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Statistics:

• Length: 49 km (Toowong to Darra: 13 km)
• Northern Terminus: Inner City Bypass (M3) at Kelvin Grove
• Southern Terminus: Cunningham Highway (NH15) and Ipswich-Boonah Road (SR93) at Purga / Yamanto
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along The Route: Darra, Sumner, Mt Ommaney, Seventeen Mile Rocks, Jindalee, Sinnamon Park, Kenmore, Fig Tree Pocket, Indooroopilly,  Mt Coot-tha and Toowong

Route Numbering:

• Current: M5 A5

• Former:  
• Road Authority Internal Classification: U18A (Centenary Hwy from Jindalee to Ellen Grove) and U18B (Centenary Hwy and Western Fwy from Jindalee to Toowong) 1

General Information:

• Legacy Way: 2

Legacy Way is the Brisbane City Council's 4.6 kilometre road tunnel that connects the Western Freeway at Toowong with the Inner City Bypass (ICB) at Kelvin Grove.

Legacy Way includes:

• two separate parallel road tunnels, each with two lanes of traffic
• a speed limit of 80 kilometres per hour
• a ventilation system to manage air quality
• safety systems, including emergency exits, fire protection and monitoring systems
• a fully electronic tolling system

• Western Freeway:

Western Freeway is Queensland's first ever freeway, and is 5 km long and began life in the late 1960s as a single carriageway (stage 1) between Mt Coot-tha Road and Taringa Parade. 3

• Centenary Highway:

The Centenary Highway is a limited access road in the western suburbs of Brisbane. The M5 section of the route is 13 kilometres in length and starts at the Logan Motorway (M2) interchange at Darra. South of the interchange, the Centenary Highway is numbered A5 through the interchange with the Cunningham Highway (NH15) and Ipswich-Boonah Road (SR93), a distance of 26 km. The Centenary Highway becomes the Western Freeway at Kenmore.

History:

• 1960s: The Centenary Bridge and Centenary Highway, linking Moggill Road at Indooroopilly to Ipswich Road at Darra, had been built with financial contributions from the developers of the new suburbs from Jindalee south. 4
• 1969: Western Freeway opens to traffic. 2 This was constructed by Brisbane City Council and acted as a link from Mt Coot-tha Road to Taringa Parade at Indooroopilly. 4
• 1979: Main Roads completed the controlled access roadway to connect from the section council had built through to the Centenary Bridge, a project involving six grade-separated interchanges. 4
• 1995: Metroad 5 route number introduced, SR32 decommissioned along the Metroad 5 routing. 5
• October 2006: Metroad 5 decommissioned on Centenary Highway (between Darra and Kenmore) and Western Freeway, and was replaced by M5. 6
• July 2008: Work commenced to construct a cycle and pedestrian overpass over the Western Freeway near the Toowong Roundabout linking Mt Coot-tha Road to the Western Freeway Bikeway. 7
• March 2009: Improvement works along Centenary Highway between Jindalee and Indooroopilly, which included installing guardrail, installing reflective road markings, upgrades to signage and placement of mesh fencing. 8
• 29 May 2009: Upgrades commence on the Sumner Road interchange on the Centenary Highway at Sumner. 9
• 25 June 2015: Legacy Way opened to traffic. 2

Darra to Toowong			Toowong to Darra
Preview:	Description:		Preview:	Description:
	Temporary Signage: Temporary AD sign at Darra on the off-ramp from Ipswich Mwy (M7) onto Centenary Hwy (M5), October 2010. Image © Rob Tilley			Advance Directional Sign: Temporary dvance directional sign on Centenary Hwy (M5) at the interchange with Ipswich Mwy (M7) at Darra for the interchanges with Kelliher Rd and Garden Rd, August 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Widening Works: Temporary fencing protects motorists from widening works approaching Sumners Rd at Sumner Park, October 2010. Image © Rob Tilley			Intersection Directional Sign: Temporary ID sign on Centenary Hwy (M5) at Darra at the interchange with Kelliher Road, August 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Sumners Road: Contraflow arrangements at the Sumners Rd interchange at Sumner Pk, October 2010. Image © Rob Tilley

1 Main Roads Queensland State Road Network Map
2 Brisbane City Council, Traffic & Transport, Legacy Way Tunnel
3 Sam Laybutt (Ozroads)
4 Queensland Roads, March 2009
5 Lachlan Sims
6 Michael Greenslade
7 Queensland Transport Projects & Initiatives Web Site
8 Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads Media Release - Jindalee to Indooroopilly Safety Works, March 2009
9 Brisbane City Council Traffic Updates Web Site

Last updated: 05-Feb-2019 22:51

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