Riverside Expressway Pacific Motorway Queensland |
|
---|---|
Type | Expressway |
Length | 2 km (1.2 mi) |
Route number(s) | M3 |
Former route number |
Metroad 3 |
North end |
Coronation Drive Brisbane City |
South end |
Pacific Motorway (Captain Cook Bridge) Brisbane City |
Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in Queensland |
The Riverside Expressway is part of the Pacific Motorway that runs through Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is located on the western side of the Brisbane CBD and is made up of various bridges and overpasses. 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 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) before becoming the Pacific Motorway which ends at the Gold Coast.
Traffic congestion in the central city area became problematic in the late 1950s and 1960s. The Story Bridge, 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.
Construction on the Riverside Expressway began in late 1968, when the pylons for the bridge were laid on the north bank of the Brisbane River. 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. The Brisbane River was used as a source for gravel to make much of the concrete used in construction.