The M5 Legacy Way is a long tunnel linking the Western Freeway at Toowong and the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove, Brisbane. The project consisted of two bored tunnels carrying two motorway grade lanes of traffic in each direction. It opened on 25 June 2015 and is the fourth of five components of Brisbane City Council's TransApex Project. The tunnels will be tolled for approximately 45 years. The Environmental Impact Statement was released for public comment in September 2008 and approved in April 2010. Construction commenced in April 2011 with original plans to open the tunnel to traffic in late 2014. It carries approximately 20,000 vehicles a day and has reduced travel time between the Centenary Bridge and the Inner City Bypass by 71%. The project was funded through council borrowings, together with a state and federal government contribution.
Tender process
Three consortia were shortlisted and invited to submit proposals in December 2009:
The tenders for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the tunnels for up to 20 years were submitted on 12 May 2010, however on 5 July the BCC announced that the Leightons Baulderstone Razel joint venture bid would not be considered. On 20 September 2010, Lord Mayor Campbell Newman announced that the winner of the tender process was Transcity, a joint venture between Brisbane-based BMD Constructions, Italian tunnelling specialists Ghella, and Acciona Infrastructure, a Spanish civil engineering, construction and infrastructure conglomerate. Acciona Infrastructure is the lead partner of the Transcity Joint Venture who are responsible for the design, construction, operate and 10-year maintenance.
Legacy Way consists of two long parallel tunnels that pass from the Western Freeway to Kelvin Grove going through Toowong, Auchenflower, Milton, Paddington, Red Hill and Kelvin Grove. Some design features include 36 underground cross passages, spaced every 120 m, a longitudinal ventilation system, fire protection and safety management systems and free-flow tolling.
Alteration
In April 2012 Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Graham Quirk was quoted as stating that the former Laborstate government had failed to support during the design phase of the project a busway connection linking Legacy Way's eastern end with the Northern Busway. Despite a change in state government, the minister responsible for the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Scott Emerson, could not justify a busway connection at a cost of AUD 30 million. Although the inclusion of a busway connection represented only 0.25% of the project's overall cost, the LNP state government were at the time focused on reducing the Queensland government debt. In November 2013 The Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads announced a plan to connect buses from the Underground Bus and Train Tunnel project with Legacy Way. In April 2014 Queensland Premier Campbell Newman confirmed a plan to shorten the travel time of Brisbane Transport's western suburbs bus routes by connecting Legacy Way with the Bus and Train Tunnel project. By 2020 re-routed bus services will save 15 minutes per journey. Design options involving ramps or bridges linking both tunnels were being considered.
Ventilation shaft
There are two ventilation shafts. The western shaft is located in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha with the station underground. The eastern shaft is located near the ICB, Kelvin Grove, and will partially be built into an existing hill.
Construction
Tunnel boring
Two Herrenknecht Double Shield tunnel boring machines bored from the Mt Coot-Tha roundabout, Toowong, toward the Inner City Bypass, Kelvin Grove. The TBMs were named Annabell and Joyce, as a tribute to Legacy Australia. Annabell is named after Annabell MacKinney, the daughter of the late Lance Corporal Jared MacKinney who was killed in action in the war in Afghanistan in 2010. Joyce is named after Joyce Tweddell, a nurse during World War II who showed immense courage after being held as a prisoner of war in Sumatra for 3 years before returning home and going on to become Queensland's chief radiographer at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital.
Progress
Joyce TBM concluded the boring of the eastbound tunnel on 24 April 2013, taking 7 months to reach breakthrough. Annabell TBM concluded boring of the westbound tunnel at 10:47 am on 13 June 2013, taking 10 months to reach breakthrough. Both TBMs bored in the same direction.
Spoil
Spoil created from the excavation earthworks is being deposited at the Mount Coot-tha Quarry. An 870 m long conveyor tunnel transports excavated material from the western tunnel entrance to the quarry.
Tunnel operator
On 16 July 2013 it was reported that Queensland Motorways Holding Pty Ltd had acquired a 50-year lease to toll, operate and maintain Legacy Way from Brisbane City Council. The following July, Queensland Motorways was acquired by a Transurban consortium. The tunnel is managed and operated by Transurban. The majority of the toll revenue will go to Transurban with Brisbane City Council expecting to receive between $1.08 billion and $1.58 billion by 2020. On 18 September 2013 an informal review conducted by the ACCC concluded that the acquisition would not result in a substantial lessening of competition in any of the relevant markets.
Tolls
The tunnel is part of the Linkt network, and the toll is collected as vehicles pass under a gantry. The tolls cost the following for cars: $3.00 – opening date until 15 November 2015
$3.90 – 15 November 2015 to 2 May 2016
$4.85 – 3 May 2016 to 30 June 2016
$4.94 – 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017
$5.03 – 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018
$5.19 - 1 July 2019 to present
Tunnel walk-through event
A family-friendly walk through Legacy Way before it opened to traffic took place on 31 May 2015, when more than 20,000 people, including many young children, passed through the tunnel. The event was only accessible by public transport, with free bus pick-up and drop-off points located throughout the city and multiple bus stops located inside the tunnel.
