What is Airport Link?
Airport Link is a mainly underground toll road planned between Brisbane’s northern suburbs, the airport and the inner city.
Airport Link will connect the North-South Bypass Tunnel, Inner City Bypass and local road network at Bowen Hills to the northern arterials of Gympie Road and Stafford Road at Kedron and Sandgate Road and the East-West Arterial in the city’s north-east.
Airport Link will comprise two tunnels (one northbound and one southbound) at least 10m apart and up to 32m underground between Windsor and Kedron, and up to 40m underground between Kedron and Clayfield.
There will be three lanes each way between Bowen Hills and Kedron and two lanes each way between Kedron and Toombul/Clayfield.
Benefits of Airport Link
- vital link between the CBD, Airport and Australia TradeCoast precinct
- allow motorists to travel between Bowen Hills and the Airport Drive Connection in as little as 6 minutes
- allow motorists to avoid 16 sets of traffic lights between Bowen Hills and Kedron and 14 sets of lights between Bowen Hill and Toombul.
- reduce traffic on local streets by between 10% and 40%
- improve the liveability of the northern suburbs by freeing-up surface roads for improved public transport and pedestrian and cycling links
Read more about why we need Airport Link
Project update
On 19 May 2008, the Queensland Government announced BrisConnections as the preferred bidder for the Airport Link, Northern Busway (Windsor to Kedron) and the Airport Roundabout upgrade projects. Read more.
Background
The State Government and Brisbane City Council began investigating Airport Link in detail in July 2005. Read more about the Airport Link Detailed Feasibility Study
In October 2005 a preferred corridor was identified and the Coordinator-General declared Airport Link a ‘significant project’ under the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971.
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) investigations for Airport Link began in November 2005. Completed in October 2006, the EIS was put on public display for a period of eight weeks. [Note: the above EIS link takes you to www.airportlinkeis.com]
The EIS drew more than 300 written submissions, airing a range of concerns mainly relating to construction impacts, air quality and traffic.
The project team prepared a Supplementary Report in response to the EIS submissions for the Coordinator-General’s consideration during his evaluation of the EIS and the EIS submissions.
In late May 2007, after completing his evaluation the Coordinator-General prepared an evaluation report which made recommendations and imposed conditions on the project that must be implemented to manage environmental impacts.
The Coordinator-General also recommended that innovative solutions be sought from the bidders to manage potential construction impacts, particularly on local schools and neighbourhoods.
In February 2007 Expressions of Interest were called for the projects. In June 2007, following assessment of the EOI submissions, three groups were short-listed to bid for the projects:
- BrisConnections (Macquarie Capital Group, Thiess and John Holland)
- NorthConnect Motorway (Baulderstone Hornibrook, Abigroup, Bilfinger Berger Civil and Babcock & Brown)
- Northern Motorway (Leighton Contractors and ABN AMRO Australia).
Bids closed on 14 December 2007 and an extensive evaluation was conducted by CNI.
On 19 May 2008 the State Government announced BrisConnections as the preferred bidder for the projects.
