WestConnex
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WestConnex New South Wales |
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| Type | Motorway (Under construction) |
| Length | 33 km (21 mi) |
| Opened | 2023 (expected) |
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Highways in Australia National Highway • Freeways in Australia Highways in New South Wales |
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WestConnex is a 33 kilometres (21 mi) motorway scheme currently under construction in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The scheme, a joint project of the New South Wales and Australian governments, encompasses widening and extension of the M4 Western Motorway, a new section for the M5 South Western Motorway, and a new inner western bypass of the Sydney CBD connecting the M4 and M5. Together, these projects will create around 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) of new tunnels and upgrade some 17 kilometres (11 mi) of the Sydney motorway network, and convert it to tollways.
The initial M4 widening and King Georges Road Interchange Upgrades began construction in 2015 and are due for completion in 2017; The M4 East and New M5 Tunnel stages started work in mid-2016 and are due for completion in 2019 and 2020 respectively; the final stages, M4–M5 link, Iron Cove Link and Sydney Gateway are expected to begin construction in 2019 and be completed by 2023.
Constructions costs alone for WestConnex are estimated at A$16.8 billion. Once land acquisitions, network extensions development costs and the cost of operations are accounted for, the total cost will be around $20 billion. Described as "the biggest transport project in Sydney since the Harbour Bridge" and costing "in current dollars, double the Snowy River scheme", the project has been widely criticised on economic, social and process grounds and has been the subject of escalating public protest.
The first comprehensive plan for Sydney motorways, the Cumberland County Plan, was released by the then county council in 1948 and adopted in 1951 by the NSW Government. The Plan envisaged a radial motorway network centred on Sydney's central business district (CBD). Though construction of the roads progressed slowly – by 1971 only isolated sections were complete – the Plan ensured corridors were reserved, providing property owners with certainty about future infrastructure.
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