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WestConnex

March 04, 2023

WestConnex is a 33-kilometre (21 mi) predominantly underground motorway scheme in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. As of 2023, it is partially completed and partially still under construction. A joint project of the New South Wales and Australian governments, the motorway scheme is creating 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, and the rest of the tunnels are expected to open to traffic in late 2023.

WestConnex

New South Wales
General information
TypeMotorway  (Under construction)
Length33 km (21 mi)
Opened20 December 2016: King Georges Road interchange upgrade
15 July 2017: M4 widening
13 July 2019: M4 East
5 July 2020: M8 Motorway
20 January 2023: M4–M8 main tunnel extensions
Late 2023: Rozelle Interchange, Iron Cove Link
Major junctions
North West end M4 Western Motorway
Homebush, Sydney
 
South West end M5 East Motorway
Kingsgrove, Sydney
Highway system

The forecast cost of WestConnex has grown from A$10 billion[1] to over $16.8 billion.[1] Once land acquisitions,[2] network extensions development costs and the cost of operations[3] are accounted for, the total cost is forecast to be at least $20 billion and possibly as much as $45 billion.[4] In August 2018, the NSW government sold 51 percent of WestConnex to a consortium led by Transurban for A$9.26 billion.[5][6]

The project has bipartisan political support from the coalition and Labor parties, at both a federal and state level.[7][8][9][10] Described as "the biggest transport project in Sydney and Australia since the Harbour Bridge"[11] and costing "in current dollars, double the Snowy River scheme", the project has been criticised on economic, social and process grounds[12] and has been the subject of public protest.[13] It has faced opposition from residents, pro-public transport groups, anti-toll groups, and councillors from impacted suburbs, including the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore, and the Greens. In June 2017, the City of Sydney called on the government to abandon the third and final stage of the project.[14]

Staging

Works on the WestConnex are split up into three stages:[15][16]

  • Stage 1
    • M4 Western Motorway (M4) widening – completed in July 2017
    • M4 East, also known as New M4, an eastern extension of the M4 – completed in July 2019
  • Stage 2
  • Stage 3
    • M4–M8 extensions (previously the M4–M5 Link), a new inner western bypass of the Sydney CBD connecting the M4 and M8 (previously New M5) – completed in January 2023[18]
    • Rozelle Interchange – to open in late 2023
    • Iron Cove Link – to open in late 2023

The Sydney Gateway project, now separate to the WestConnex project, was initially planned to be constructed and completed at the same time as the M4–M8 extensions. The Sydney Gateway's targeted opening date has since been pushed back two years to 2025.

Stage 1: M4 Widening and M4 East

 
The M4 Western Motorway outside of Parramatta before construction. This section has since been widened as part of the WestConnex scheme.
Main article: M4 Motorway (Sydney)

Stage 1 works included widening of the existing M4 Western Motorway from two or three to four lanes in each direction between Parramatta and Homebush Bay Drive; and the M4 East, new twin three-lane motorway tunnels between Homebush and Haberfield, connecting to the City West Link.

The widening of the 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) M4 section east of Church Street, Parramatta, began construction in March 2015 and was completed in July 2017. WestConnex tolls were introduced on this section one month later on 15 August 2017.[19]

The M4 East began construction in mid-2016 and opened on 13 July 2019.[20][21] The M4 East was delivered by a Leighton Contractors Samsung John Holland joint venture.

Stage 2: King Georges Road Interchange, M8 Tunnel and St Peters Interchange

 
St Peters Interchange under construction
See also: M8 Motorway (Sydney)

Stage 2 works included upgrading the existing M5 interchange at King Georges Road, and building the new M8 Motorway,[17] a new set of tunnels between the M5 at Beverly Hills and St Peters. The M8, known as the New M5 during the planning and construction, was also designed to allow for future connection to the proposed M6 Motorway.

The King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade began construction in July 2015 and was open to traffic in December 2016.[22]

The St Peters Interchange, located at the eastern end of the M8, is a viaduct road interchange that connects the WestConnex with local arterial roads such as Euston Road and Gardeners Road. It will also connect to the Sydney Gateway towards Sydney Airport. Recreational spaces are supposed to be provided surrounding the interchange.[23] Additionally, Campbell Street and Campbell Road in St Peters was widened and extended eastwards over Alexandra Canal and link with Bourke Road in Mascot.[24] A recreation parkland was built alongside the alignment of Campbell Street.

The M8, St Peters Interchange, and Campbell Road works started construction in mid-2016. The Campbell Road extension and the bridge over Alexandra Canal (Campbell Road Bridge) opened on 22 June 2020,[25][26] and the M8 and the St Peters Interchange opened two weeks later on 5 July 2020.[17] The M5 East Motorway also became tolled when the M8 opened, after being toll-free for 19 years since its opening in 2001. Prior to the toll, WestConnex had already taken over the operations and maintenance of the M5 East tunnels on 1 May 2020.[27]

Stage 3: M4–M8 extensions, Iron Cove Link and Rozelle Interchange

Stage 3 works include building a new motorway tunnel (previously known as M4–M5 Link) linking the M4 East and the M8; the Rozelle Interchange, an underground interchange at the site of Rozelle rail yards with direct connections to the Anzac Bridge; and Iron Cove Link, a one kilometre (0.62 mi) tunnel from the Rozelle Interchange to Iron Cove Bridge bypassing the congested Victoria Road corridor.[28][29] In September 2022, it was announced that the M4–M5 Link would be renamed to extensions of the M4 and M8 when operational.[30]

Stage 3 was officially approved in April 2018, began construction in 2019.[31] In February 2021, roadheaders carved from the M4-M5 Link tunnels into the M8 tunnel, connecting the two stages of the WestConnex project for the first time.[32] The main tunnels extending the M4 and M8 opened on 20 January 2023, while the rest of Stage 3 is expected to be completed in late 2023.[18] Construction of Rozelle Interchange and Iron Cove Link will be directly managed by Transport for NSW instead of WestConnex.[33]

The Rozelle Interchange was built to have future provision for the proposed Western Harbour Tunnel.

Unlike the bulk of the WestConnex projects, the Iron Cove Link will be toll-free.[34]

Stage 3 forms the southern section of an eventual Inner West bypass of Sydney's CBD. This stage also originally included Sydney Gateway, however the project is now a separate Transport for NSW project and is no longer part of the WestConnex scope.[citation needed] The Sydney Gateway, which connects to the St Peters interchange, will be completed two years after the M4–M8 extensions in 2025.[18]

History

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 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.[35]

This changed in 1976 with the election of the Australian Labor Party under Premier Neville Wran. Wran, faced with his predecessors' ambitious infrastructure plans, inner-city opposition to motorway projects (including a powerful 'Green Bans' movement) and a deteriorating financial situation, halted work on inner-city projects, scaled back the under-construction Eastern Suburbs railway line and eliminated a number of the Cumberland Plan's inner-city road reservations.

Though Wran's decision to sell off the M4 East corridor was later criticised,[36] the Cumberland Plan's radial concept was anyway beginning to lose relevance. The city's passenger and freight gateway had shifted 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of the CBD, with long-distance passengers increasingly arriving via Sydney Airport, not Circular Quay or Central Station; and Port Botany increasingly supplanting Sydney Harbour as the city's main shipping hub. At the same time, employment was decentralising. Retailers were clustering in new suburban shopping malls; factories were moving to less constrained greenfield sites in the outer suburbs; and many companies were moving to suburban campus-style office parks.[35]

In 1987, the then Department of Main Roads released Roads 2000, which shifted the focus of motorway planning from completing the CBD-centric radial system and addressed the growing number of cross-suburban vehicle journeys instead.[37] The Western Motorway, now known as the M4, was completed from Lapstone to Concord in 1992. The South-Western motorway, known as the M5, reached from Prestons to Beverly Hills by 1995.[38]

The unfinished M5 East section of the orbital, between Beverly Hills and the airport, remained contentious. Although a surface corridor had been reserved for much of the route, the Labor government of Bob Carr was anxious to minimise the surface impact. After last-minute revisions to the design, the resulting motorway, opened in 2001, was too steep for laden trucks returning from Port Botany, significantly increasing vehicle emissions and frequently overwhelming the ventilation system.[39]

Labor proposals in the 2000s

 
2010 map of proposed Sydney inner west motorway tunnels

The Labor government proposed a number of schemes in the 2000s.

