Plan and Build for Growth’ ranked the third highest in the poll, with residents clearly frustrated by a lack of long-term planning over many decades.

RACQ is calling for proper planning now to ensure the south east can cope with its predicted population growth and deliver lasting transport legacy projects for the 2032 Games and well beyond.