Airport Link is mainly underground toll road proposed to connect the Inner City Bypass, the North-South Bypass Tunnel and the City via Campbell Street and Lutwyche Road at Bowen Hills, Gympie Road and Stafford Road at Kedron and the East West Arterial and Sandgate Road at Toombul, leading to the airport.

Airport Link will offer significant social and economic benefits including:

• improving the traffic network and provide better access for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists
• enhancing liveability in our communities
• enhancing the environment
• supporting economic development in the inner northern suburbs
• providing an affordable solution to our traffic problems in the inner northern suburbs.

The Queensland Government and Brisbane City Council commenced a joint detailed feasibility study into Airport Link in July 2005. As part of this, a number of detailed technical investigations were undertaken including:

• traffic and transport studies
• development of a reference project
• environmental studies to assess the benefits and impacts of the reference design
• community consultation.

On 19 May 2008, BrisConnections was announced as the preferred tenderer for the Airport Link Project.

BrisConnections has proposed changes to the reference project assessed in the EIS to better address the project objectives and in response to the request for innovation to further mitigate impacts identified in the reference project. Some of the proposed changes are also in response to recommendations of the Coordinator-General for the need to reduce project impacts on particular localities or local communities.

These changes are set out in a ‘Request for Project Change Report’ and include changes to the construction methodology, tunnel alignment and surface connections. Changes are also made to coordinate construction with the Northern Busway and improve traffic movements. The Request for Project Change Report is available here.

A map showing the Changed Project is available here.