Hole in Brisbane Street

There has been traffic chaos in the heart of Ipswich following a major road collapse in the main street.

The drama unfolded this morning after a hole appeared in the middle of the intersection of Brisbane and East Streets.

Council engineers reported that a void about the size of a large room had been exposed below the surface in the middle of the intersection.

Police have cordoned off the area and there has been partial closure of the David Trumpy bridge linking the CBD and North Ipswich.

Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully said it appeared the subsurface collapse had been caused by a leaking water main over many years.

Cr Tully said Council officers were inspecting the size and extent of the hole.

He said major traffic disruptions were expected to continue for at least the rest of the day.

Motorists have been asked to avoid the heart of Ipswich.

Cr Tully said that initial concerns that an old coal mine had collapsed were unfounded as there had never been any mining in the main street of Ipswich in the past 150 years.

UPDATE

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A burst water main was the cause of scouring under the road surface. This main is next to a broken storm water drain.

A large hole is now being excavated to access the pipes and allow repairs to the water main and storm water drain to commence as soon as possible.

Workers must proceed with caution as many other underground services are in the immediate vicinity, including gas, power and telecoms. The main Ipswich telephone exchange is on the corner.

It is likely the intersection will be closed to all traffic well into the night, and possibly tomorrow morning.

Access to Ipswich CBD is still possible via Brassall, North Ipswich and East Ipswich. Through traffic is advised to find alternative routes.

UPDATE 2:43pm

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An underground concrete girder built by the American army during World War II has prevented a major disaster in Ipswich today.

A 5 metre deep and 5 metre across hole suddenly appeared in the middle of the main street this morning causing chaos in the heart of the city.

Council workers discovered the cavity below the road surface after a one square metre pothole appeared mid-morning.

The intersection of Brisbane and East Streets is completely blocked with traffic being diverted around the CBD.

The intersection is not expected to re-open until early tomorrow after water and drainage repairs are undertaken and the massive cavity filled.

Ipswich Heritage spokesman Cr Paul Tully said the US Army had built a large girder under the intersection during World War II to protect underground services in Ipswich.

"Fifty-five years later, that girder prevented the entire intersection from collapsing.

"It could have been a total disaster."

Cr Tully said earlier reports of the collapse being caused by an old coal mine were unfounded.

"Coal mining started in Ipswich in 1843 and there has never been any mining in the main street of the city," Cr Tully said.