M4 East

In July 2002, the M4 East scheme was proposed with three options:[40][41]

  • short tunnel option: a 3.6-kilometre (2.2 mi) tunnel between the M4 at Concord and City West Link and Parramatta Road at Haberfield
  • long tunnel option: a 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi) tunnel between the M4 at Concord and City West Link at Lilyfield
  • slot option: a sunken trench road similar to the Eastern Distributor, between the M4 at Concord and Parramatta Road at Haberfield

All three options would run below or parallel to Parramatta Road and/or City West Link. The short tunnel option was preferred for having lower costs both during construction and operation. The long tunnel option was considered to have the potential to increase congestion on the approaches to Anzac Bridge, causing eastbound queues to extend into the tunnels. The slot option could be constructed at a similar cost to the short tunnel, however, it was considered to not provide the same level of traffic benefits as the short tunnel option. Additionally, the option would need to acquire additional properties and the construction period for this option would be longer.[41]

Between 2003 and 2004, the preferred short tunnel option for M4 East was exhibited.[41] The preferred option would also widen the existing motorway between Homebush Bay Drive and Concord Road. Members of the government were divided over the M4 East proposal and ultimately did not proceed with it in early 2005 due to community opposition.[40][42] The preferred option eventually formed the basis of the concept design for the M4 East project of the WestConnex.

Despite the M4 East and Marrickville Tunnel not eventuating, the government continued to develop the schemes. In October 2007, the government was considering a '3-in-1' tolled motorway being dubbed the Gateway.[43] The proposal was estimated to cost at least $7 billion, and would be funded by a proposed retail sale of electricity. The three motorway sections that make up the proposal were:

  • The first section would head north and connect to Victoria Road, possibly around Iron Cove bridge
  • The second section would extend the M4 to the city CBD via the Anzac Bridge
  • The third section would link the M4 to the Airport through a 5 km tunnel (similar to the Marrickville Tunnel)

The government continued to develop the schemes secretly in 2009, with funding to be provided by the federal Labor government.[44] The M4 East failed to receive funding in the 2009/10 federal budget.[45]

Marrickville Tunnel

Also in 2004, the Marrickville Tunnel scheme between the M4 East and Mascot was being considered by the government.[41] It was also known as Marrickville Truck Tunnel, Marrickville Motorway Tunnel or the M4 airport truck tunnel. It aimed to provide a direct route for traffic between Port Botany, Sydney Airport and South Sydney. One option considered for this scheme was a truck-only tunnel for freight access between the port and airport to north-western Sydney. The tunnel would run under Sydenham Road and connect Parramatta Road in Lewisham to the Princes Highway at St Peters.[46] The scheme did not progress and was never placed on public display. The concept of the scheme was later developed to become the M4–M5 Link project (and later the M4–M8 extensions) of the WestConnex.

Inner West Motorway

In March 2007, prior to the state election later that month, The Daily Telegraph claimed the government was planning the Inner West Motorway, which was similar to the Marrickville Tunnel. It would be a tunnel which would run from St Peters underneath Enmore, Stanmore, Camperdown and Annandale to City West Link and Victoria Road.[47] This claim was dismissed by the government.[48]

In 2010, a report by consultancy Evans & Peck proposed the Inner West Bypass which followed a similar route. The bypass was estimated to have a $12 billion price tag, and would require four to five ventilation stacks.[49][50] Under the proposal, the bypass would connect to another tunnel that would follow the alignments of Victoria Road and the cancelled Lane Cove Valley Expressway, joining the M2 Hills Motorway at Lane Cove. From there, another tunnel would follow the alignment of Pacific Highway and join the F3 Sydney–Newcastle Freeway.

M5 duplication

In 2009, the government released the M5 Transport Corridor Feasibility Study, which investigated strategic options for improving the M5 Motorway corridor. The study identified a preliminary preferred option, being the M5 East Duplication, consisted of duplicating the M5 East and construction of a new connection from the M5 East at Arncliffe to Euston Road, Qantas Drive and Gardeners Road.[51] The strategic concept for the M5 East Duplication was placed on public exhibition between November 2009 and March 2010 for community and stakeholder feedback. Feedback received was used to further develop and refine the scheme to become the King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade and New M5 projects of the WestConnex.

Coalition proposal in the 2010s

2012 "First things first" strategy

Elected in 2011 on a promise to create an integrated transport strategy for the city, the Coalition government of Premier Barry O'Farrell established an independent advisory body, led by former premier Nick Greiner, to assess projects and determine priorities. Greiner's Infrastructure NSW (iNSW) evaluated a number of long-standing motorway proposals, including the M4 East, the F6 extension (now called the M6) and the M2-F3 link (later called NorthConnex). iNSW released its strategy, entitled First Things First: the state infrastructure strategy 2012–2032 , the following year. The plan identified a 33-kilometre (21 mi) motorway, which it named "WestConnex", as the state's top road priority. The creation of WestConnex was one of the major points of agreement between two competing strategic transport reports, commissioned simultaneously in 2011 by the NSW Government, from iNSW and Transport for NSW.[52] O'Farrell accepted the recommendation, committing $1.8 billion to begin work.

The initial scheme called for:[53]

The tunnel from the M4 to St Peters component would provide the first step towards an inner-city bypass, which was originally planned to connect the airport to the Victoria Road corridor. Transport for NSW, which released its long-term integrated transport plan around the same time, committed to further planning work on the northern section of the bypass.[citation needed] iNSW estimated the benefit-cost ratio for WestConnex at "more than 1.5", noting that the removal of freight traffic from Parramatta Road could also facilitate urban regeneration along the Inner West's main road link.[53]

Focused as it was on journeys to and from the international gateways at Botany Bay, the scheme did not include a direct connection to the CBD. This proved a stumbling block in securing federal funding for the project, despite the risk of a motorway direct to the city competing with existing public transport services.[54][55] With a change of government in 2013, the federal government's opposition was reversed.[56]

2013 State Significant Infrastructure Application Report

By November 2013, the WestConnex was divided into three stages:[57]

  • Stage 1(a): M4 Widening, between Church Street, Parramatta to Homebush Bay Drive
  • Stage 1(b) M4 East, extending the M4 to Parramatta Road and City West Link at Haberfield
  • Stage 2: M5 East Airport Link, between King Georges Road and St Peters
  • Stage 3: M4 South, between Haberfield and St Peters via Camperdown

Later modifications

The scheme underwent a number of changes from the concept recommended by iNSW in 2012, in particular to the M4-M5 Link.[58]

In late 2014, the government realigned the M4-M5 Link to accommodate a link to a future second harbour road tunnel, with a view to one day completing an inner-city bypass.[59] This would mean a large interchange at the site of the abandoned Rozelle Rail Yards close to the Anzac Bridge. The interchange, now known as Rozelle Interchange, was later moved underground with a large park to be built above the interchange.[28] Additionally, a tunnel under Rozelle was added to bypass the congested Victoria Road corridor and connect with the Rozelle Rail Yard interchange. On 9 November 2016, a new route for the M4-M5 Link took it under Annandale and the Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church.[60] An interchange with Parramatta Road at Camperdown was also removed.[58] On 17 November 2016, it was confirmed that the mid-tunnel point would be in "the 'triangle area' bordered by Parramatta Road, Pyrmont Bridge Road and Mallet Street".[61]

Stub tunnels were added to the New M5 to connect to a proposed F6 extension to the St George and Sutherland Shire areas.[62][63] The proposed F6 extension is now known as M6 Motorway.

In August 2019, the right turn from The Crescent northbound to eastbound was also proposed to be modified to an overpass, with changes to surrounding pedestrian and cycling links and the layouts of surrounding intersections.[64] The modification was approved on 30 September 2020.[65]

Objectives

The strategic objectives that the scheme was originally conceived to address have never been made public. The initial application for federal funding was made under the 'National Freight Network' category,[66] and the new tunnels converge near Sydney's main container port (Port Botany) and airport. This suggests the primary objective was to improve road freight productivity. However, smaller truck-only toll tunnels would not have been financially viable. Therefore, general use toll tunnels were proposed instead, to generate toll revenue from passenger vehicles as well.[67] This approach was described as "suburban motorists ... paying for an inner-city freight project".[68]

A list of objectives was included in the 2015 Business Case.[63] However, the Business Case and list of objectives were written retrospectively, long after state and federal funding for the project was announced.

