By Tom Rabe
The new $4.3 billion second stage of WestConnex is set to open to drivers this weekend, sparking renewed criticism of the NSW government’s tolling structure across the city.
The nine-kilometre M8 tunnel links Kingsgrove and St Peters, burrowing up to 90 metres deep below Sydney’s southern suburbs. It opens early Sunday morning and will cost motorists a maximum of $6.95.
WestConnex workers are carrying out final preparations ahead of Sunday's opening of the M8.Credit: Steven Siewert
A new distance-based toll of between $3.04 and $6.95 will also be added on to the existing M5 East, prompting criticism from the opposition which has seized on a gaffe by Premier Gladys Berejiklian earlier in the week when she described the tunnel opening as "toll-mania".
"This Premier is embarrassed about the fact that she’s told the truth, told the truth about toll-mania, the feeling that Sydney drivers have as they drive around their city at the moment as Sydney becomes the highest tolled city in the world," opposition roads spokesman John Graham said.
"She knows that if she stands up in front of the cameras today she’s going to get question after question on the tolls that the motorists in Sydney are now facing."
Neither Ms Berejiklian or Transport Minister Andrew Constance were on hand to cut the ribbon on the M8 on Saturday morning, but Transport for NSW chief operations officer Howard Collins described the tunnel as "great Australian infrastructure".
Several new bridges spaning over the entrance to the M8 tunnel in St Peters.Credit: Steven Siewert
"It is an incredible feat of engineering, this was a tip of rubbish and now they call it Dubai," Mr Collins said, pointing towards some newly-planted palm trees on the escarpment above the new road.
Mr Collins said the second stage of WestConnex added another piece to Sydney’s once-piecemeal transport system, reducing travel time between Liverpool and south Sydney by 30 minutes.
"When I first came to Sydney seven years ago there was a toll road there, bit of a motorway there, there wasn’t any connection: now we’re building it," he said.
"It’s another piece in the jigsaw of a complete network."
Inside the new M8 tunnel, linking Beverly Hills and St Peters within a 10 minute drive.Credit: Steven Siewert
No toll-free period will be included on the new road, or the existing M5, with Mr Graham calling on the state government to re-think the decision.
"We’re asking for a last-minute reprieve for drivers on this road, up and down some of the hardest hit suburbs in this recession...for a toll-free period. It’s the least this government could do," he said.
"It’s not just fairer, its also safer, we’re worried that drivers might make last-minute lane changes as they seek to avoid these tolls."
WestConnex chief executive Andrew Head said building big infrastructure was never "smooth sailing," but the last six months of the M8 construction had run exceptionally well.
Close to eight million tonnes of spoil was excavated at the former Alexandra landfill site, with another 723,000 cubic metres of concrete used to construct the dual two-lane tunnels.
Mr Head said attention would soon turn to stage three of the $16 billion WestConnex motorway, linking St Peters to the M4 tunnels at Haberfield.
"It’s very similar to raising a family and you’ve got children at different ages, they all come with different challenges and requirements, it’s the same thing here," he said.
The M8 is the first of two new toll roads expected to open in Sydney this quarter, with the $3 billion NorthConnex slated to open within the next few months.
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