Sydney Orbital Network | |
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Map of the Sydney Orbital Network | |
General information | |
Type | Freeway |
Location | Sydney |
Length | 110 km (68 mi) |
Opened | Completed 2007 |
Route number(s) | |
Major junctions | |
Highway system | |
The Sydney Orbital Network is a 110 kilometre [1] motorway standard ring road around and through Sydney, the capital of New South Wales in Australia. It runs north from Sydney Airport, underneath the CBD to the North Shore, west to the Hills District, south to Prestons and then east to connect with the airport. Much of the road is privately owned and financed by tolls.
Planning for this beltway, orbital or ring road began as early as 1962 under the "County of Cumberland scheme" (CCS) and was talked about as far back as 1944. Then, from 1973 to 1989, things started to take shape with new sections opening-up and then further advancing by 1999. In 2007, the Lane Cove Tunnel opened, completing the orbital network.
The 110 km Sydney orbital consists of several motorways and freeways, they are listed below:
The major sunken/underground sections of the orbital are:
The major elevated sections are:
The Sydney Orbital Road Network consists of a number of roads built by private companies: tolling is mostly unavoidable when using the road network. A $6.95 toll was added to the M5 East motorway from King Georges Road to Marsh Street on the 5th of July 2020, [2] to coincide with the opening of the M8 tunnel.
Road | Direction | Opened | Toll Collection Method | Toll Pricing | Price | Operator |
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Eastern Distributor | Northbound | 1999 | Electronic | Flat rate | $7.23 | Transurban |
M5 South Western Motorway | Both | 1992 | Electronic | Flat rate | $4.65 | Interlink Roads |
M5 East Motorway | Both | 2001 | Electronic | Flat rate | $6.95 | WCX M5 PT Pty Ltd [3] |
Westlink M7 | Both | 2005 | Electronic | Distance based | $0.3996/km - capped at $7.99 | NorthWestern Roads Group (NWRG) |
M2 Hills Motorway | Both | 1997 | Electronic | Each direction/ Fixed | $7.16 (North Ryde) $3.58 (Pennant Hills Road) $2.53 (Windsor Road) $2.12 (Lane Cove Road) $3.58 (Herring & Christie Roads) | Transurban |
Lane Cove Tunnel | Both | 2007 | Electronic | Flat rate | $3.27 | Transurban |
Sydney Harbour Tunnel | Southbound | 1992 | Electronic | Time based | Weekdays $3.00 (9.30am - 4pm) $4 (6.30am - 9.30am, 4pm - 7pm) $2.50 (7pm - 6.30am); Weekends $3 (8am - 8pm) $2.50 (8pm - 8am) | Transport for NSW |
Intercity highways are linked to the Orbital, moving traffic away from the old busy National Routes. They are:
The National Highway is a system of roads connecting all mainland states and territories of Australia, and is the major network of highways and motorways connecting Australia's capital cities and major regional centres.
The Westlink M7 is a 40-kilometre (25 mi) tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network. Owned by the NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it connects three motorways: the M5 South-West Motorway at Prestons, the M4 Western Motorway at Eastern Creek, and the M2 Hills Motorway at Baulkham Hills.
The Roads & Traffic Authority (RTA) was an agency of the Government of New South Wales responsible for major road infrastructure, licensing of drivers, and registration of motor vehicles. The RTA directly managed state roads and provided funding to local councils for regional and local roads. In addition, with assistance from the federal government, the RTA also managed the NSW national highway system. The agency was abolished in 2011 and replaced by Roads & Maritime Services.
Transurban is a road operator company that manages and develops urban toll road networks in Australia, Canada and the United States. It is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), and is the world’s largest toll road operator.
M1 Pacific Motorway is a 127-kilometre motorway linking Sydney to Newcastle via the Central Coast and Hunter regions of New South Wales. Formerly known but still commonly referred to by both the public and the government as the F3 Freeway, Sydney–Newcastle Freeway, and Sydney–Newcastle Expressway, it is part of the AusLink road corridor between Sydney and Brisbane.