Infrastructure Australia criticised the NSW Government for not adequately appraising alternative ways of meeting the project objectives.[69] For example, road freight productivity could be improved, and congestion reduced, simply by tolling the existing M4 and M5 motorways, which is being done anyway to cross-subsidise to the new tunnels.[68]

Benefits

The 2015 business case predicted WestConnex will deliver $22.2 billion in benefits, before deducting operating expenses. These benefits were mostly non-cash, estimates of the value to users of such things as travel time saved ($12.9 billion) and increased travel time reliability ($1.47 billion) as well as reduced operating costs ($6.18 billion). All other factors were estimated to have a worth of $1.65 billion.[70]

The 2015 business case[70] estimated that building WestConnex will enable an extra 45,000 road trips per weekday by 2031. By 2031, Infrastructure Australia estimates that the population of Sydney will have grown by an extra 1.2 million people.[71]

For the purpose of calculating benefits and costs of the scheme, tolling was considered to be "a transfer payment from the user to operator", the benefit to the operator is considered to cancel out the disbenefit to the user, and as such, tolling has a "neutral effect on overall benefits and costs".[70]

Community feedback

Support

WestConnex was supported by the state and the federal Liberal Party governments, including former Premier Gladys Berejiklian[8] and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.[7] Both levels of government continually funded the planning and implementation of the WestConnex.

WestConnex was also supported by the state and federal Labor parties, whether in opposition or in government. When the project was first announced in 2012, Anthony Albanese, the federal shadow infrastructure and transport minister, voiced his support of the project and announced over $1.2 billion in funding despite the motorway impacting on residents in his electorate of Grayndler.[72] The funding was also on the condition that no tolls were placed on old parts of the road (referring to the existing M4 and M5 East). Prior to the 2016 federal election, federal Labor and opposition leader Bill Shorten also promised that if elected, he would honour the $3.5 billion federal funding commitment made by the Turnbull Government.[9] Former state Labor leaders and opposition leaders Luke Foley and Michael Daley[10] have also both voiced support of the project.

WestConnex also received support from multiple third party organisations, such as the motoring lobby group the NRMA, which argued that it would help improve transport in Sydney's west,[73] significantly reduce travel times and complete a plan from 1947.[74] On 3 October 2012, press releases in support of the "missing motorway" were issued by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia,[75] Sydney Business Chamber,[76] and the Sydney Airport Corporation.[77] Lucy Turnbull AO, the chief commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission and wife of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, voiced her support for the project albeit with concerns for the preservation of heritage sites in Haberfield, stating that the development needs to "strike the right balance between protecting our homes and heritage and building a Greater Sydney that will work well for future generations".[78]

Opposition

 
Protest sign accompanying public demonstration in Hyde Park, Sydney (March 2016)
 
Banner outside NSW Parliament protesting destruction of houses in Haberfield (September 2016)

Elements of the WestConnex scheme encountered strident opposition from a range of stakeholders, among them academics, architects, resident action groups,[79][80][81] an industry group, local councils,[82] a developer lobby, the Greens,[83] with some strongly opposed to the project in its entirety.[84] Among the project's most high-profile opponents has been Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who commissioned a report to Council on the project.[85] Almost 12,900 submissions were lodged with NSW Planning in response to the environmental impact statement, many highly critical of the project.[86] Marrickville Council told WestConnex it will not approve preliminary work until the project as a whole is approved,[87] but observers note that the "scope of the project ... continues to expand",[88] as does the cost.[89][90]

Public transport

The Lord Mayor's report, released a month before the 2015 state election, criticised the project and recommended that a new railway line be built along the M4 Western Motorway and M4 East corridor instead, to parallel the existing Inner West Line.[91] The impact of the project on public transport continued to be a matter of concern into 2016 with "no detail on what sort of public transport will be included on the road surface"[92] and repeatedly expressed concerns that experience with motorways shows they generate traffic and increase congestion[13] and that Westconnex will similarly add to congestion, rather than relieving it.[88] The project is criticised as a "crude 1950s response to our complex 21st century transport needs".[93]

Planning and approval processes

The planning and approval process for Stage 1A of the scheme (widening the M4) was criticised by Grant Hehir, the NSW Auditor-General, for failing to abide by the Government's own assurance arrangements for major projects. While Hehir made clear it was not his intention to assess the merit or value of the project per se, he identified "a number of deficiencies in governance and independent assurance over the early stages" and made recommendations for change.[94]

In response to Hehir's recommendations, the RMS only committed to addressing them for "future more complex stages", leaving the governance arrangements for the current stages unaltered.[95][96]

The methods by which the project's value, its cost and benefits as well as the fairness of their distribution have all been challenged.[12] In particular, it is argued that the projections of the economic benefits brought by the project use modelling "...devised by highway agencies in the 1960s to justify the massive cost of urban motorways".[97] The government, although "urged" to consider the fairness of the process of compulsory acquisition for the land required for the project and act on recommendations in a legal report to improve it, decided to take "no further action".[98][99]

Environmental impacts

 
Green and golden bell frog, cause of criticism as a result of perceived threat to the species

The project has been criticised for its potential impact on the green and golden bell frog at Kogarah golf club.[100] Protests have been strong against the felling of mature heritage trees in preparation for "the 40-hectare spaghetti interchange – as big as Sydney Park itself".[93][101][102]

In January 2016, the Wolli Creek Preservation Society raised concerns that complying offsets are unlikely to be available for the irreparable damage to the Beverly Grove bushland from the temporary use of 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) as a construction compound. The 1.87-hectare (4.6-acre) Beverly Grove bushland was one of the larger remnant patches of the Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark ecological community (CCRIF). Further, the 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) of critically endangered CCRIF cleared was an offset from the original M5 East.[103]

On 11 July 2016, the Second Turnbull Ministry announced the environmental approval for Stage 2 of the WestConnex motorway with a captive breeding plan and construction and maintenance of additional habitat for the green and golden bell frog and offsets for damage to the critically endangered CCRIF.[104][105]

Heritage impacts

The destruction of heritage properties in Haberfield, a suburb listed in its entirety as a Conservation area, has been the subject of specific criticism, especially when the chair of the Greater Sydney Commission said she was unaware of it.[106][107] The compulsorily acquisition of residential properties in inner-city suburbs for the project, including "at least 50 listed heritage buildings"[13][108] has been the subject of much criticism and opposition on grounds of disruption, loss of heritage and unfairness of process, including the Government's decision to release only the executive summary of the project's business case.[3][109]

Secrecy

After the WestConnex Authority was closed in October 2015, the project's transfer to the Sydney Motorway Corporation was criticised on the basis that this there were then no representatives from transport agencies on the board of the new "private corporation" and also that information about the project would no longer need to be disclosed in the same way that government entities normally did.[110] A proposal in 2016 for an additional tunnel between Iron Cove Bridge and an interchange at Rozelle, required the acquisition of further residential properties. Residents whose homes were affected reportedly received letters about such acquisitions on the same day that the responsible Government Minister said final decisions on them "had yet to be made".[88] The Russell Review of the acquisition system in 2012 had not been released by 2016.[90]

Funding

Funding uses a combination of government subsidy, tolls on new tunnel sections, and tolls on some existing motorways (M4, M5 East and M5 South-West).[111] The finance was to mostly be loans from the private sector, with $2 to $3 billion worth of loans and grants from the State and Federal Governments.[112] All loans are to be repaid by privatising each section as it is completed.[3]

Tolls

The Government's tolling strategy is based on distance-based charging. Tolling on new sections of WestConnex (the M4 East, the M8 and the M4-M5 Link) will begin as each section opens. Tolling on the existing M4 (widened section between Parramatta and Homebush) began in August 2017.[113] Tolling on the existing M5 East began in July 2020 when the M8 opened.[113]

Once tolling on a section starts, the charge will consist of a flagfall plus a charge per kilometre, with a maximum charge, calculated as follows.[114]

  • The Base Toll Flag Fall is set at 2012 dollars and is $1.00, including GST.
  • The Base Toll Rate is set at 2012 dollars and is $0.37 per kilometre, including GST.
  • The Base Toll Cap is set at 2012 dollars and is $7.07, including GST.

For each elapsed year between 2012 and 2040, the toll will increase by 4% or the consumer price index (CPI) every year, whichever is greater, until 2040, after which CPI will apply.[114] The toll concession for WestConnex expires in 2060. There is no discount for drivers also using a different toll road (such as Westlink M7 or M5 South-West). Tolls for heavy vehicles are triple of cars and motorcycles.

