1965 Brisbane Transportation Study Part 2: The Petrie Bight Expressway

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The Petrie Bight Expressway was to be a short spur route which linked the Central Freeway at New Farm with the CBD’s street grid. It was to commence in the north at the Central Freeway in New Farm and was to run in a south-westerly direction to its end at Alice Street in the CBD. The aim of this expressway was to get traffic from the Northern Freeway in and out of the CBD with minimal fuss. It was also designed to let motorists who resided 'within' the Central Freeway to pass through the city relatively easily, since many of the proposed interchanges were with streets which had interchanges with the Riverside Expressway on the other side of the CBD.

Design
The Petrie Bight Expressway’s design speed was 50 MPH (80 km/h), and it was to be 4 lanes wide for its entire length. It was one of the more interesting roads proposed for Brisbane, because for a large part it was to be a double-deck expressway along the Brisbane River with the inbound lanes being on the top deck, and the outbound lanes being on the bottom deck.

The name for this expressway was chosen because it was to follow the Petrie Bight of the Brisbane River.

Interchanges
The Petrie Bight Expressway was to have interchanges with the following freeways and expressways:

• Central Freeway, at New Farm
• Story Bridge Expressway, in the CBD
  

Additional interchanges with surface streets were to be located at:

• Bowen Tce, in New Farm
• Ivory Street, in the CBD
• Elizabeth Street, in the CBD
• Charlotte Street, in the CBD
• Margaret Street, in the CBD
• Alice Street, in the CBD

Interchange Maps
The Alice St-Story Bridge Expwy section of the Petrie Bight Expwy


The Story Bridge Expwy-Central Freeway section of the Petrie Bight Expwy


Cost of Construction
£4 083 000 with 58% of this being for land acquisitions.

Implementation
Brisbane’s freeways were to be built in 5 year stages between 1965 and 1985. Here’s what parts of the Petrie Bight Expressway would've been completed within each stage of the construction program.

Stage 1 – 1965-1970

• Construct the segment of the Petrie Bight Expressway between the Story Bridge Expressway and Alice Street in the CBD.

Stage 2 – 1970-1975

• No construction related to the expressway planned during this stage.

Stage 3 – 1975-1980

• Complete the Petrie Bight Expressway by building the section between the Story Bridge Expressway and the Central Freeway

Stage 4 – 1980-1985

• No construction scheduled, because the expressway was to be finished in Stage 3.

So was any of this built?
Only a portion of the interchange with the Story Bridge Expressway was built in the form of the Ivory St tunnel. The Ivory St tunnel was originally opened as a one way street connecting outbound Adelaide Street with the outbound Story Bridge Expressway, but it has since been converted into a two way operation and it now allows traffic from New Farm to bypass Fortitude Valley which is usually clogged with traffic on most days of the year.

Present-day photos along the expressway’s proposed route.
The Brisbane skyline.

The buildings highlighted in yellow would have been demolished, or couldn't have been built if the Petrie Bight Expwy went ahead.

Corner of Alice and Edward Streets, looking east.

This is the location of the Alice Street interchange on the expressway. This was also the end of the expressway.

RiverWalk, looking north-east, between Alice and Margaret Streets.

This is roughly where the Petrie Bight Expressway would’ve been built through here.

Margaret Street at Waterfront Place, looking east.

This is the location of the proposed Margaret St onramp to the Petrie Bight Expressway. This traffic would’ve gone onto the lower deck of the expressway.

Looking east at the corner of Eagle and Charlotte Streets.

If the expressway were built, Riparian Plaza (skyscraper on left) wouldn’t be here today. An offramp from the Petrie Bight Expressway would be right in its place.

Corner of Eagle, Creek and Elizabeth Streets, facing north.

An onramp to the Petrie Bight Expressway would’ve gone right ‘up’ “Marilyn’s Skirt” at this point. That building with the curved awning is the Riverside Centre, and the awning is supposed to look like Marilyn Monroe's skirt when it has wind blown up it.

Heading north on the RiverWalk between Elizabeth and Queen Streets.

This is roughly where the double deck section of the expressway was to start-finish in the north.

Customs House (sorry 'bout the bad photo)

This historical building would’ve been destroyed by the expressway’s construction.

The Admiralty District

In some ways, the expressway would’ve been good for the city since it would’ve prevented the construction of these monstrosities (and others like them). Maybe they should rename this neighbourhood the Great Wall of Brisbane?

Ivory Street, facing south-west.

The cars on the right are coming out of the Ivory St tunnel, which was to be a part of the Petrie Bight Expwy/Story Bridge Expwy interchange.

Ivory Street Tunnel, facing south-west at its northern end.


Facing east on the Story Bridge, looking down on the Petrie Bight Wharves.

Instead of that bikeway, there would be 4 lanes of roadway, if the Petrie Bight Expwy was built. This whole area will eventually be redeveloped.

Facing east on the Story Bridge, looking towards the New Farm Cliffs.

The Petrie Bight Expressway was supposed to make its way up to the top of those cliffs in the background, where it would interchange with Bowen Terrace, and then continue diagonally left to the Central Freeway.

So that's it. The next two articles will be posted at the same time, and they will be about the Riverside Expressway and the Story Bridge Expressway.

Trent.