Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has invited the people of Brisbane to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to walk through the CLEM7 tunnel on Sunday, 28 February.
Cr Newman said the public would be able to walk into Brisbane’s first road tunnel between Woolloongabba and Bowen Hills and stand 60m below the Brisbane River.
“The CLEM7 Open Day will be a great day for Brisbane residents and a fantastic way to thank them for their tremendous support and patience during the construction of this ,” the Lord Mayor said.
“As Brisbane’s first road tunnel, building the 6.8km CLEM7 has been a massive undertaking. The enormous community interest in the tunnelling and the anticipation of our road opening has been fantastic.
“I hope all of Brisbane come out and get a sneak preview,” he said.
For those who prefer not to walk, the Lord Mayor has offered tunnel tours this Sunday (FEB 6) aboard a bus. The tours have already proved extremely popular and people can register by calling Council on 3403 8463.
The Open Day would be held near the CLEM7’s northern entrance at O’Connell Terrace, Bowen Hills, from 9.30am to 3pm. A fun run would occur earlier that morning.
Cr Newman said people could get their free ticket to the open day, and register their preferred time to view the tunnel at www.clem7.com.au.
He said the open day would feature vintage cars, street machines and luxury car displays as well as information displays and delicious food and drinks.
There would be family entertainment all day, with face painting, balloon artists and music, and the opportunity to walk the 4.8km tunnel section.
“I want everyone to come down and be a part of history because this tunnel belongs to the people of Brisbane,” he said.
“This will be a great opportunity for everyone to see the tunnel up close, before they are using it to bypass 24 sets of traffic lights and cut travel time by one-third.”
The Lord Mayor said the tunnel could open within weeks of the open day, after it was passed by an independent verifier. RiverCity Motorway on Monday gave the Australian Stock Exchange official notification that the tunnel could be ready within 20 working days.
The CLEM7 is part of the Lord Mayor’s TransApex bridge and tunnels projects designed to create an inner city ringroad and bypass Brisbane’s CBD. The CLEM7 will connect with Lutwyche Road and the Inner City Bypass in the north and Shafston Avenue, the Pacific Motorway and Ipswich Road in the south.
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