This table is an excerpt from Toll roads in Australia
Toll prices as of 1 January 2023[115]
Toll road Class A toll prices[a] Class B toll prices[a] Toll increase[117] Toll concessionaire Expiry of toll concession[118]
Flagfall Charge per km Toll cap


WestConnex
(M4, M5 East, M8) 		$1.57 $0.5814 $11.11 3 x of Class A prices Annually on 1 January, by the greater of CPI or 4% until December 2040, then by CPI only Sydney Transport Partners
(9% Tawreed Investments Limited, 10.5% CPPIB, 10% Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), 20.5% Australian Super, 50% Transurban) 		2060


  1. ^ a b Class A vehicles are typically cars and motorcycles; Class B vehicles are all other vehicles including trucks and heavy vehicles[116]

The WestConnex toll cap ($11.11 as of 2023) was not available before January 2023, as there was no continuous section of the WestConnex long enough to warrant the toll cap. It became available from January 2023 when the M4–M8 extension opened, meaning all the main tunnel sections were connected continuously.[114]

WestConnex tolling will be implemented on the M5 South-West from 2026, when the current concession is due to end.[113][119]

Finance

By 2015, $1.5 billion has been raised from the private sector.[120]

$7.1 billion has been provided by the State and Federal governments. The Federal government has contributed a grant of $1.5 billion, and committed to a concessional loan of $2.0 billion. The NSW Government initially planned to contribute $1.8 billion. It has since increased its contribution to $3.6 billion, of which $1.8 billion is from the 'Restart NSW' infrastructure fund and $1.8 billion is from the State's Consolidated Fund.[121]

In August 2018, a consortium led by Transurban won the bidding to buy 51% of WestConnex for 9.3 billion. NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said that 5.3 billion of that would be spent on delivering Stage 3.[122] The Transurban consortium will contribute another 0.7 billion towards the cost of Stage 3, and the remainder of the cost is to be funded by borrowing.[123]

By the end of State 3, the project is expected to be carrying $8.2 billion of debt.[123]

In 2013 Julia Gillard, Prime Minister at the time, offered a grant of $1.8 billion which was rejected by then Premier O'Farrell, as a "stunt",[55] because it came with three conditions[124] not reimposing tolls on the existing M4 motorway even if it were widened; a direct connection to the Sydney city centre; and a direct connection to Port Botany. In particular, not tolling existing roads was not acceptable as it would deny the project billions of dollars in toll revenue. Following a change of federal government, incoming Prime Minister Tony Abbott approved a grant of $1.5 billion, followed by a loan of $2.0 billion.[125]

Costs

When first proposed in 2012, the WestConnex was to cost approximately $10 billion.[112] By 2015, direct costs were forecast to be $16.8 billion, with estimates that total costs could be up to $45 billion, or more.[4]

The $16.8 billion figure originally including $800 million for the Airport Gateway.[63] In August 2017, Premier Berejiklian announced the $16.8 billion, did not including the Airport Gateway. The cost of the Gateway had by then grown to $1.8 billion[126][127] and has since grown to $2.6 billion.[128]

The $16.8 billion figure does not include "land acquisition, network extensions, and development costs",[63] or indirect costs such as alleged environmental damage[citation needed] and shortfalls between prices being paid for compulsory acquisitions and market values.[129]

Land acquisition costs are known to be at least $1.5 billion.[2] The cost of network extensions to support the WestConnex has never formally been disclosed and neither has the cost or nature of 'development costs'.[63] Operating costs have been estimated at the equivalent of $1.465 billion.[3]

Leaked documents show that contractors have lodged over $1 billion in claims for variations to contracts.[130]

According to a report commissioned by the City of Sydney, once excluded factors are properly considered, the full cost of the project may be more than $45 billion.[4]

Ownership

Under the original financing strategy the NSW was to retain ownership of WestConnex until 2025, so as to maximise the sales price.[63]

On 12 May 2017, the NSW Government announced its intention to sell at least 51% of Sydney Motorway Corporation, the holding company for the WestConnex project. At the time, UBS estimated that the 51% stake might fetch between A$2 billion and A$4 billion.[5] In August 2018, the 51% stake was sold for A$9.26 billion to Sydney Transport Partners (STP), a consortium led by Transurban (50%) and included AustralianSuper (20.5%), the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) (20.5%) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's Tawreed Investments (9%). The NSW Government retained the other 49% of Sydney Motorway Corporation.[6][131]

In March 2020, the NSW state government announced it would continue looking into selling its remaining 49% stake.[132] Between January and June 2021, the 49% stake was auctioned in two tranches of equal 24.5% equity.[133] In September 2021, it was announced that STP was announced as the winning bidder for both tranches and would acquire the government's 49% stake for A$11.1 billion.[134][135] Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) also joined the STP consortium as part of the acquisition.[136][137] The acquisition was finalised in October 2021, with STP fully owning WestConnex.[138]

As of October 2021, the shareholder composition of WestConnex and STP is Transurban (50%), AustralianSuper (20.5%), CPP Investments (10.5%), CDPQ (10%) and Tawreed Investments (9%).[138]

Governance

Prior to October 2021, the WestConnex board was made up of an Independent Chairperson and directors from Sydney Transport Planners (STP) and the state government's representative shareholder, Roads Retained Interest Pty Ltd.[139] Since STP's acquisition of the state government's share and the addition of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to the STP consortium in October 2021, the director from the state government's shareholder was replaced by a director from CDPQ.

Audits and other inquiries

In 2014, the NSW Auditor-General, Grant Hehir at the time, conducted a performance assurance audit covering the period from the development of the concept in October 2012 through to the pre-tender phase for Stage 1 in March 2014 and concluded that:[140]

In the period covered by this audit, the processes applied to WestConnex to provide independent assurance to [NSW] Government did not meet best practice standards. The agencies concerned adopted a number of good practice internal governance and assurance arrangements for WestConnex. However, the Government would have received greater assurance about the risks, costs and benefits of the project had these agencies devoted time and effort to also implementing the Major Projects Assurance Framework effectively as designed.

— Grant Hehir, NSW Auditor-General, 18 December 2014.

In May 2016, it was announced that the Federal Government decision to commit $3.5 billion to WestConnex project will be investigated by the Commonwealth Auditor-General.[141] Hehir, who was now the Commonwealth Auditor-General, released his report on 14 February 2017[142] and was highly critical of upfront payments made by the Gillard and Abbott governments and an A$2 billion loan made in advance of scheduled milestones "did not adequately protect the Australian government's financial interests". The estimated cost to the Commonwealth Government of providing funding before it was needed was $20 million.[143][144][145][146] Paul Fletcher, the federal Minister for Urban Affairs and Cities, claimed that the report was not critical of the project:[147]

Nothing in this report raises any questions about WestConnex's design, the construction program, or the benefits that WestConnex will deliver to millions of people in western and southwestern Sydney—such as cutting travel time from Parramatta to Sydney Airport by 40 minutes.

— Paul Fletcher, Minister for Urban Affairs and Cities, 2017.

In October 2017 it was reported that Margaret Crawford, the new NSW Auditor-General, will conduct another audit of the WestConnex project.[148] The audit, entitled WestConnex: Changes since 2014, will assess whether Transport for NSW and Infrastructure NSW effectively assessed and justified major scope changes to the WestConnex project since December 2014. The report is anticipated to be published in 2020.[149]

NSW Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee Inquiry

On 21 June 2018 the NSW Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee established an Inquiry into the Impacts of WestConnex.[150] On 17 December 2018 the Inquiry released its report which included the following findings:[151]

  • That the NSW Government failed to subject the WestConnex project to a comprehensive independent assurance process during the development of the first business case for the project.
  • That the NSW Government was not required to consider the full range of costs in the business case for the WestConnex project, including costs to public health, amenity, biodiversity, extra road building, and losses to public transport.
  • That the NSW Government failed to adequately consider alternative options at the commencement of the WestConnex project. This failure has undermined the justification for the project and has exacerbated community opposition.
  • That the transparency arrangements pertaining to the WestConnex business case have been unsatisfactory.
  • That the delivery of the WestConnex project by Sydney Motorway Corporation has weakened the accountability and disclosure rules that would have otherwise applied if the project had been delivered by a government agency, including the important provisions of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009.
  • That the recent sale of a majority interest in Sydney Motorway Corporation to the private sector will likely exacerbate existing transparency and accountability concerns relating to the WestConnex project.
  • It is unacceptable that members of the community feel it necessary to undertake air quality monitoring in lieu of the responsible government agencies.
  • That the various noise mitigation measures offered by Roads and Maritime Services are wholly inadequate to substantially reduce heavy construction noise.
  • Local government should not have to step in to alleviate concerns held by residents in relation to State Significant Infrastructure projects, such as the WestConnex, when it is the responsibility of the NSW Government.
  • That while extensive consultation for the WestConnex project has been undertaken, it appears that this consultation has been ineffective and has lacked an empathetic approach.

