WestConnex final stage gets approval, setting stage for non-stop bypass of Sydney CBD
Updated
The final piece of Sydney's WestConnex puzzle has been placed, after the New South Wales Government today announced stage three of the controversial project had been approved.
Key points:
- The $7 billion link runs underground for about 8 kilometres
- It will connect the M4 at Haberfield to the M5 at St Peters, via another interchange at Rozelle
- The NSW Government claims it will save "hours of travel time" each week
It means a tunnel will be built connecting the M4 at Haberfield to the M5 at St Peters — a development WestConnex Minister Stuart Ayres described as being "like the Sydney Harbour Bridge".
It will create a non-stop bypass of Sydney's CBD and inner-west, slashing travel times.
However, the proposal has also attracted significant opposition.
This time last year, Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore briefed Premier Gladys Berejiklian on a set of alternatives at a meeting.
The $17 billion WestConnex development has been previously described by the NSW Government as the world's biggest road project.
Stage three will also include links to the Iron Cove Bridge and Rozelle Interchange.
Mr Ayres said the tunnel was crucial to the city's transport future.
"Like the Sydney Harbour Bridge did for the North Shore, the M4-M5 Link will bridge a major gap in the road network, creating a non-stop underground western bypass of Sydney's CBD, slashing travel times and delivering over 18 hectares of open space for local communities," he said.
In August 2017, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for WestConnex stage three said the project would slash travel times from Sydney's western suburbs to the CBD.
It argued the 55-kilometre trip from Penrith to the CBD could cost drivers $22 today, but when WestConnex was finished, the tolls would be capped at $8.60 for the same journey.
Topics: government-and-politics, sydney-2000, nsw
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