Months of traffic chaos looms for northern beaches due to roadworks
IF YOU thought commuter traffic in Sydney’s north is bad, wait until you see what it is going to be like over the next three months. There will be major roadworks on a string of roads — with potential for more than 140,000 vehicles a day to be delayed.
Manly
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AUTHORITIES are warning motorists that a new phase of roadworks around already congested Frenchs Forest will cause heavy peak hour traffic for “several months”.
More than 140,000 vehicles a day are set to be delayed, especially in the morning and evening rush hours, as work ramps up on Warringah Rd and the Wakehurst Parkway.
Adding to the disruption, “heavy traffic conditions are expected for some time” while work on the Warringah Rd underpass near the Northern Beaches Hospital is underway.
Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) also advised that delays would occur over the next three weekends, caused by work on improving the Warringah Rd/Parkway intersection.
RMS said that at the end of May all westbound traffic on Warringah Rd would use new lanes, between Rodborough Rd and Fitzpatrick Ave, for several months.
A spokesman said as part of the work, the Wakehurst Parkway and Warringah Rd intersection was being prepared for a major traffic change in late May.
“There will be a number of traffic changes in the Frenchs Forest area from Friday, May 11, to allow work to be carried out and motorists should plan ahead for expected traffic delays,” the spokesman said.
“Motorists travelling in the Frenchs Forest area will experience heavy traffic conditions in coming months, with the heaviest traffic expected during the morning and afternoon weekday peaks and on Saturdays.”
This weekend the Wakehurst Parkway will be reduced to one lane in each direction either side of the Warringah Rd intersection from 8pm Friday to 5am Monday.
Traffic lights will be turned off at night but police will be on duty.
More disruptive work will be carried out along Warringah Rd across a number of weekends in May and June.
From this Friday until Sunday, May 26, there will be reduced lane capacity for northbound traffic on Wakehurst Parkway wanting to turn left into Warringah Rd.
And motorists travelling west on Warringah Rd wanting to turn left into Wakehurst Parkway will have to stay in the left-hand lane from Rodborough Rd onwards in order to use the new left-turn slip lane.
Naree Rd at Frenchs Forest will also be closed to all through traffic for the next seven weeks, although residents will be allowed in to access their homes but only from the eastern end.
To help avoid delays, RMS is advising motorists to travel outside peak periods, use alternate routes and use real-time traffic apps to plan the best route.
From May 14 peak hour and weekend clearways will operate in both directions on part of Forest Way.
For traffic updates go to livetraffic.com; call 132 701 or download the Live Traffic NSW App.