After more than two years of construction, an underground tunnel set to alleviate congestion in Brisbane will officially open to commuters next week.
Thousands of passengers are expected to tour the now complete 213-metre Adelaide Street tunnel today, ahead of it being added to routes on September 29.
Construction on the tunnel was originally expected to be completed in mid-2024.
Running under one of the city's oldest streets, around 16 Olympic swimming pools worth of soil and rock have been removed over the life of the project to deliver the underground infrastructure.
The tunnel's opening will mark the completion of the near decade-long campaign to reshape transport solutions in the city.
Tunnel to provide dedicated busway connection
The Adelaide Street opening is the final piece of the Brisbane Metro puzzle, first touted by Brisbane City Council in 2016.
In 2019, the council announced a plan to turn Adelaide Street into a walkable boulevard and gateway to the city, replacing its busy lanes of traffic with a safer environment for pedestrians and active travellers.
The tunnel provides a dedicated link for busways between North Quay, on the bank of the Brisbane River, and King George Square in the heart of the CBD.
Services would otherwise move through the streets of the city, causing further congestion.
When construction got underway in 2023, Brisbane City Council transport committee chair Ryan Murphy said the tunnel would provide a "missing link" in the public transport network.
"[It] will reduce the number of buses clogging CBD streets by up to a third, during the morning and evening peaks," he said.
About 1,400 bus and metro trips are expected to be carried through the tunnel each weekday.