Responsibility

The WestConnex Delivery Authority (WDA) was a NSW Government agency established in November 2013 to plan and manage delivery of the WestConnex motorway scheme. WDA's functions had previously been performed by a project office within Roads and Maritime Services.[152] WDA was established by the Transport Administration (General) Amendment (WestConnex Delivery Authority) Regulation 2013. Its founding chairman was businessman Tony Shepherd and its founding chief executive was Dennis Cliche. The Authority was merged into the Sydney Motorway Corporation in October 2015 with the Corporation responsible for all aspects of the project. Following the resignation of Shepherd, Peter Brecht became chair, with claims that information about the project is less available to the public since Brecht's appointment.[110]

See also

References

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External links

  • WestConnex website
  • Video summary of WestConnex, Infrastructure NSW. 14 October 2012.

March 04, 2023
westconnex, kilometre, predominantly, underground, motorway, scheme, sydney, south, wales, australia, 2023, partially, completed, partially, still, under, construction, joint, project, south, wales, australian, governments, motorway, scheme, creating, around, . WestConnex is a 33 kilometre 21 mi predominantly underground motorway scheme in Sydney New South Wales Australia As of 2023 it is partially completed and partially still under construction A joint project of the New South Wales and Australian governments the motorway scheme is creating 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 and the rest of the tunnels are expected to open to traffic in late 2023 WestConnexNew South WalesGeneral informationTypeMotorway Under construction Length33 km 21 mi Opened20 December 2016 King Georges Road interchange upgrade15 July 2017 M4 widening13 July 2019 M4 East5 July 2020 M8 Motorway20 January 2023 M4 M8 main tunnel extensionsLate 2023 Rozelle Interchange Iron Cove LinkMajor junctionsNorth West endM4 Western MotorwayHomebush Sydney Concord Road City West Link Victoria Road Western Distributor Gardeners Road Sydney GatewaySouth West endM5 East MotorwayKingsgrove SydneyHighway systemHighways in Australia National Highway Freeways in Australia Highways in New South WalesThe forecast cost of WestConnex has grown from A 10 billion 1 to over 16 8 billion 1 Once land acquisitions 2 network extensions development costs and the cost of operations 3 are accounted for the total cost is forecast to be at least 20 billion and possibly as much as 45 billion 4 In August 2018 the NSW government sold 51 percent of WestConnex to a consortium led by Transurban for A 9 26 billion 5 6 The project has bipartisan political support from the coalition and Labor parties at both a federal and state level 7 8 9 10 Described as the biggest transport project in Sydney and Australia since the Harbour Bridge 11 and costing in current dollars double the Snowy River scheme the project has been criticised on economic social and process grounds 12 and has been the subject of public protest 13 It has faced opposition from residents pro public transport groups anti toll groups and councillors from impacted suburbs including the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore and the Greens In June 2017 the City of Sydney called on the government to abandon the third and final stage of the project 14 Contents 1 Staging 1 1 Stage 1 M4 Widening and M4 East 1 2 Stage 2 King Georges Road Interchange M8 Tunnel and St Peters Interchange 1 3 Stage 3 M4 M8 extensions Iron Cove Link and Rozelle Interchange 2 History 2 1 Labor proposals in the 2000s 2 1 1 M4 East 2 1 2 Marrickville Tunnel 2 1 3 Inner West Motorway 2 1 4 M5 duplication 2 2 Coalition proposal in the 2010s 2 2 1 2012 First things first strategy 2 2 2 2013 State Significant Infrastructure Application Report 2 3 Later modifications 3 Objectives 4 Benefits 5 Community feedback 5 1 Support 5 2 Opposition 5 2 1 Public transport 5 2 2 Planning and approval processes 5 2 3 Environmental impacts 5 2 4 Heritage impacts 5 2 5 Secrecy 6 Funding 6 1 Tolls 6 2 Finance 6 3 Costs 6 4 Ownership 7 Governance 8 Audits and other inquiries 8 1 NSW Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee Inquiry 9 Responsibility 10 See also 11 References 12 External linksStaging EditWorks on the WestConnex are split up into three stages 15 16 Stage 1 M4 Western Motorway M4 widening completed in July 2017 M4 East also known as New M4 an eastern extension of the M4 completed in July 2019 Stage 2 M5 Interchange at King Georges Road King Georges Road Interchange upgrade completed in December 2016 M8 Tunnel previously the New M5 including St Peters Interchange completed in July 2020 17 Stage 3 M4 M8 extensions previously the M4 M5 Link a new inner western bypass of the Sydney CBD connecting the M4 and M8 previously New M5 completed in January 2023 18 Rozelle Interchange to open in late 2023 Iron Cove Link to open in late 2023The Sydney Gateway project now separate to the WestConnex project was initially planned to be constructed and completed at the same time as the M4 M8 extensions The Sydney Gateway s targeted opening date has since been pushed back two years to 2025 Stage 1 M4 Widening and M4 East Edit The M4 Western Motorway outside of Parramatta before construction This section has since been widened as part of the WestConnex scheme Main article M4 Motorway Sydney Stage 1 works included widening of the existing M4 Western Motorway from two or three to four lanes in each direction between Parramatta and Homebush Bay Drive and the M4 East new twin three lane motorway tunnels between Homebush and Haberfield connecting to the City West Link The widening of the 7 5 kilometres 4 7 mi M4 section east of Church Street Parramatta began construction in March 2015 and was completed in July 2017 WestConnex tolls were introduced on this section one month later on 15 August 2017 19 The M4 East began construction in mid 2016 and opened on 13 July 2019 20 21 The M4 East was delivered by a Leighton Contractors Samsung John Holland joint venture Stage 2 King Georges Road Interchange M8 Tunnel and St Peters Interchange Edit St Peters Interchange under construction See also M8 Motorway Sydney Stage 2 works included upgrading the existing M5 interchange at King Georges Road and building the new M8 Motorway 17 a new set of tunnels between the M5 at Beverly Hills and St Peters The M8 known as the New M5 during the planning and construction was also designed to allow for future connection to the proposed M6 Motorway The King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade began construction in July 2015 and was open to traffic in December 2016 22 The St Peters Interchange located at the eastern end of the M8 is a viaduct road interchange that connects the WestConnex with local arterial roads such as Euston Road and Gardeners Road It will also connect to the Sydney Gateway towards Sydney Airport Recreational spaces are supposed to be provided surrounding the interchange 23 Additionally Campbell Street and Campbell Road in St Peters was widened and extended eastwards over Alexandra Canal and link with Bourke Road in Mascot 24 A recreation parkland was built alongside the alignment of Campbell Street The M8 St Peters Interchange and Campbell Road works started construction in mid 2016 The Campbell Road extension and the bridge over Alexandra Canal Campbell Road Bridge opened on 22 June 2020 25 26 and the M8 and the St Peters Interchange opened two weeks later on 5 July 2020 17 The M5 East Motorway also became tolled when the M8 opened after being toll free for 19 years since its opening in 2001 Prior to the toll WestConnex had already taken over the operations and maintenance of the M5 East tunnels on 1 May 2020 27 Stage 3 M4 M8 extensions Iron Cove Link and Rozelle Interchange Edit Stage 3 works include building a new motorway tunnel previously known as M4 M5 Link linking the M4 East and the M8 the Rozelle Interchange an underground interchange at the site of Rozelle rail yards with direct connections to the Anzac Bridge and Iron Cove Link a one kilometre 0 62 mi tunnel from the Rozelle Interchange to Iron Cove Bridge bypassing the congested Victoria Road corridor 28 29 In September 2022 it was announced that the M4 M5 Link would be renamed to extensions of the M4 and M8 when operational 30 Stage 3 was officially approved in April 2018 began construction in 2019 31 In February 2021 roadheaders carved from the M4 M5 Link tunnels into the M8 tunnel connecting the two stages of the WestConnex project for the first time 32 The main tunnels extending the M4 and M8 opened on 20 January 2023 while the rest of Stage 3 is expected to be completed in late 2023 18 Construction of Rozelle Interchange and Iron Cove Link will be directly managed by Transport for NSW instead of WestConnex 33 The Rozelle Interchange was built to have future provision for the proposed Western Harbour Tunnel Unlike the bulk of the WestConnex projects the Iron Cove Link will be toll free 34 Stage 3 forms the southern section of an eventual Inner West bypass of Sydney s CBD This stage also originally included Sydney Gateway however the project is now a separate Transport for NSW project and is no longer part of the WestConnex scope citation needed The Sydney Gateway which connects to the St Peters interchange will be completed two years after the M4 M8 extensions in 2025 18 History EditThe 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 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 35 This changed in 1976 with the election of the Australian Labor Party under Premier Neville Wran Wran faced with his predecessors ambitious infrastructure plans inner city opposition to motorway projects including a powerful Green Bans movement and a deteriorating financial situation halted work on inner city projects scaled back the under construction Eastern Suburbs railway line and eliminated a number of the Cumberland Plan s inner city road reservations Though Wran s decision to sell off the M4 East corridor was later criticised 36 the Cumberland Plan s radial concept was anyway beginning to lose relevance The city s passenger and freight gateway had shifted 14 kilometres 8 7 mi south of the CBD with long distance passengers increasingly arriving via Sydney Airport not Circular Quay or Central Station and Port Botany increasingly supplanting Sydney Harbour