Ms Power allowed Sunday soil trucking because trucks could collect and dump soil at Rocklea in a 22-minute cycle on Sundays,rather than a 50-minute cycle on a weekday.
“Because traffic congestion reduces,a spoil haulage vehicle can make between two and five additional trips on a Sunday when compared to a typical weekday,” Ms Power’s report said.
“Sunday’s spoil haulage would allow cavern excavation to be completed sooner,mitigating cavern excavation productivity and scheduling risks at the Roma Street and Albert Street Station work sites.”
“Importantly,the proposal would also provide a greater opportunity for tunnel spoil to be beneficially reused at other project work sites which would otherwise require reliance on quarried material.”
The Clapham Yard,west of Yeerongpilly,is being raised and flood-proofed with soil from the tunnels.
Brisbane City Council’s infrastructure committee chair David McLachlan said the decision to allow trucks slammed the brakes on the city’s recovery.
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Shoppers havenot returned to Brisbane’s city heart in great numbers,figures from lord mayor Adrian Schrinner reported to Prime Minister Scott Morrison showed last Friday.
“Our research shows the city is just getting back on its feet after being smashed during the pandemic,with workers and visitors steadily returning,” Cr McLachlan said.
“Forcing hundreds of trucks on city streets every Sunday for the foreseeable future,on the very day of the week when families like to visit popular sights and people enjoy going shopping,will slam the brakes on that recovery.”
Cr McLachlan said the decision to allow trucks carrying soil through the CBD on Sundays was a mistake,especially whenthe Riverside Expressway was set to close from June 18 to June 21.
“This approval means the trucks start rolling this Sunday,when next Sunday the city could be in gridlock with the Riverside Expressway closure. It makes no sense to start this week.”