Sydney Westlink M7: Drivers cop speed cut on major motorway

Motorists on one of the busiest routes in Australia have copped a lower speed limit to make way for a big change.

Motorists in Western Sydney will be forced to contend with slower commutes for more than two years due to a cut to the speed limit on a lengthy stretch of motorway.

The speed limit on a portion of the M7, which connects the M5 South-West with the M4 and Hills M2, has been reduced from 100km/hr to 80km/hr.

The 20km/hr reduction applies to the stretch of the M7 between Richmond Road and the M5.

A portion of the motorway affected by the road works. Picture: Supplied.

The new speed limit came into effect this week and will last until 2026, Linkt confirmed on Monday. It was brought in due to road works, as the road is being widened.

It is the second time a speed limit on the M7 has been impacted by the project, after a smaller stretch around Elizabeth Drive was subject to a speed cut in the first stage of the works.

The second stage of the project requires a speed cut to a significantly larger and busier area.

The M7 connects the M5 South-West with the M4 and Hills M2. Picture: Google Maps.

The M7, also known as the Westlink M7, is a 41-kilometre stretch of tolled motorway that forms part of the Sydney Orbital Network.

The road opened in 2005 in an attempt to provide better transport links between rapidly growing Western Sydney and the CBD.

Western Sydney is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia and home to the nation’s third-largest economy, after Sydney and Melbourne.

It comprises eight per cent of Australia’s total GDP and is expected to absorb two-thirds of the population growth of the Sydney region.

Originally published as Sydney Westlink M7: Drivers cop speed cut on major motorway