as the city s main shipping hub At the same time employment was decentralising Retailers were clustering in new suburban shopping malls factories were moving to less constrained greenfield sites in the outer suburbs and many companies were moving to suburban campus style office parks 35 In 1987 the then Department of Main Roads released Roads 2000 which shifted the focus of motorway planning from completing the CBD centric radial system and addressed the growing number of cross suburban vehicle journeys instead 37 The Western Motorway now known as the M4 was completed from Lapstone to Concord in 1992 The South Western motorway known as the M5 reached from Prestons to Beverly Hills by 1995 38 The unfinished M5 East section of the orbital between Beverly Hills and the airport remained contentious Although a surface corridor had been reserved for much of the route the Labor government of Bob Carr was anxious to minimise the surface impact After last minute revisions to the design the resulting motorway opened in 2001 was too steep for laden trucks returning from Port Botany significantly increasing vehicle emissions and frequently overwhelming the ventilation system 39 Labor proposals in the 2000s Edit 2010 map of proposed Sydney inner west motorway tunnels The Labor government proposed a number of schemes in the 2000s M4 East Edit In July 2002 the M4 East scheme was proposed with three options 40 41 short tunnel option a 3 6 kilometre 2 2 mi tunnel between the M4 at Concord and City West Link and Parramatta Road at Haberfield long tunnel option a 6 5 kilometre 4 0 mi tunnel between the M4 at Concord and City West Link at Lilyfield slot option a sunken trench road similar to the Eastern Distributor between the M4 at Concord and Parramatta Road at HaberfieldAll three options would run below or parallel to Parramatta Road and or City West Link The short tunnel option was preferred for having lower costs both during construction and operation The long tunnel option was considered to have the potential to increase congestion on the approaches to Anzac Bridge causing eastbound queues to extend into the tunnels The slot option could be constructed at a similar cost to the short tunnel however it was considered to not provide the same level of traffic benefits as the short tunnel option Additionally the option would need to acquire additional properties and the construction period for this option would be longer 41 Between 2003 and 2004 the preferred short tunnel option for M4 East was exhibited 41 The preferred option would also widen the existing motorway between Homebush Bay Drive and Concord Road Members of the government were divided over the M4 East proposal and ultimately did not proceed with it in early 2005 due to community opposition 40 42 The preferred option eventually formed the basis of the concept design for the M4 East project of the WestConnex Despite the M4 East and Marrickville Tunnel not eventuating the government continued to develop the schemes In October 2007 the government was considering a 3 in 1 tolled motorway being dubbed the Gateway 43 The proposal was estimated to cost at least 7 billion and would be funded by a proposed retail sale of electricity The three motorway sections that make up the proposal were The first section would head north and connect to Victoria Road possibly around Iron Cove bridge The second section would extend the M4 to the city CBD via the Anzac Bridge The third section would link the M4 to the Airport through a 5 km tunnel similar to the Marrickville Tunnel The government continued to develop the schemes secretly in 2009 with funding to be provided by the federal Labor government 44 The M4 East failed to receive funding in the 2009 10 federal budget 45 Marrickville Tunnel Edit Also in 2004 the Marrickville Tunnel scheme between the M4 East and Mascot was being considered by the government 41 It was also known as Marrickville Truck Tunnel Marrickville Motorway Tunnel or the M4 airport truck tunnel It aimed to provide a direct route for traffic between Port Botany Sydney Airport and South Sydney One option considered for this scheme was a truck only tunnel for freight access between the port and airport to north western Sydney The tunnel would run under Sydenham Road and connect Parramatta Road in Lewisham to the Princes Highway at St Peters 46 The scheme did not progress and was never placed on public display The concept of the scheme was later developed to become the M4 M5 Link project and later the M4 M8 extensions of the WestConnex Inner West Motorway Edit In March 2007 prior to the state election later that month The Daily Telegraph claimed the government was planning the Inner West Motorway which was similar to the Marrickville Tunnel It would be a tunnel which would run from St Peters underneath Enmore Stanmore Camperdown and Annandale to City West Link and Victoria Road 47 This claim was dismissed by the government 48 In 2010 a report by consultancy Evans amp Peck proposed the Inner West Bypass which followed a similar route The bypass was estimated to have a 12 billion price tag and would require four to five ventilation stacks 49 50 Under the proposal the bypass would connect to another tunnel that would follow the alignments of Victoria Road and the cancelled Lane Cove Valley Expressway joining the M2 Hills Motorway at Lane Cove From there another tunnel would follow the alignment of Pacific Highway and join the F3 Sydney Newcastle Freeway M5 duplication Edit In 2009 the government released the M5 Transport Corridor Feasibility Study which investigated strategic options for improving the M5 Motorway corridor The study identified a preliminary preferred option being the M5 East Duplication consisted of duplicating the M5 East and construction of a new connection from the M5 East at Arncliffe to Euston Road Qantas Drive and Gardeners Road 51 The strategic concept for the M5 East Duplication was placed on public exhibition between November 2009 and March 2010 for community and stakeholder feedback Feedback received was used to further develop and refine the scheme to become the King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade and New M5 projects of the WestConnex Coalition proposal in the 2010s Edit 2012 First things first strategy Edit Elected in 2011 on a promise to create an integrated transport strategy for the city the Coalition government of Premier Barry O Farrell established an independent advisory body led by former premier Nick Greiner to assess projects and determine priorities Greiner s Infrastructure NSW iNSW evaluated a number of long standing motorway proposals including the M4 East the F6 extension now called the M6 and the M2 F3 link later called NorthConnex iNSW released its strategy entitled First Things First the state infrastructure strategy 2012 2032 the following year The plan identified a 33 kilometre 21 mi motorway which it named WestConnex as the state s top road priority The creation of WestConnex was one of the major points of agreement between two competing strategic transport reports commissioned simultaneously in 2011 by the NSW Government from iNSW and Transport for NSW 52 O Farrell accepted the recommendation committing 1 8 billion to begin work The initial scheme called for 53 widening of the existing M4 between Parramatta and Homebush especially at James Ruse Drive eastern extension of the M4 to Camperdown a tunnel later the M4 South or M4 M5 Link from Camperdown to St Peters for access to Port Botany and Sydney Airport widening of the existing M5 East improvements to surface roads around the port and airportThe tunnel from the M4 to St Peters component would provide the first step towards an inner city bypass which was originally planned to connect the airport to the Victoria Road corridor Transport for NSW which released its long term integrated transport plan around the same time committed to further planning work on the northern section of the bypass citation needed iNSW estimated the benefit cost ratio for WestConnex at more than 1 5 noting that the removal of freight traffic from Parramatta Road could also facilitate urban regeneration along the Inner West s main road link 53 Focused as it was on journeys to and from the international gateways at Botany Bay the scheme did not include a direct connection to the CBD This proved a stumbling block in securing federal funding for the project despite the risk of a motorway direct to the city competing with existing public transport services 54 55 With a change of government in 2013 the federal government s opposition was reversed 56 2013 State Significant Infrastructure Application Report Edit By November 2013 the WestConnex was divided into three stages 57 Stage 1 a M4 Widening between Church Street Parramatta to Homebush Bay Drive Stage 1 b M4 East extending the M4 to Parramatta Road and City West Link at Haberfield Stage 2 M5 East Airport Link between King Georges Road and St Peters Stage 3 M4 South between Haberfield and St Peters via CamperdownLater modifications Edit The scheme underwent a number of changes from the concept recommended by iNSW in 2012 in particular to the M4 M5 Link 58 In late 2014 the government realigned the M4 M5 Link to accommodate a link to a future second harbour road tunnel with a view to one day completing an inner city bypass 59 This would mean a large interchange at the site of the abandoned Rozelle Rail Yards close to the Anzac Bridge The interchange now known as Rozelle Interchange was later moved underground with a large park to be built above the interchange 28 Additionally a tunnel under Rozelle was added to bypass the congested Victoria Road corridor and connect with the Rozelle Rail Yard interchange On 9 November 2016 a new route for the M4 M5 Link took it under Annandale and the Hunter Baillie Memorial Presbyterian Church 60 An interchange with Parramatta Road at Camperdown was also removed 58 On 17 November 2016 it was confirmed that the mid tunnel point would be in the triangle area bordered by Parramatta Road Pyrmont Bridge Road and Mallet Street 61 Stub tunnels were added to the New M5 to connect to a proposed F6 extension to the St George and Sutherland Shire areas 62 63 The proposed F6 extension is now known as M6 Motorway In August 2019 the right turn from The Crescent northbound to eastbound was also proposed to be modified to an overpass with changes to surrounding pedestrian and cycling links and the layouts of