Reopening Gympie Road after the SEQ floods of 2022
Swift action from Transport and Main Roads (TMR) restored access on a busy north Brisbane road when below-surface damage dramatically revealed itself more than two weeks after catastrophic flooding inundated south-east Queensland.
From 23 to 28 February 2022, Brisbane received 792.8mm of rainfall – 78 per cent of its annual average of 1011.5mm – and for the first time in Brisbane's recorded history there were three consecutive days with daily totals of more than 200mm.
On 18 March 2022, a depression in the pavement of the northbound lanes appeared on Gympie Arterial Road over Downfall Creek at Chermside.
A TMR road inspection crew attended the site and after excavating the pavement, discovered significant erosion had occurred under the road due to the recent flooding.
Immediately the road crew sprang into action, making the difficult decision to close the northbound lanes on one of Brisbane's most heavily trafficked roads.
This, however, was an urgent matter of public safety, with the cavity beneath the road about two lanes wide and two metres deep.
After a thorough inspection, road engineers gave the culvert the all-clear and repair works commenced. TMR worked with an asphalt provider to quickly source materials.
Works were completed and the road reopened by midday on Sunday 20 March 2022, just two days after the damage first appeared and in time for the peak hour commute on Monday morning.
Throughout the repairs, TMR worked with Brisbane City Council and TransLink to minimise impacts on the surrounding road network and public transport, ensuring as little disruption as possible to motorists and the local community.
Assistance was provided through the jointly funded Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).