The NSW Government and Sydney Airport have announced they will jointly invest almost $500 million to improve ground traffic flow in and around Sydney Airport.
The NSW Government will contribute more than $282 million towards road projects around the airport for WestConnex enabling works and other projects to address pinch points. The WestConnex project will connect the end of the M4 Motorway at Strathfield to the Anzac Bridge in Pyrmont and on to the M5 Motorway near the airport.
“The NSW Government is committed to working closely with Sydney Airport to improve the arrival and departure experience for local travellers and visitors to our great city,” NSW Transport Minister Duncan Gay said in a statement. “Our package of works including the WestConnex enabling works will minimise congestion through the provision of direct and improved access to and from the new motorway from the airport and port precincts.”
Other road works will include a widening of Marsh Street on the airport’s western side; the widening of Joyce Dr and General Homes Dr to three lanes in each direction between O’Riordan St and Mill Pond Rd; the improvement of the two intersections on the eastern side of the airport which connect Mill Pond Rd, General Holmes Dr and Botany Rd; the provision of better rail freight access to the airport; the replacement of the General Holmes Dr rail level-crossing with a road underpass; and the changing of Robey and O’Riordan Streets into one-way streets.
The airport will fund an ground transport interchange and multimodal storage and car park facility; a 430-room hotel in the domestic T2/T3 precinct; a one-way road system extending from Seventh St to connect Shiers Av to Qantas Dr and linking the domestic terminals; a new centre road and city exit to improve traffic flow at the T1 international terminal.
“We’ve listened to our passengers and are working to make it easier to travel to the airport, whether by car or public transport,” Sydney Airport CEO Kerrie Mather said in a statement. “With 74 million passengers a year forecast by 2033, we’re building the road and public transport capacity now to support continued tourism and travel growth.”
Additional information on the ground traffic improvements can be found here.
