# Western Freeway, Brisbane

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. 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 stage was a single carriageway that stretched from Milton Road at Toowong south to Taringa Parade at Taringa, which opened to traffic on 31 August 1970. Construction of the dual carriageway second stage (Taringa Parade to Moggill Road) commenced in early 1973, but was halted later that year. However, construction restarted in 1976, and the section was opened on 24 May 1979. Later construction began on a direct link to the Centenary Highway, and the dual carriageway extension was opened to traffic on 19 December 1984. Around the same time, the first stage was duplicated.
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.
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, 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.

## 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 |
| Toowong | 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) |
| Toowong | 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 |||||