Motorists will pay tolls on the M7 motorway in western Sydney for an extra three years as part of a deal with Transurban to widen the highway, build a new interchange and connect an arterial route near the city’s new airport.
The NSW government accepted on Wednesday a Transurban-led consortium’s unsolicited proposal to widen 23 kilometres of the motorway from two to three lanes in both directions between Prestons and Oakhurst, as well as building an interchange between the M7 and the new M12 motorway.
An artist’s impression of the interchange between the M12 and Elizabeth Drive near the M7 in western Sydney.Credit: NSW government
In exchange for the $1.5 billion project, the government will extend the tolling arrangements for the M7 by about three years to 2051, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter.
As part of the Transurban-led project, a connection will be built between Elizabeth Drive and the 16-kilometre-long M12, and be partly funded by the state.
NSW Finance Minister Damien Tudehope said the project would provide a vital connection to the new toll-free M12 motorway and support the projected growth of the region. “Western Sydney is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia,” he said.
Major construction of the $2 billion M12 – a key link to Western Sydney Airport – started several months ago and is being jointly funded by the state and federal governments.
Transurban, which operates almost all of Sydney’s toll roads, said widening of the M7 and construction of the parts of the project was expected to start in 2023 and take about three years.
Subject to planning approval, the construction timeline means the project should be completed in time for the opening to passengers of Western Sydney Airport in late 2026.
The toll road operator said the project would be funded through an extension of the tolling concession and extra revenue from an increase in traffic on the widened M7, as well as a direct contribution from the state for the M7-M12 interchange and connection to Elizabeth Drive.
The distance-based tolls for cars on the M7 will increase to a maximum of $9.21 on January 1, from $9.05 a journey at present.
The inequity of the city’s sprawling toll-road network and its effect on the cost of living have been key focuses of a government review into the way motorists are charged, while Labor is set to make tolls a key part of its campaign in the lead-up to the state election in March.
Transport for NSW deputy secretary Camilla Drover said on Sunday that the Treasury-led tolling review had yet to be completed. Asked when it would be finished, she said: “That will be a decision for government – it will go back to government for consideration.”
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