Statistics:

• Length: 38 km (Eight Mile Plains to Brisbane: 17 km)
• Northern Terminus: Bruce Highway / Gateway Motorway (M1) at Bald Hills.
• Southern Terminus: Pacific Motorway (M1) / Gateway Motorway (M2) at Eight Mile Plains.
• Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along The Route: Eight Mile Plains, Macgregor, Upper Mount Gravatt, Mount Gravatt, Nathan, Holland Park West, Tarragindi and Greenslopes.

Route Numbering:

• Current:   
• Former: 

• Road Authority Classification: U12A (South East Arterial Route) 1

General Information:

The Pacific Motorway once had 2 names, the bridges and interchanges in the Brisbane CBD was called the Riverside Expressway and the freeway south of the CBD was known as the South East Freeway. The South East Freeway and Riverside Expressway were two of the early projects to be completed from the Wilbur Smith "Brisbane Transportation Study", which was published in 1965 and made recommendations covering sixteen years to 1981. 2

The Captain Cook Bridge is the third crossing of the Brisbane River. It crosses at the South Brisbane Reach of the river, and links Gardens Point to Woolloongabba. It carries four lanes of traffic in either direction.

History:

• 1965: American consultant Wilbur Smith, recommended an extensive freeway system for Brisbane (as part of the Brisbane Transportation Study), with the first section of the South East Freeway opening in 1970s. 3
• 1966: The Coordinator-General’s Department commenced the design of the Riverside Expressway and the Captain Cook Bridge. 4
• 20 August 1969: The construction contract for the Riverside Expressway was let to Messrs. McDougall-Ireland Pty Ltd. 4
• November 1972 5: The Captain Cook Bridge and the first stage of the Southeast Freeway were opened to traffic. 6
• 1975: Work on the Southeast Freeway (now Pacific Motorway) to extend it to Holland Park. 7
• 22 July 1976: Riverside Expressway opened to traffic. 8
• 1976: First sections of the South East Freeway completed. 9
• 1977: The South East Freeway reached Marshall Road. 2
• 1980: The South East Freeway reached Klumpp Rd & Mains Road. 2
• 1982: The South East Freeway reached Logan Road. 2
• 1985: The South East Freeway reached the Pacific Highway at Springwood. 2
• March 1996: The Queensland Government announced its intention to widen the South East Freeway to eight lanes between the Brisbane central business district and the Gold Coast. In the Brisbane City and Logan City areas, the Transport Planning (south-east Queensland) Branch of Queensland Transport proposed that the additional lanes should be provided as busway lanes and transit lanes. 10
• 13 September 2000: The first section of busway between the CBD and Woolloongabba was opened to services, which coincided with the first match in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Football Tournament at Woolloongabba. 10
• 30 April 2001: The second section of busway between Woolloongabba and Eight Mile Plains opened. 10
• 2009: Metroad 3 decommissioned, route renumbered M3 for motorway standard / limited access sections and A3 for suburban arterial road sections. 11

Eight Mile Plains to Greenslopes			Greenslopes to Eight Mile Plains
Preview:	Description:		Preview:	Description:
	Intersection Directional Signs: ID signs on the interchange with Pacific Mwy (M1) and Gateway Mwy (M1) at Eight Mile Plains, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign for the Marshall Rd (SR10/11) interchange at Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Freeway Green and Standard Green AD Sign: Older advance directional sign under the Pacific Mwy at the interchange with Klumpp Rd and University Rd at Upper Mt Gravatt, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Supplemental AD sign: Supplemental advance directional approaching Marshall Rd at Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Transit Lane Sign: Sign indicating the 3 person transit lane conditions. Corner of Klumpp Rd and University Rd at Mt Gravatt, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching the Marshall Rd interchange at Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	VMS and Supplemental AD sign: Variable message sign and advance directional approaching Gaza Rd at Mt Gravatt, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Marshall Road Interchange: Intersection directional sign at the Marshall Road interchange at Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign approaching Gaza Rd at Mt Gravatt, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on the Marshall Rd off ramp at Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Gaza Road Interchange: Pacific Mwy as it passes through the Gaza Rd interchange at Mt Gravatt, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Holland Park West for the Klump Rd / Mains Rd (SR36) interchange, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Advance Directional Sign: Diagrammatic AD sign next to the Esher Street bridge in Tarragindi for the interchange with Juliette Street and Cornwall Street, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Transit Lane Ahead 2km: Signage indicating the beginning of the 2 person transit lane, Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Supplemental AD Sign: Supplemental advance directional sign at Tarragindi, approaching the Juliette and Cornwall Street interchange, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Klumpp Road / Mains Road AD Signage: Pacific Mwy heading southbound approaching the Klumpp Rd / Mains Rd (SR36) interchange at Holland Park West, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Juliette & Cornwall Street Interchange: ID sign at the interchange with Juliette and Cornwall St in Annerley, February 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Distance Sign: Reassurance directional sign at Mt Gravatt, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Juliette Street Interchange: Freeway green and standard green AD sign on the Greenslopes side of Pacific Mwy (M3) for northbound on-ramp at the Juliette St interchange, August 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign on the Pacific Mwy heading southbound at the Klumpp Rd / Mains Rd (SR36) interchange at Mt Gravatt, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
	Juliette Street Interchange: AD sign acting as an ID sign at the Juliette St interchange in Annerley, August 2009. Image © Rob Tilley			Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Unusual supplemental AD sign for Logan Rd (SR95, former NR1) at Upper Mt Gravatt, June 2009. The lettering on this sign has faded from fluorescent yellow to white. Image © Rob Tilley
				Distance Sign: RD sign at Upper Mt Gravatt, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
				Advance Directional Sign: AD sign for Logan Rd (SR95) interchange near the Kessells Rd (Metroad 2) overpass at Upper Mt Gravatt, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
				Supplemental AD Sign: Supplemental AD sign for Logan Rd (SR95) interchange near the Garden City Shopping Centre at Upper Mt Gravatt, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
				Logan Road Interchange: Southbound through the Logan Rd (SR95) interchange at Eight Mile Plains, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
				Distance Sign: RD sign after the Logan Rd interchange at Eight Mile Plains, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
				End M3: Sign indicating the end of M3 and the beginning of M1 on the Pacific Mwy at Eight Mile Plains, June 2009. Image © Rob Tilley
Click here for the continuation of M3 between Greenslopes and Brisbane Click here for the continuation of the Pacific Motorway as M1

1 State Road Network of Queensland Map, 30 June 2008
2 Queensland Roads, March 2009
3 The 200 km City Web Site
4 Queensland Roads, Edition No. 4, Sept 07
5 Redcliffe City Library
6 Queensland State Archives, 1972 Cabinet Minutes
7 Queensland State Archives, 1975 Cabinet Minutes Historian's Report
8 Queensland State Archives, 1976 Cabinet Minutes
9 Brisbane City Council Annual Report 06-07
10 Busway Website History Web Page
11 Michael Greenslade