M6 Motorway | |
---|---|
General information | |
Type | Motorway (Under construction) |
Length | 4 km (2.5 mi) |
Opened | 2025 (expected) |
Route number(s) | |
Major junctions | |
North end | M8 Motorway Arncliffe |
South end |
|
Highway system | |
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. [1] Stage 1 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 project will include new shared cycle and pedestrian pathways, as well as a new pedestrian bridge across President Avenue. There will also be an upgrade of the Princes Highway and President Avenue intersection. As part of the motorway, a motorway control centre and tunnel ventilation facilities will be built. [1]
In June 2022, the NSW Government announced that some proposed major infrastructure projects including Stage 2 of the M6 Motorway, the Beaches Link and the Great Western Highway Blackheath to Little Hartley Tunnel would be shelved indefinitely, due to market constraints and labour shortages. [2]
Princes Motorway, formerly F6 Southern Freeway, is an existing motorway linking Sydney and Wollongong, with its northern terminus currently at Waterfall. There had been previous proposals to extend the F6 northwards into inner Sydney since the 1950s, but no proposal has come into fruition. Only the six-lane Captain Cook Bridge and a short connecting section of Taren Point Road to the south were built and opened in May 1965 as part of the F6 extension proposal. [3]
In the mid 2010s, the F6 extension project was revived under the Liberal-National coalition state government. As part of modifications made during the planning stage of the WestConnex project, stub tunnels was added to the New M5 (now M8) tunnel to allow for an extension connection to it by the F6 extension. [4] [5] In June 2016 the Roads & Maritime Services commenced geotechnical analysis to determine underground rock and soil conditions on the former F6 corridor from Waterfall to the Sydney Orbital Network at Rockdale with a view into developing a possible link between the Princes Motorway and the Orbital Network. [6] It was further reported in October 2016 that any extension would be known as SouthConnex. [7]
In June 2017, it was revealed that the state government had reviewed a 3.6 billion dollar railway tunnel between Thirroul and Waterfall on the Illawarra railway line that could reduce travel time between Sydney and Wollongong by 22 minutes, but that railway improvements were being sidetracked in favour of improving and extending the Motorway. [8] Later in September 2017, a state government leak showed the extent of the route, to be carried out in multiple sections which would largely follow the original planned route. The leaked document referred to the road as South Link. Sections included tunnels to the northern side of the Captain Cook Bridge, a bridge duplication allowing for motorway traffic to use the existing bridge and local traffic to keep access. To the south of the bridge, a surface motorway would run through current parks and reserves which had been left for the original route, then run along the route of the current Princes Highway with tunnels bypassing the towns of Heathcote and Waterfall before joining the existing freeway. [9] [10]
In October 2017, the government announced it will proceed with Stage 1 of the F6 extension, which will run via two 4 km tunnels linking the New M5 (now M8) tunnels at Arncliffe to President Avenue at Kogarah. [11] Stage 1 was originally planned to start construction in 2020 and open to traffic in late 2024. [12]
In October 2019, the government announced a name change of the extension to "M6 Motorway", removing its reference to the defunct F6 name. The renaming to a different route number was due to general renaming of roads in NSW to reflect newer alphanumeric route numbers. Additionally the decision was made not to connect the future southern end of M6 at Loftus to the northern end of the M1 Princes Motorway at Waterfall, resulting in the two motorways to remain separated in the short-term. [13] The completion date of Stage 1 was also pushed back to late 2025, with major construction planned to begin by early 2022. [14] In December 2019, planning approval for M6 Stage 1 was granted. [15]
In June 2022, the NSW Government announced that some proposed major infrastructure projects including Stage 2 of the M6 Motorway would be shelved indefinitely, due to market constraints and labour shortages. [2]
Prior to the start of major construction, associated construction works began on open spaces near the M6 corridor in August 2020. These include upgrades to Ador Park and McCarthy Reserve at Rockdale, and Brighton Memorial Playing Fields at Brighton-Le-Sands. [16] The upgrades are due to the upcoming construction impacts on the open space and recreational facilities at Rockdale Bicentennial Park. [17]
In May 2021, the design and construction contract for Stage 1 was awarded to CIMIC Group's subsidiaries CPB Contractors and UGL, in a joint venture with Ghella. [18] Major construction of Stage 1 began on 29 November 2021. [19]
Toll prices are proposed to be $2.44 each way when the first stage of M6 opens. However, as all traffic will have to utilise the M8, motorists will also have to pay WestConnex tolls in addition to the M6 toll. [20]
Arncliffe is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Arncliffe is located 11 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Bayside Council.
The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line is a commuter railway line in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney and is a part of the Sydney Trains network. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to take advantage of agricultural and mining potentials in the Illawarra area. In March 1926, it became the first railway in New South Wales to run electric train services.
The A4, A44 and M4 are a collection of arterial routes in Sydney, New South Wales that connect the Inner West of Sydney with the outer western suburbs.
The Sydney Orbital Network is a 110 kilometre 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.
Princes Motorway is a 62-kilometre (39 mi) predominantly dual carriage untolled motorway that links Sydney to Wollongong and further south through the Illawarra region to Oak Flats. Part of the Australian Highway 1 network, the motorway is designated route M1.
City West Link is a 5.0-kilometre (3.1 mi) link road connecting Parramatta Road and the Western Distributor through the Inner West suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was bypassed by the WestConnex project upon its completion in November 2023. This name covers a few consecutive roads and is widely known to most drivers, but the entire allocation is also known – and signposted – by the names of its constituent parts: Wattle Street, Dobroyd Parade, City West Link proper and The Cresent.
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.
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:
General Holmes Drive is a 5-kilometre (3.1 mi) major divided road located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The road forms part of the M1, the A1, the Sydney Orbital Network, and the Australian Highway 1 network. Initially built in 1919 as a two-lane road and duplicated in 1951, the road partially circumnavigates Sydney Airport with its north-eastern terminus in Mascot, heading west and then south and then south-west, with its south-western terminus with The Grand Parade in Brighton-Le-Sands.
Australian toll roads are found in the eastern states of New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. Most of the toll roads are within the urban limits of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with the exception of the Toowoomba Bypass in 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 Western Harbour Tunnel is an under construction tunnel in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The six lane, 6.5 kilometre twin tunnels will run from Cammeray to Rozelle passing beneath Sydney Harbour. It is scheduled for completion in 2028.
The 2010s saw many developments relating to transport in the Australian city of Sydney, New South Wales. The decade saw a substantial investment in infrastructure, including a new airport, motorway projects, light rail lines, Australia's first metro system, the new Waratah fleet and the demise of the non-air conditioned S sets from the rail network. Planning and branding of public transport services became substantially more centralised.
The Sydney Gateway is a partially-open major road interchange between the WestConnex and the airport terminals of Sydney Airport, and includes a new pair of arch bridges over the Alexandra Canal and an eastbound flyover connecting Qantas Drive to the domestic terminal buildings. Upon completion, the Sydney Gateway will connect the Sydney Motorway network with the Sydney Airport and Port Botany precincts via the St Peters Interchange. The completed project is expected to provide improved road links between the airport and Port Botany and reduce congestion.
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 also includes a toll-free bypass of Victoria Road between the Iron Cove Bridge and the Anzac Bridge known as the Iron Cove Link.