surrounding intersections 64 The modification was approved on 30 September 2020 65 Objectives EditThe strategic objectives that the scheme was originally conceived to address have never been made public The initial application for federal funding was made under the National Freight Network category 66 and the new tunnels converge near Sydney s main container port Port Botany and airport This suggests the primary objective was to improve road freight productivity However smaller truck only toll tunnels would not have been financially viable Therefore general use toll tunnels were proposed instead to generate toll revenue from passenger vehicles as well 67 This approach was described as suburban motorists paying for an inner city freight project 68 A list of objectives was included in the 2015 Business Case 63 However the Business Case and list of objectives were written retrospectively long after state and federal funding for the project was announced Infrastructure Australia criticised the NSW Government for not adequately appraising alternative ways of meeting the project objectives 69 For example road freight productivity could be improved and congestion reduced simply by tolling the existing M4 and M5 motorways which is being done anyway to cross subsidise to the new tunnels 68 Benefits EditThe 2015 business case predicted WestConnex will deliver 22 2 billion in benefits before deducting operating expenses These benefits were mostly non cash estimates of the value to users of such things as travel time saved 12 9 billion and increased travel time reliability 1 47 billion as well as reduced operating costs 6 18 billion All other factors were estimated to have a worth of 1 65 billion 70 The 2015 business case 70 estimated that building WestConnex will enable an extra 45 000 road trips per weekday by 2031 By 2031 Infrastructure Australia estimates that the population of Sydney will have grown by an extra 1 2 million people 71 For the purpose of calculating benefits and costs of the scheme tolling was considered to be a transfer payment from the user to operator the benefit to the operator is considered to cancel out the disbenefit to the user and as such tolling has a neutral effect on overall benefits and costs 70 Community feedback EditSupport Edit WestConnex was supported by the state and the federal Liberal Party governments including former Premier Gladys Berejiklian 8 and former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull 7 Both levels of government continually funded the planning and implementation of the WestConnex WestConnex was also supported by the state and federal Labor parties whether in opposition or in government When the project was first announced in 2012 Anthony Albanese the federal shadow infrastructure and transport minister voiced his support of the project and announced over 1 2 billion in funding despite the motorway impacting on residents in his electorate of Grayndler 72 The funding was also on the condition that no tolls were placed on old parts of the road referring to the existing M4 and M5 East Prior to the 2016 federal election federal Labor and opposition leader Bill Shorten also promised that if elected he would honour the 3 5 billion federal funding commitment made by the Turnbull Government 9 Former state Labor leaders and opposition leaders Luke Foley and Michael Daley 10 have also both voiced support of the project WestConnex also received support from multiple third party organisations such as the motoring lobby group the NRMA which argued that it would help improve transport in Sydney s west 73 significantly reduce travel times and complete a plan from 1947 74 On 3 October 2012 press releases in support of the missing motorway were issued by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia 75 Sydney Business Chamber 76 and the Sydney Airport Corporation 77 Lucy Turnbull AO the chief commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission and wife of former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull voiced her support for the project albeit with concerns for the preservation of heritage sites in Haberfield stating that the development needs to strike the right balance between protecting our homes and heritage and building a Greater Sydney that will work well for future generations 78 Opposition Edit Protest sign accompanying public demonstration in Hyde Park Sydney March 2016 Banner outside NSW Parliament protesting destruction of houses in Haberfield September 2016 Elements of the WestConnex scheme encountered strident opposition from a range of stakeholders among them academics architects resident action groups 79 80 81 an industry group local councils 82 a developer lobby the Greens 83 with some strongly opposed to the project in its entirety 84 Among the project s most high profile opponents has been Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore who commissioned a report to Council on the project 85 Almost 12 900 submissions were lodged with NSW Planning in response to the environmental impact statement many highly critical of the project 86 Marrickville Council told WestConnex it will not approve preliminary work until the project as a whole is approved 87 but observers note that the scope of the project continues to expand 88 as does the cost 89 90 Public transport Edit The Lord Mayor s report released a month before the 2015 state election criticised the project and recommended that a new railway line be built along the M4 Western Motorway and M4 East corridor instead to parallel the existing Inner West Line 91 The impact of the project on public transport continued to be a matter of concern into 2016 with no detail on what sort of public transport will be included on the road surface 92 and repeatedly expressed concerns that experience with motorways shows they generate traffic and increase congestion 13 and that Westconnex will similarly add to congestion rather than relieving it 88 The project is criticised as a crude 1950s response to our complex 21st century transport needs 93 Planning and approval processes Edit The planning and approval process for Stage 1A of the scheme widening the M4 was criticised by Grant Hehir the NSW Auditor General for failing to abide by the Government s own assurance arrangements for major projects While Hehir made clear it was not his intention to assess the merit or value of the project per se he identified a number of deficiencies in governance and independent assurance over the early stages and made recommendations for change 94 In response to Hehir s recommendations the RMS only committed to addressing them for future more complex stages leaving the governance arrangements for the current stages unaltered 95 96 The methods by which the project s value its cost and benefits as well as the fairness of their distribution have all been challenged 12 In particular it is argued that the projections of the economic benefits brought by the project use modelling devised by highway agencies in the 1960s to justify the massive cost of urban motorways 97 The government although urged to consider the fairness of the process of compulsory acquisition for the land required for the project and act on recommendations in a legal report to improve it decided to take no further action 98 99 Environmental impacts Edit Green and golden bell frog cause of criticism as a result of perceived threat to the species The project has been criticised for its potential impact on the green and golden bell frog at Kogarah golf club 100 Protests have been strong against the felling of mature heritage trees in preparation for the 40 hectare spaghetti interchange as big as Sydney Park itself 93 101 102 In January 2016 the Wolli Creek Preservation Society raised concerns that complying offsets are unlikely to be available for the irreparable damage to the Beverly Grove bushland from the temporary use of 1 4 hectares 3 5 acres as a construction compound The 1 87 hectare 4 6 acre Beverly Grove bushland was one of the larger remnant patches of the Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark ecological community CCRIF Further the 1 4 hectares 3 5 acres of critically endangered CCRIF cleared was an offset from the original M5 East 103 On 11 July 2016 the Second Turnbull Ministry announced the environmental approval for Stage 2 of the WestConnex motorway with a captive breeding plan and construction and maintenance of additional habitat for the green and golden bell frog and offsets for damage to the critically endangered CCRIF 104 105 Heritage impacts Edit The destruction of heritage properties in Haberfield a suburb listed in its entirety as a Conservation area has been the subject of specific criticism especially when the chair of the Greater Sydney Commission said she was unaware of it 106 107 The compulsorily acquisition of residential properties in inner city suburbs for the project including at least 50 listed heritage buildings 13 108 has been the subject of much criticism and opposition on grounds of disruption loss of heritage and unfairness of process including the Government s decision to release only the executive summary of the project s business case 3 109 Secrecy Edit After the WestConnex Authority was closed in October 2015 the project s transfer to the Sydney Motorway Corporation was criticised on the basis that this there were then no representatives from transport agencies on the board of the new private corporation and also that information about the project would no longer need to be disclosed in the same way that government entities normally did 110 A proposal in 2016 for an additional tunnel between Iron Cove Bridge and an interchange at Rozelle required the acquisition of further residential properties Residents whose homes were affected reportedly received letters about such acquisitions on the same day that the responsible Government Minister said final decisions on them had yet to be made 88 The Russell Review of the acquisition system in 2012 had not been released by 2016 90 Funding EditFunding uses a combination of government subsidy tolls on new tunnel sections and tolls on some existing motorways M4 M5 East and M5 South West 111 The finance was to mostly be loans from the private sector with 2 to 3 billion worth of loans and grants from the State and Federal Governments 112 All loans are to be repaid by privatising each section as it is completed 3 Tolls Edit The Government s tolling