Construction has begun on the King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade, 18 months ahead of schedule. The $130 million project will fix one of the city’s worst bottlenecks.
More than 40,000 Sydney motorists will have their travel times slashed.
This vital project is the first section of WestConnex Stage Two, which involves widening and extending the M5 motorway.
Of the 100,000 motorists who use the M5 every day, nearly half get stuck at the King Georges Road interchange. The upgrade will cut travel times at the interchange by up to half, as well as alleviating delays along the M5 East and King Georges Road.
The interchange will connect to an already widened M5 West (completed in December 2014) and is the precursor for the New M5 tunnel which will provide an extra three lanes in each direction between Beverly Hills and St Peters.
Work at the interchange involves widening and extending the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp between King Georges Road and the M5 East, increasing ramp lengths by 180 metres.
The upgrade has been accelerated by an historic agreement between the Commonwealth and NSW Governments. The project is due to be finished in two years.
When completed, WestConnex will link the M4 and M5 with a continuous free-flowing motorway, creating 10,000 jobs and injecting more than $20 billion into the NSW economy.
The project will increase capacity and reduce travel times from Western Sydney and South Western Sydney to the CBD, Airport and Port Botany.
Congestion currently costs NSW $5 billion every year in time delays and lost productivity.
The NSW Government is providing $1.8 billion to build WestConnex. The Commonwealth is providing $1.5 billion, in addition to a concessional loan of up to $2 billion.
The Commonwealth Government is investing a record $50 billion to build world class infrastructure for a stronger and more prosperous Australia.
Visit www.westconnex.com.au for more information.
WESTCONNEX STAGES:
WestConnex Stage One: Will widen the M4 from Church Street at Parramatta to Homebush Bay Drive and extend the M4 via a tunnel east of Homebush Bay Drive, emerging near the Bunnings Warehouse on Parramatta Road or on Wattle Street, Haberfield.
WestConnex Stage Two: Will deliver the New M5 – to run from the existing M5 East corridor via tunnel to St Peters, as well as an upgrade of the King Georges Road Interchange.
WestConnex Stage Three: Will join the M4 and M5 corridors – via a motorway tunnel with three lanes in each direction.
20 July 2015