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Western Freeway

Queensland
Western Freeway; Queensland
	M5 Western Freeway at Toowong, 2017
General information
Type	Freeway
Length	5 km (3.1 mi)
Route number(s)	M5
Major junctions
NE end	Mount Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Brisbane
SW end	Centenary Motorway; Indooroopilly, Brisbane
Highway system
	Highways in Australia; National Highway • Freeways in Australia; Highways in Queensland; ; ;

The Western Freeway is a 5-kilometre-long (3.1 mi) freeway in western Brisbane that runs from Milton Road in Toowong to the western side of Indooroopilly where the freeway becomes the M5 Centenary Motorway. The freeway bears the symbol and forms part of Metroad 5. There is one interchange, at Indooroopilly onto Moggill Road. A bicycle path runs the length of the freeway, allowing commuting to Toowong and onto Brisbane by bicycle.

Options are currently being investigated in to a possible Kenmore Bypass.^[1] This would connect with the M5 along the existing preserved corridor to Chuwar, Queensland. This preserved corridor was identified in the 1960s for a future freeway.

History

The Western Freeway was constructed in two stages. The first stretched from Milton Road at Toowong south to Taringa Parade at Taringa, and was opened to traffic on 31 August 1970. Construction of the second stage (Taringa Parade to Moggill Road) commenced in 1975 and was opened on 24 May 1979.^[2] Later construction began on a direct link to the Centenary Highway, and this extension was opened to traffic on 19 December 1984.^[3]

Work began in 1985 on the duplication of the freeway as part of the larger Mount Cootha Road to Calmont Street project, which also involved the duplication of Centenary Bridge. The works were completed and commissioned by Russ Hinze on 27 March 1987.^[4]

In 2008–2009, the Toowong Bicycle and Pedestrian Overpass was constructed across the Toowong end of the freeway to connect the Western Freeway Cycleway (which runs parallel and east of the freeway) to Mt Coot-tha Road. The fifteen span composite bridge cost $5.4 million.^[5]

Work began in April 2011 on the Legacy Way, a tunnel to link the Toowong end of the Western Freeway with the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove to reduce travel time between the Centenary Bridge and the Inner City Bypass by 70%.

In February 2014, work began on widening of Western Freeway (executed as part of Legacy Way tunnel project). The existing four lanes of freeway between western approach ramp of Legacy Way and Moggill Road interchange were upgraded to six lanes. The upgrade was intended to improve traffic flow on the freeway between Moggill Road and Legacy Way tunnel.

As a result of a citizens e-petition,^[6] on 9 October 2019, the overpass across the Western Freeway adjacent to the Toowong Cemetery (formerly known as the Toowong Bicycle and Pedestrian Overpass) was renamed the Canon Garland Overpass in honour of David Garland who pioneered Anzac Day ceremonies at the cemetery. The renaming occurred on the 80th anniversary of Garland's death.^[7]

Exits and interchanges

The entire freeway is in the City of Brisbane local government area.

Location	km	mi	Destinations	Notes
Toowong	0	0.0	Frederick Street (Metroad 5) north / Milton Road (State Route 32) east / Miskin Street south – Everton Park, Brisbane, Toowong	Northern terminus at roundabout
	0.4	0.25	Mount Coot-tha Road (Tourist Drive 7) – Mount Coot-tha	Roundabout; route transition: southern terminus of Metroad 5, northern terminus of M5 (motorway-standard)
	1.4	0.87	Legacy Way (State Route M5) – Kelvin Grove	No entry or exit southbound
Indooroopilly	4.0	2.5	Moggill Road (State Route 33) – Indooroopilly, Kenmore	No exit northbound
Indooroopilly	5.1	3.2	Centenary Motorway (M5) / Moggill Road (State Route 33) – Ipswich, Toowoomba, Indooroopilly, Kenmore	Southern terminus: continues as Centenary Motorway; northbound exit only to Moggill Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access Route transition

References

^ "Kenmore Bypass Planning Study". TMR. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
^ Krosch, Allan (March 2009). "History of Brisbane's Major Arterial Roads– A Main Roads Perspective" (PDF). Queensland Roads. 7: 16. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "Western Freeway Accident" (PDF). Queensland: Parliamentary Debates (Hansard): 245, 246. 25 February 1987.
^ Centenary Bridge plaque (JPG image)
^ "Toowong Bike & Pedestrian Overpass - Queensland Bridge & Civil". www.qbcivil.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
^ "E-Petition Details". Queensland Parliament. 16 October 2018. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
^ Collins, Peter. "Canon Garland Overpass won!". Canon Garland Memorial Society. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.