Tag: Kedron to Carseldine

Future of Gympie Road Tunnel Remains Unclear as Questions Grow Over Delivery Timeline

Motorists hoping for relief from congestion along Gympie Road may face a longer wait, with comments made during Brisbane’s latest budget suggesting the proposed bypass tunnel could remain in the planning phase until after the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Read: $335-M Earmarked for Gympie Road Bypass Tunnel, Surface Upgrades

The proposed project would create a nine-kilometre bypass linking Kedron and Carseldine, including a seven-kilometre tunnel intended to provide an alternative route to the congested Gympie Road corridor.

Discussion about the project’s timeline intensified after Cr Adrian Schrinner indicated in his budget speech that the tunnel would be among the first major infrastructure projects to get underway after the 2032 Games. While no formal construction schedule has been released, the remarks have prompted renewed debate about when the project might move beyond the planning stage.

Timeline in focus

Photo credit: Sandy Landers

The proposed tunnel was a key transport commitment ahead of the 2024 state election and has been promoted as a way to ease congestion along one of Brisbane’s busiest arterial roads.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles argued the comments suggested northside motorists could face years of additional traffic delays before any major construction begins.

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg did not provide a specific timeframe for the project when responding to questions about the remarks. Instead, he said planning work was continuing.

Labor transport spokesman Bart Mellish also questioned the project’s future delivery schedule, pointing to planning and pre-construction funding allocated in previous budgets that is due to reach the end of its current funding period.

In response, Cr Schrinner’s office said the comments reflected the reality that major underground infrastructure projects often require lengthy planning and construction timeframes before they can be delivered.

Proposed route from Kedron to Carseldine

Photo credit: Google Street View

The Gympie Road Bypass Tunnel would be a two-lane tolled bypass extending between Kedron and Carseldine. The project was announced in June 2024 and has been progressed by North Brisbane Infrastructure, a subsidiary of Queensland Investment Corporation.

The bypass has been proposed as a way of reducing congestion along Gympie Road, one of Queensland’s busiest road corridors. Traffic bottlenecks are particularly common around intersections including Stafford Road, Rode Road, Hamilton Road and Beams Road.

The project could affect communities along the corridor, including Kedron, Chermside, Aspley and Carseldine, depending on its final design and delivery.

Read: Public Consultation Opens on Proposed Gympie Road Bypass Tunnel

Planning review continues

Transport and Main Roads is currently reviewing planning work previously undertaken by Queensland Investment Corporation after responsibility for the project transferred on 1 July 2025.

The department has not yet announced a construction timetable and says the review process is continuing. With planning still underway and no construction timetable announced, the project’s next stages remain subject to the ongoing review process.

Published 24-June-2026

$35 Million Allocated to Check Viability of Toll Tunnel from Kedron to Carseldine

Would a toll tunnel from Kedron to Carseldine alleviate traffic congestion? That is the $35-million question. The proposed 7-km tunnel would potentially traverse the long-preserved North West transport corridor and closely follow Gympie Road to connect the two suburbs. 

Read: Various Transport Projects Being Considered in Kedron

This proposal for a tunnel from Kedron to Carseldine comes after Brisbane City Council’s North West Transport Network plan, which included two options for a road tunnel, was rejected by Infrastructure Australia earlier this year.

Council’s proposal had yet to sufficiently consider a cheaper surface route, although this alternative faces community opposition and environmental concerns due to its impact on ecologically sensitive areas.

Photo Credit: QLDGovernment

To undertake the necessary assessments and analysis, a new entity named North Brisbane Infrastructure will be established by the Queensland Investment Corporation. This entity will be responsible for detailed transport modelling, technical assessments, and financial analysis. 

In addressing traffic congestion, the project will also consider public and active transport needs, including bicycle lanes.

A recent statement outlines the potential benefits to be examined as part of a detailed investment proposal, including:

  • shorter commuter times
  • better connections with the Bruce Highway to and from the Sunshine Coast
  • better connections to the west of the city through Legacy Way and south through the Clem7 to the M1
  • improving amenities and liveability for locals by removing through traffic from Gympie Road

Treasurer Cameron Dick is confident that the tunnel could be constructed within eight years if it proves viable.

Mr Dick emphasized that the state government’s proposed toll tunnel offers a new solution to the long-standing challenge of easing congestion in Brisbane’s north. The forecasted population growth in the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay region is expected to increase traffic into Brisbane, making it an opportune time to address this issue. 

“This is a new solution proposed for a long-established challenge – easing congestion through Brisbane’s north,” he said. As a world leader in funds management, the Queensland Investment Corporation has nearly $30 billion worth of infrastructure assets under management.

“It has the expertise to give us the clearest answer in the shortest time to decide whether a Gympie Road toll tunnel stacks up.

“Forecast population growth on the Sunshine Coast and in the Moreton Bay region will increase the traffic into Brisbane, so now is the right time to do this work. Based on Brisbane’s most recent road tunnel projects, from this point the tunnel could potentially be built within about eight years if it stacks up.”

The Kedron to Carseldine tunnel’s construction would be tolled due to the project’s significance. The project’s proponents anticipate that the tunnel would improve connections with the Bruce Highway to and from the Sunshine Coast, as well as facilitate better connections to Brisbane’s west via Legacy Way and south through the Clem 7 to the M1.

Read: Kedron Brook Lighting Restoration Works Get Underway

A community consultation will be conducted in the last half of 2023 to gather input from local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders. The work on the investment proposal is set to begin in the 2023/24 financial year.

Published 11-June-2023