Our first new tunnel (one of four planned or under construction) opened this week. Named Clem7 after a former lord mayor of Brisbane plus being part of the M7 motorway, it has brought both praise and condemnation from all and sundry.
It is free for the first three weeks, then has a discount of 30% for another month, but since it is free and new, it has been plagued by sightseers and drivers with the mental capacity of my spasming leg - because it's free. Can you believe three cars broke down one after the other (in this day and age!) plus one stupid woman got out of her stationary vehicle and had a bit of a walk through the tunnel, thus holding up the traffic when it did start moving moments later. Good grief! I've been through it three times for work and it is just terrific. A journey to work from home across the river to Annerley which normally would take 35 minutes was down to 20 minutes. Superb! On the first day it took 10 minutes off the journey from home to Inala - again, superb! In the afternoon the signs warned of congestion in the tunnel, therefore the Riverside Expressway and the Inner City Bypass was used - and guess what? No delays at all (they were all stuck underground checking out the new free tunnel).
I just love the whole 6.8km of the thing. Mind you, when our neighbouring tunnel is also completed, it too will cut off enormous amounts of time at peak hours. Until 2012 we have to put up with lots of minor inconveniences, but come three years time I too will yet again be singing the praises of the BrisConnections tunnel, connecting to the Clem7, giving Brisbane the longest continuous road tunnel in the country. Eat your hearts out Sydney! (just joking).
At the top of this post is a photograph of the new Northern Busway tunnel, being built parallel to the road tunnels, allowing buses to travel virtually free of traffic obstructions (cars, lights etc) from Kedron to the CBD. It, too, finishes in 2012.
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