Length:

38 km (Eight Mile Plains to Greenslopes: 17 km)

Termini:

Northern: Bruce Highway (M1) and Gateway Motorway (M1), Bald Hills

Southern: Pacific Motorway (M1) and Gateway Motorway (M2), Eight Mile Plains

Miscellaneous:

Former names include Riverside Expressway, Southeast Arterial Road and Southeast Freeway

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Eight Mile Plains, Macgregor, Upper Mount Gravatt, Mount Gravatt, Nathan, Holland Park West, Tarragindi and Greenslopes

Current: M3

Former: 1 3 F-3

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

U12A (Pacific Motorway (South East Arterial Route))

General Information:

The route takes in the Brisbane's inner south and also skirts the CBD via what was once called the Riverside Expressway, then continues into the northern suburbs via Coronation Drive, Hale Street and the Inner City Bypass before connecting with Bowen Bridge Road, Lutwyche Road, Gympie Road and finally the Gympie Arterial Road for the connection to the Bruce Highway at the Gateway Motorway (M1) junction.

The route includes the Captain Cook Bridge. It 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.

The Pacific Motorway section of the route 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

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: The Captain Cook Bridge and the first stage of the Southeast Freeway were opened to traffic. ^{5 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

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

Transit Lane Sign:

Transit lane AD sign showing entrance the limited access transit lane. Eight Mile Plains, June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Eight Mile Plains approaching Logan Rd (SR95), June 2012. SR95 in the Brisbane council area once formed part of the original Sydney-Brisbane coastal route.

Image © Justin Cozart

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign at Eight Mile Plains approaching Logan Rd (SR95), June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Eight Mile Plains approaching Logan Rd (SR95), June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Trailblazer:

Trailblazer showing direction to take to access Metroad 2, approaching Logan Rd (SR95) at Eight Mile Plains, June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Logan Road Interchange:

Pacific Mwy (M3) at the Logan Rd (SR95) interchange in Eight Mile Plains, June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

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. This sign is likely to have an old F-3 shield under the M3 coverplate.

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 at Mt Gravatt approaching the Gaza Rd interchange, June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

VMS and Supplemental AD sign:

Variable message sign and advance directional approaching Gaza Rd at Mt Gravatt, February 2009.

Image © Rob Tilley

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching Gaza Rd at Mt Gravatt, February 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:

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

Advance Directional Sign:

Advance directional sign with changeable panel at Tarragindi, for the Juliette and Cornwall Street interchange and the Clem Jones Tunnel (M7), March 2010. Click or tap here for a photo by Justin Cozart of the same sign in its alternate display position from June 2012. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from February 2009.

Image © Rob Tilley

Advance Directional Sign:

Advance directional sign with changeable panel at Annerley, for the Juliette and Cornwall Street interchange, March 2010.

Image © Rob Tilley

Prohibition Sign:

Prohibition sign at Annerley approaching the interchange with Clem Jones Tunnel (M7), Juliette St and Cornwall St, June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental advance directional sign at Annerley, for the Juliette and Cornwall Street interchange and the Clem Jones Tunnel (M7), June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Juliette & Cornwall Street Interchange:

ID sign at the interchange with Juliette and Cornwall St in Annerley, March 2010. Click or tap here for a photo by Justin Cozart of the same sign in its alternate display position from June 2012. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from February 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. This sign is likely to have an old F-3 shield under the M3 coverplate.

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 & Prohibition Sign:

Supplemental advance directional sign and prohibition sign at Annerley, for the Juliette and Cornwall Street interchange and the Clem Jones Tunnel (M7), March 2010.

Image © Rob Tilley

Advance Directional Sign & Prohibition Sign:

Advance directional sign and prohibition sign at Annerley, for the Juliette and Cornwall Street interchange and the Clem Jones Tunnel (M7), March 2010. Click or tap here for a photo by Justin Cozart of the same sign in its alternate display position from June 2012.

Image © Rob Tilley

Overheight Vehicle Sign:

Overheight vehicle sign approaching the Clem Jones Tunnel (A7) interchange at Annerley, June 2012.

Image © Justin Cozart

Changeable Sign:

Changeable sign on Pacific Mwy (M3) approaching Clem Jones Tunnel (M7) at Annerley, March 2010.

Image © Rob Tilley

Greenslopes to Eight Mile Plains

Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign after Juliette Street, Greenslopes, May 2019.

Image © Dean Sherry

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign for the Marshall Rd (SR10 / SR11) interchange at Holland Park West, June 2009.

Image © Rob Tilley

Supplemental AD sign:

Supplemental advance directional approaching Marshall Rd at Holland Park West, June 2009.

Image © Rob Tilley

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching the Marshall Rd interchange at Holland Park West, June 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 on the Marshall Rd off-ramp at Holland Park West, June 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

Transit Lane Ahead 2 km:

Signage indicating the beginning of the 2 person transit lane, Holland Park West, June 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

Distance Sign:

Reassurance directional sign at Mt Gravatt, May 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from June 2009.

Image © Dean Sherry

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

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

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, May 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from June 2009.

Image © Dean Sherry

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 Advance Directional 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, May 2019. Click or tap here for a photo of this location by Rob Tilley from 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