Tunnelling on the New M5 section of WestConnex begins as protesters urge the Government to stop work for environmental checks
TUNNELLING began this morning on the New M5 section of WestConnex, but angry residents turned up to urge the Premier to halt work. Watch a “first look” animation of of the completed work.
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TUNNELLING began this morning on the New M5 section of WestConnex.
An excavator began work on the 9km twin tunnels to run from St Peters to Beverly Hills.
Premier Mike Baird and Roads Minister Duncan Gay joined federal Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher to kick off the latest stage in the $16.8 billion toll road.
The 11km New M5 will duplicate the existing M5 East freeway from the King Georges Rd interchange at Beverly Hills. An underground section will run from Kingsgrove to a new interchange being built at St Peters.
The New M5 tunnels include provision for a future connection to the proposed underground M4-M5 Link, joining St Peters with Haberfield.
There will also be future “Sydney Gateway” links to Sydney Airport and Port Botany.
Mr Baird said the New M5 will double capacity on one of Sydney’s most notoriously congested roadways.
The twin tunnels will run roughly in parallel to the existing M5 East.
“Anyone who’s used the M5 East knows how critical this link is to fixing traffic congestion in Sydney,” Mr Baird said.
Mr Gay said the New M5 will halve the time it takes for motorists to get from Beverly Hills to St Peters to 10 minutes.
“The M5 is currently congested for 13 hours a day — this new motorway, opening in 2020, will get drivers moving again..
“By moving vehicles underground, we’re able to create more than 18 hectares of new recreational green space, including six hectares at a new Interchange at St Peters.”
Mr Gay said 4kms of new and upgraded shared pedestrian and cycle paths will be built as part of the New M5.
But the WestConnex Action Group (WAG), which held a protest outside the tunnel site this morning, said it was “disgraceful” for the government to allow the tunnelling work on the New M5 to begin when so much of the project’s design and impact remain unknown.
WAG spokesman Pauline Lockie said St Peters’ residents were given just five days’ notice of the construction works, which will run up to 24 hours a day.
“The Baird government still hasn’t released a final design for the WestConnex New M5,” Ms Lockie said.
“And the recent removal of the WestConnex Camperdown interchange also means that the traffic, air quality, noise and financial projections for the New M5 are now wrong.”
Green State MP for Newtown, Jenny Leong, called for the Premier to halt work on the New M5 until a reassessment of the environmental impacts are done.
“While planning approval was granted for stage 2 of WestConnex which includes the St Peters interchange, this was done before recent announcements of major changes in the route design.
“Recent changes will dramatically alter other areas of the project, including an increase in traffic flows around Newtown, Erskineville, south King St, Alexandria and St Peters.”
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