Stage E of the Veloway bikeway is underway, with almost 70 Super-T girders being lifted into place to build three new road overpasses.
The $45 million project bikeway aims to reduce the number of intersections cyclists need to navigate through.
Once complete, the project will give cyclists in Brisbane’s south a 17-kilometre uninterrupted journey from Eight Mile Plains to the Brisbane CBD.
The lift marks a major milestone for the bikeway project, which will create 46 jobs over its life.
Transport and Main Roads Minister, Mark Bailey, said it is one of the largest package of Veloway works to date and will deliver more than $225 million in economic benefit for the community.
Related stories:
- Brisbane stations get $57M accessibility boost for Cross River Rail
- Preferred contractor announced for $3.6B Brisbane development
- Building begins on Brisbane’s $158M mega cruise terminal
“This project is about giving commuters more options to get to from A to B, and forms part of our government’s $214 million commitment to dedicated bike infrastructure across Queensland,” Bailey said.
“It complements that Queensland Government’s commitment to building a better M1, which is delivering more than $2.3 billion in upgrades for the thousands of motorists who use the motorway each day.”
Member for Greenslopes, Joe Kelly, said to better connect bike riders with key locations along the Veloway, the State Government was also installing 120 new wayfinding signs from Eight Mile Plains to the city.
“Bike riding is a great way to keep fit and get to places that are a short distance away. If we get more people on bikes, it means less cars and congestion on the road,” Kelly said.
“More than 1500 people use the Veloway each day, and this project will encourage more locals to ditch the car and ride their bike to the office, school or local shops.”
New signs are being installed after feedback from locals during the development of the Queensland Cycling Strategy 2017-27.
Bicycle Queensland CEO, Anne Savage, congratulated the construction team on the milestone.
“This is one big step for the project, and one giant leap towards boosting healthy and active travel in Queensland,” Savage said.
“800,000 Queenslanders currently ride every week, and 14 per cent of Australians have now replaced car travel with walking or cycling.
“Notably, over 70 per cent of Australians say they are willing to change their mode of travel to help minimise and avoid congestion, and a whopping 56 per cent are willing to leave the car at home.
A comparison of journey times from the start of the V1 at Holland Park West to QUT Gardens Point found a bike to be the quickest form of transport, at about 17 minutes compared to 24 minutes in a car and 28 minutes on a bus.