The permanent closure of Victoria Bridge this Sunday could cause delays of up to 20 minutes initially, as drivers get used to it.

The bridge connecting South Brisbane to the CBD is closing to general traffic, to make way for the $1.2 billion Brisbane Metro project, a dedicated busway connecting 18 stations along a 21 kilometre route.

It will only be for buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

Brisbane City councillor Ryan Murphy said modelling showed 65-70 per cent of people will use the William Jolly instead.

“By freeing up the space we have previously allocated to cars, we will be able to resolve a lot of the bus congestion issues that commuters currently experience on Victoria Bridge.

“The modelling does show in the initial period, we are looking at 20 minute delays for those who were crossing Victoria Bridge from north to south, but that will reduce to 5 minutes in the long run.

“We have to remember that in the long run, in Brisbane 78 million people annually use the bus network, it performs two thirds of the public transport task.”

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