The viability of a tunnel extending from Bald Hills to Kedron and costing more than 9.5 billion is being investigated.
The six-lane tunnel that connects with Airport Link was part of a $10 million federally funded study conducted over two years by the Brisbane City Council.
It found that the annual congestion and public transport crowding in northern Brisbane was costing $312 million a year.
That would rise to $538.5 million by 2031 and $859 million by 2041.
The study found significant community opposition to any surface road or rail development through the North West Transport Corridor, which had been reserved by the state government since the 1980 s.
The land was likely to contain a number of threatened species, as it stretched from Carseldine to Alderley and including the Chermside Hills Reserve.
The North West Transport Network study looked at several underground alternatives, including a motorway and heavy rail option, as well as complementary above-ground bus and active transport solutions.
Andrew Wines, the Brisbane Civic Cabinet Chair for Infrastructure said all levels of government needed to work together on transport solutions for Brisbane's north.
This study shows that doing nothing isn't an option, Mr Wines said.
The study also looked at the possibility of a complementary Bus Rapid Transport system along Gympie Road from the Northern Busway in Kedron to Aspley at a cost of between $758 million and $1.1 billion.
It was considered extending the underground motorway with an 11 kilometre tunnel from McDowall to Toowong by 2041.
The tunnel cost was between $7.8 billion and $11.5 billion.
Brisbane City Council Labor leader Jared Cassidy said Brisbane's LNP council had announced a multi-billion dollar proposal without saying when it would be funded. It's too rich for Brisbane Mayor Adrian Schrinner to put forward a multi-billion dollar proposal when his administration can't complete their own projects.
If the LNP administration can't finish the North Brisbane Bikeway, how can it propose a multi billion dollar plan for the North West motorway?
He said it was a proposal for a tolled tunnel.
He said that this is a backflip from the LNP.
The North West motorway will have tolled options considered in black and white.
This plan is meant to be a missing link for the motorway network, but this council is missing the mark. The study had been sent to the federal and state governments, as well as Infrastructure Australia, for consideration, according to Wines.
He said that the work put forward in this study is far beyond the means of the local government.
He said the economic cost of north Brisbane's congestion would be $1.5 million a day within a decade, which was totally unacceptable.