Commuters on Gympie Road from Chermside to Kedron are expected to experience months of disruption as improvements to the safety and capacity of the Northern Transitway start.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) confirmed in a community update released in April 2021 that those main construction activities on the Northern Transitway will take place from May 2021 to early 2023. Most of the construction will be conducted at night, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Once completed, the project is expected to deliver the following outcome:
- A dedicated bus lane for buses, both inbound and outbound, along Gympie Road between Kedron and Chermside benefiting over 5,000 people during peak periods each weekday.
- Travel time savings of up to 6 minutes on some services during peak periods.
- Higher frequency of services at bus stops within the project corridor, increasing from every 15 minutes to every 5 minutes or better during peak periods.
- More local residents with greater access to high frequency bus services.
- Bus stops that are accessible and compliant with disability access requirements.
- Improved pathways along the alignment for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Removal of unsignalised right-turn movements within the project corridor to improve the safety for all road users.
- A new set of traffic signals at the intersection of Gympie Road and Boothby Street, including dedicated right-turn lane and U-turn facility, to provide safe access for locals and businesses.
However, local business owners, have opposed the project since the announcement as the loss of on-street parking will impact trading. They are calling on the State Government to monitor the traffic movement as this development might need additional options and work.
“We held a series of community information sessions last year and received 185 pieces of individual feedback on the proposed Northern Transitway plan,” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said during the project’s announcement in early 2020. “The main issues raised by the community were the removal of the bus stops and on-street parking.
“The changes mean commuters will still enjoy quicker travel during the high demand peak periods, while Gympie Road businesses will keep on-street parking for their customers for large parts of the day and all day on weekends.”
With work now in progress, TMR issued a statement saying that the project team “will continue to update the community about the Northern Transitway project via distributing notifications to residents, businesses and the community along the project alignment, via email, and updating the web page.”
For concerns, the public is encouraged to contact the project team at northerntransitway@tmr.qld.gov.au or phone 1800 328 972 during business hours.