The Lane Cove Tunnel is a 3.6-kilometre (2.2 mi) twin-tunnel tollway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network. Owned by toll road operator Transurban, It connects the M2 Motorway at North Ryde with the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon and forms part of Sydney's M2 route, with the M2 Hills Motorway constituting the rest of the M2 route.
Pennant Hills Road is a 16.1-kilometre-long (10.0 mi) arterial road located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The road links the suburb of Wahroonga in the northeast, to the major central business district of Parramatta in the southwest. Apart from a small section at its southwestern end, it is a constituent part of Cumberland Highway, and is designated part of route A28.
M2 Hills Motorway is a 19.3-kilometre (12.0 mi) tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network and the National Highway west of Pennant Hills Road. Owned by toll road operator Transurban, it forms majority of Sydney's M2 route, with the Lane Cove Tunnel constituting the rest of the M2 route.
The M4 Motorway is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) series of partially-tolled dual carriageway motorways in Sydney, New South Wales designated as route M4. The M4 designation is part of the wider A4 and M4 route designation, the M4 runs parallel and/or below ground to Great Western Highway, Parramatta Road and City West Link, which are part of route A44.
The M5 Motorway is a 28.8-kilometre (17.9 mi) series of tolled motorways located in Sydney, New South Wales designated as route M5. It is part of the Sydney Orbital Network.
Southern Cross Drive is a 4.8 km (3 mi) dual carriage untolled motorway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Part of the M1 and Sydney Orbital Network, the road, a freeway that opened in 1969, links South Dowling Street at Kensington in the north to General Holmes Drive at Sydney Airport in the south.
Sydney Bypass refers to a number of roads, existing and proposed, that motorists can use to avoid the congested approaches to the Sydney central business district (CBD). The main bypasses are:
Australian toll roads are found in the eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The majority of toll roads in Australia are in Sydney, but there are also toll roads in Melbourne, Brisbane, Ipswich and Toowoomba.
WestConnex is a 33-kilometre (21 mi) predominantly underground motorway scheme in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. A joint project of the New South Wales and Federal governments, the motorway scheme created around 26 kilometres (16 mi) of new tunnels between Homebush and Kingsgrove, passing underneath Inner West suburbs including Haberfield and St Peters. The first of the tunnels, the M4 East, opened to traffic in July 2019. The second of the tunnels, the M8 Motorway, opened to traffic a year later in July 2020. The third of the tunnels which extend the M4 and M8 opened to traffic in January 2023. The final component of the scheme, the Rozelle Interchange, opened to traffic in November 2023.
NorthConnex is a 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) twin-tube motorway tunnel in northern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, signposted as the M11 Tunnel. It acts as a tunnel bypass of the congested Pennant Hills Road, extending or connecting the M1 Pacific Motorway to the M2 Hills Motorway. Owned by NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it is one of the longest road tunnels in Australia, along with the WestConnex Tunnel. It is also the deepest road tunnel in Australia, with more than half of the tunnel 60 metres (200 ft) deep or more, and the deepest point is underneath the Sydney Metro Northwest, about 90 metres (300 ft) below ground.
The M6 Motorway is an under-construction motorway in Sydney, New South Wales consisting of twin, 4-kilometre long tunnels linking the M8 Motorway at Arncliffe to President Avenue at Kogarah. This section started major construction in November 2021 and is expected to open in late 2025. The possibility of future extensions to the south will be accommodated by providing stub tunnels in the project.
The M8 Motorway is a 15.2-kilometre (9.4 mi) tolled dual carriageway motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is designated the M8 route marker. It consists predominantly of tunnels and includes tunnel connections to the future Western Harbour Tunnel and the M6 Motorway.
The Rozelle Interchange is an underground motorway interchange in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was built as part of WestConnex and opened to traffic on 26 November 2023. The interchange includes a toll-free bypass of Victoria Road between the Iron Cove Bridge and the Anzac Bridge known as the Iron Cove Link.