Sydney Gateway: $2.45b roading project around Sydney Airport approved
A huge project to improve the road network around Sydney Airport – with capacity to carry 100,000 vehicles per day – has been approved by the State Government. See the plans here.
Southern Courier
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- Sydney Gateway road project moves to next stage of planning
- Concerns raised over $2.2 billion Sydney Gateway plans
A $2.45 billion project to improve the road network and congestion around Sydney Airport has been approved by the State Government and is a step closer to getting underway.
However, the Federal Government must still give approval for the project, known as the Sydney Gateway, which involves Commonwealth-land at Sydney Airport.
The NSW Department of Planning announced this week it had approved the project which will cost an estimated $2.45 billion to construct and is estimated to be completed by 2023.
The project will feature new toll-free roads joining the international and domestic terminals to the recently opened St Peters interchange, which is part of the WestConnex motorway, and will have capacity to carry 100,000 vehicles a day.
It will also see the widening of Qantas Drive, a flyover built for motorists to gain easy access to the domestic terminal, and other upgrades near the airport.
“The project aims to ease congestion by providing a direct connection to the Sydney motorway network (at St Peters interchange) and improve access for passengers and freight and remove heavy vehicle traffic from local streets in Mascot,” an assessment report stated.
“Many of the roads surrounding Sydney Airport and Port Botany are at or near capacity during peak periods and the forecast for air travel, airfreight, container freight and other traffic are all expected to increase over the next 20 years.”
It is hoped the project will also improve access to Port Botany which is the state’s largest container port.
“The project will result in improvements in network reliability, remove existing traffic from neighbouring local roads, and improve travel times to and from the airport from southwestern and western Sydney,” an assessment report read.
The project came under fire last year from multiple organisations in the shipping and freight industry including the Australian Logistics Council (ALC).
Their concern was heavy vehicles would not be able to use a connection joining the St Peters interchange with Sydney Gateway because heavy vehicle ramps were not included in the plans, effectively forcing trucks onto nearby local roads which would add to congestion.
A Transport for NSW spokesman confirmed the heavy vehicle ramps could be added at a future stage but would “require a separate business case with funding and approvals from Sydney Airport and government”.
Sydney Airport caters for about 40 per cent of Australia’s international passenger movements, 46 per cent of domestic and regional passenger movements and 50 per cent of airfreight in Australia.