Peak motoring body RACQ has proposed 12 new Brisbane River crossings as a means to stop Brisbane grinding to a halt.
The proposals included direct river crossings, three-stage projects and duplication of existing bridge crossings, which could create new links between suburbs such as Moggill, West End,Toowong, the CBD, Kangaroo Point, New Farm and Hawthorne.
RACQ spokesman Paul Turner said it was time Brisbane started planning for the future.
"The basic fact is Brisbane has a river, a major river, running right through the middle of it and if we don't get the planning right around future bridges and tunnels then we will grind to a halt," Mr Turner said.
"There is not a lot on the planning table, we believe, for river crossings right across Brisbane at the moment either from the council or the state government so we think it's time to get back out there, get people talking, get the discussion going.
"What we want to do is go out to the people of Brisbane and ask them what they think is the most important for our future, whether it's a bridge or a tunnel we want to make sure the people of Brisbane get their say, both for and against these 12 different proposals that we are putting forward."
RACQ launched its Bridging Brisbane survey in May to get feedback from the public on the proposed river crossings.
Brisbane City Council discussed RACQ's bridge proposals at an infrastructure committee meeting on Tuesday, where it backed some suggestions and dismissed others completely.
Moggill Road Bridge
This new river crossing would connect Moggill Ferry Road at Riverview with Moggill Road (where the ferry currently operates).
The RACQ report said this bridge would link the western part of Brisbane, north of the Brisbane River, with Riverview train station and the urban areas of Ipswich.
The proposed bridge would be a single road lane in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other. The RACQ said it would be a low cost bridge project.
The council said they supported this bridge in principal as long as the impacts to the council's road network were mitigated and in line with community expectations.
Bellbowrie to River Hills
This would be a bridge with a single road lane in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other and would connect Birkin Road, Bellbowrie, with Sumners Road at Riverhills.
The RACQ report said this connection would improve access to shopping centres on both sides and add a public transport link between Bellbowrie and Wacol or Darra train stations.
"The bridge would reduce congestion on Moggill Road during peak hours and shorten many trips that require a river crossing, taking pressure off Centenary Motorway," the report said.
"This proposal has been raised many times in a range of documents and media stories. It was included as the Bellbowrie to River Hills River Link in the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation of 2009."
This bridge has been categorised as a medium cost bridge as it would require upgrades to the approach roads.
The council supported aspects of this proposal, but did not support the single lane of road, agreeing the bridge should be a pedestrian and cycle bridge only.
Centenary Motorway Upgrade
It has been proposed the Centenary Motorway Bridge should be upgraded to eight lanes, with associated upgrades along and across the Centenary Motorway from Legacy Way outbound to the Ipswich Motorway Interchange.
This upgrade was strongly supported by the council.
"This would improve safety along the corridor and reduce congestion, particularly as demand grows from the Springfield development," the RACQ report said.
"Investment in this upgrade would reduce the need to fund other proposals such as the Walter Taylor bridge duplication and South West tunnel.
"This upgrade proposal was included in the Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation of 2009 and Connecting SEQ 2031 in 2010.
"This is a high cost project due to the bridge and associated widening works required to the north and south."
Walter Taylor Bridge
This proposal is a duplication of the existing Walter Taylor Bridge that connects Indooroopilly to Chelmer.
It was suggested this river crossing be immediately downstream of the Jack Pesh pedestrian and bicycle bridge and provide a single lane in each direction, or to provide the southbound movement on the new proposed bridge, with Walter Taylor Bridge catering for northbound traffic.
This bridge would only cater for car and bus traffic.
This bridge would require road upgrades and would be a medium cost project.
The council supported the future duplication.
South West Tunnel
This multi-billion dollar river crossing would be two parallel two-lane tunnels linking Moggill Road and the Western Motorway interchange with the Ipswich Motorway and Granard Road interchange.
RACQ proposed the users of the tunnel would be charged a toll.
"This proposal is an alternative to the Centenary Motorway upgrade, Walter Taylor bridge duplication and the East West Link, so it has the potential to eliminate the need for other major expenditure," the RACQ report said
The council said they would not support this very high cost road proposal.
East West Tunnel
This proposal is for two parallel two-lane tunnels linking the Western Motorway and Toowong Village to the Pacific Motorway and O'Keefe Street at Buranda.
The council did not dismiss this project but classified it as a long-term possibility.
The RACQ report said users of the East West link could be charged a toll.
"It is an alternative to the South West tunnel and the West End to Toowong or St Lucia bridge proposals, so it has the potential to eliminate the need for other major expenditure," the report said.
West End to St Lucia
A bridge connecting Montague Road at West End with Guyatt Park and Macquarie Street has been partially supported by the council.
The council supported a pedestrian and cyclist bridge connecting the two suburbs but not in the proposed areas as the council did not support loss of parkland.
This bridge is a low cost proposal.
West End to Toowong
A bridge supporting all modes of transport has been proposed to connect Victoria Street at West End with Land Street at Toowong.
"The Land Street link allows the bridge to go over Coronation Drive so it does not disrupt this major corridor, while providing connections for traffic in all directions," the RACQ report said.
The council supported the idea of this river crossing but suggested it be a pedestrian and cyclist bridge only and be located further upstream.
Victoria Bridge
This proposal is a modification of the existing Victoria Bridge to increase its capacity for buses.
The council is supportive of this proposal as it aligns with their future plans to convert Victoria Bridge to a green bridge for the Brisbane Metro and bus services.
"The current Brisbane Metro proposal removes the two existing general use lanes so that the bridge becomes a green bridge only, catering for pedestrians cyclists and buses," the RACQ report said.
"The new arrangement proposes four bus lanes and wider shared path for pedestrians and cyclists on the downstream side."
This would be a medium cost project.
Wilson triple jump
This proposal involved three bridges that would link the Brisbane CBD with Kangaroo Point, New Farm and Hawthorne.
It is inspired by architectural engineer and co-author of the original Cross River Report, R Martin Wilson.
Stage one would be a bridge from the CBD Botanic Gardens to Kangaroo Point, stage two a connecting bridge from Dockside ferry terminal to Merthyr Road at New Farm Riverwalk and the final stage a bridge from Merthyr Road to the Hawthorne ferry terminal.
The RACQ proposed that pedestrians, cyclists and buses to have access to the triple jump bridge.
The council did not support the final stage of this high cost proposal, but did support stage one and two as pedestrian and cyclist bridges only.
Bulimba to Teneriffe
A bridge connecting Skyring Terrace or the Commercial Road ferry terminal at Teneriffe with the Oxford Street ferry terminal at Bulimba has already been widely discussed.
This connection was proposed in the Lord Mayor's Taskforce Brisbane Mass Transit Investigation: Options for consideration in 2007 and again in 2010 via Connecting SEQ 2031.
The RACQ report said the proposed bridge would be single road lane in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other, catering for pedestrians, bike riders and buses only.
The council does not support buses using the bridge but was supportive of a pedestrian and cycle bridge in principle.
Bulimba to Hamilton
This bridge proposal was designed to connect with the upgraded Kingsford Smith Drive by connecting the Brett's Wharf ferry terminal with the Apollo Road ferry terminal at Bulimba.
The proposed crossing would be a single lane road in each direction with bike path on one side and footpath on the other, catering for all modes of transport.
The council did not support this proposal as they believed it would have traffic impacts for Bulimba and Kingsford Smith Drive.
The bridge survey is open until June 30.
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