NSW Budget 2021: Mount Ousley Interchange upgrade to begin with $300M funding allocation

Construction on the long-awaited Mt Ousley bypass will finally begin and generate 450 local jobs after the State Government announced an extra $39 million in extra cash ahead of the Budget.

Construction work on the long-awaited Mt Ousley bypass is set to begin in 2023, after an additional $39 million was allocated to the project on Monday.

Ahead of tomorrow’s state Budget, Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance said the interchange had now been fully funded, with state government committing a total of $60 million total to the project, while the federal government has provided $240 million.

A concept design for the proposed Mount Ousley Interchange. Picture: Transport for NSW

The current intersection of the Princes Motorway and Mt Ousley Road is notoriously dangerous, with prangs and crashes a regular occurrence.

As it is a major freight corridor between Sydney and Port Kembla, Mr Constance said the new interchange would improve safety and traffic flow, with geotechnical works currently being finalised.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance, South Coast state Liberal MP Shelley Hancock and Transport for NSW's Sam Knight on Monday.

“It’s about separating the trucks and the cars,” he said. “There will be a truck bypass lane, additional roundabouts, an additional exit point which assists with the university and also the Wollongong CBD and Port Kembla.”

Transport for NSW regional director south, Sam Knight, said it would be challenging to construct the new interchange, given it is the major gateway to the Illawarra, but said plans were in place to minimise the impact on motorists as much as possible.

According to Ms Knight, the new interchange will give people driving down into the Illawarra a “totally different experience”.

“One of the main benefits of the interchange is that we will be separating heavy vehicles and light vehicles, we know this is a really important freight route between Port Kembla and western Sydney and that will be the main difference we will feel,” she said.

Accidents and heavy traffic are common on Mount Ousley.

“We’ve designed this to benefit those needing to access the uni, also going to add active transport aspects to the design so those who want to cycle will also be able to do that.”

The construction of the interchange will also be important for the Illawarra economy, with Mr Constance confirming the project would create more than 450 jobs for locals.

Executive Director of Business Illawarra, Adam Zarth, said that the further $39 million in funding in Wednesday’s state budget would see the project ready to commence, which was timely given the growing demand on the road.

“Today’s announcement of further funding is effectively the green light for this critical road project, and we are looking forward to seeing these figures in black and white in Wednesday’s state budget,” said Mr Zarth.