strategy is based on distance based charging Tolling on new sections of WestConnex the M4 East the M8 and the M4 M5 Link will begin as each section opens Tolling on the existing M4 widened section between Parramatta and Homebush began in August 2017 113 Tolling on the existing M5 East began in July 2020 when the M8 opened 113 Once tolling on a section starts the charge will consist of a flagfall plus a charge per kilometre with a maximum charge calculated as follows 114 The Base Toll Flag Fall is set at 2012 dollars and is 1 00 including GST The Base Toll Rate is set at 2012 dollars and is 0 37 per kilometre including GST The Base Toll Cap is set at 2012 dollars and is 7 07 including GST For each elapsed year between 2012 and 2040 the toll will increase by 4 or the consumer price index CPI every year whichever is greater until 2040 after which CPI will apply 114 The toll concession for WestConnex expires in 2060 There is no discount for drivers also using a different toll road such as Westlink M7 or M5 South West Tolls for heavy vehicles are triple of cars and motorcycles This table is an excerpt from Toll roads in Australia Toll prices as of 1 January 2023 update 115 Toll road Class A toll prices a Class B toll prices a Toll increase 117 Toll concessionaire Expiry of toll concession 118 Flagfall Charge per km Toll capWestConnex M4 M5 East M8 1 57 0 5814 11 11 3 x of Class A prices Annually on 1 January by the greater of CPI or 4 until December 2040 then by CPI only Sydney Transport Partners 9 Tawreed Investments Limited 10 5 CPPIB 10 Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec CDPQ 20 5 Australian Super 50 Transurban 2060 a b Class A vehicles are typically cars and motorcycles Class B vehicles are all other vehicles including trucks and heavy vehicles 116 The WestConnex toll cap 11 11 as of 2023 update was not available before January 2023 as there was no continuous section of the WestConnex long enough to warrant the toll cap It became available from January 2023 when the M4 M8 extension opened meaning all the main tunnel sections were connected continuously 114 WestConnex tolling will be implemented on the M5 South West from 2026 when the current concession is due to end 113 119 Finance Edit By 2015 1 5 billion has been raised from the private sector 120 7 1 billion has been provided by the State and Federal governments The Federal government has contributed a grant of 1 5 billion and committed to a concessional loan of 2 0 billion The NSW Government initially planned to contribute 1 8 billion It has since increased its contribution to 3 6 billion of which 1 8 billion is from the Restart NSW infrastructure fund and 1 8 billion is from the State s Consolidated Fund 121 In August 2018 a consortium led by Transurban won the bidding to buy 51 of WestConnex for 9 3 billion NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said that 5 3 billion of that would be spent on delivering Stage 3 122 The Transurban consortium will contribute another 0 7 billion towards the cost of Stage 3 and the remainder of the cost is to be funded by borrowing 123 By the end of State 3 the project is expected to be carrying 8 2 billion of debt 123 In 2013 Julia Gillard Prime Minister at the time offered a grant of 1 8 billion which was rejected by then Premier O Farrell as a stunt 55 because it came with three conditions 124 not reimposing tolls on the existing M4 motorway even if it were widened a direct connection to the Sydney city centre and a direct connection to Port Botany In particular not tolling existing roads was not acceptable as it would deny the project billions of dollars in toll revenue Following a change of federal government incoming Prime Minister Tony Abbott approved a grant of 1 5 billion followed by a loan of 2 0 billion 125 Costs Edit When first proposed in 2012 the WestConnex was to cost approximately 10 billion 112 By 2015 direct costs were forecast to be 16 8 billion with estimates that total costs could be up to 45 billion or more 4 The 16 8 billion figure originally including 800 million for the Airport Gateway 63 In August 2017 Premier Berejiklian announced the 16 8 billion did not including the Airport Gateway The cost of the Gateway had by then grown to 1 8 billion 126 127 and has since grown to 2 6 billion 128 The 16 8 billion figure does not include land acquisition network extensions and development costs 63 or indirect costs such as alleged environmental damage citation needed and shortfalls between prices being paid for compulsory acquisitions and market values 129 Land acquisition costs are known to be at least 1 5 billion 2 The cost of network extensions to support the WestConnex has never formally been disclosed and neither has the cost or nature of development costs 63 Operating costs have been estimated at the equivalent of 1 465 billion 3 Leaked documents show that contractors have lodged over 1 billion in claims for variations to contracts 130 According to a report commissioned by the City of Sydney once excluded factors are properly considered the full cost of the project may be more than 45 billion 4 Ownership Edit Under the original financing strategy the NSW was to retain ownership of WestConnex until 2025 so as to maximise the sales price 63 On 12 May 2017 the NSW Government announced its intention to sell at least 51 of Sydney Motorway Corporation the holding company for the WestConnex project At the time UBS estimated that the 51 stake might fetch between A 2 billion and A 4 billion 5 In August 2018 the 51 stake was sold for A 9 26 billion to Sydney Transport Partners STP a consortium led by Transurban 50 and included AustralianSuper 20 5 the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board CPP Investments 20 5 and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority s Tawreed Investments 9 The NSW Government retained the other 49 of Sydney Motorway Corporation 6 131 In March 2020 the NSW state government announced it would continue looking into selling its remaining 49 stake 132 Between January and June 2021 the 49 stake was auctioned in two tranches of equal 24 5 equity 133 In September 2021 it was announced that STP was announced as the winning bidder for both tranches and would acquire the government s 49 stake for A 11 1 billion 134 135 Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec CDPQ also joined the STP consortium as part of the acquisition 136 137 The acquisition was finalised in October 2021 with STP fully owning WestConnex 138 As of October 2021 update the shareholder composition of WestConnex and STP is Transurban 50 AustralianSuper 20 5 CPP Investments 10 5 CDPQ 10 and Tawreed Investments 9 138 Governance EditPrior to October 2021 the WestConnex board was made up of an Independent Chairperson and directors from Sydney Transport Planners STP and the state government s representative shareholder Roads Retained Interest Pty Ltd 139 Since STP s acquisition of the state government s share and the addition of Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec CDPQ to the STP consortium in October 2021 the director from the state government s shareholder was replaced by a director from CDPQ Audits and other inquiries EditIn 2014 the NSW Auditor General Grant Hehir at the time conducted a performance assurance audit covering the period from the development of the concept in October 2012 through to the pre tender phase for Stage 1 in March 2014 and concluded that 140 In the period covered by this audit the processes applied to WestConnex to provide independent assurance to NSW Government did not meet best practice standards The agencies concerned adopted a number of good practice internal governance and assurance arrangements for WestConnex However the Government would have received greater assurance about the risks costs and benefits of the project had these agencies devoted time and effort to also implementing the Major Projects Assurance Framework effectively as designed Grant Hehir NSW Auditor General 18 December 2014 In May 2016 it was announced that the Federal Government decision to commit 3 5 billion to WestConnex project will be investigated by the Commonwealth Auditor General 141 Hehir who was now the Commonwealth Auditor General released his report on 14 February 2017 142 and was highly critical of upfront payments made by the Gillard and Abbott governments and an A 2 billion loan made in advance of scheduled milestones did not adequately protect the Australian government s financial interests The estimated cost to the Commonwealth Government of providing funding before it was needed was 20 million 143 144 145 146 Paul Fletcher the federal Minister for Urban Affairs and Cities claimed that the report was not critical of the project 147 Nothing in this report raises any questions about WestConnex s design the construction program or the benefits that WestConnex will deliver to millions of people in western and southwestern Sydney such as cutting travel time from Parramatta to Sydney Airport by 40 minutes Paul Fletcher Minister for Urban Affairs and Cities 2017 In October 2017 it was reported that Margaret Crawford the new NSW Auditor General will conduct another audit of the WestConnex project 148 The audit entitled WestConnex Changes since 2014 will assess whether Transport for NSW and Infrastructure NSW effectively assessed and justified major scope changes to the WestConnex project since December 2014 The report is anticipated to be published in 2020 149 NSW Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee Inquiry Edit On 21 June 2018 the NSW Legislative Council Public Accountability Committee established an Inquiry into the Impacts of WestConnex 150 On 17 December 2018 the Inquiry released its report which included the following findings 151 That the NSW Government failed to subject the WestConnex project to a comprehensive independent assurance process during the development of the first business case for the project That the NSW Government was not required to consider the full range of costs in the business case for the WestConnex project including costs to public health amenity biodiversity extra road building and losses to public transport That the NSW Government failed to adequately consider alternative options at the commencement of the WestConnex project This failure has undermined the justification for the project and has exacerbated community opposition That the transparency arrangements pertaining to the WestConnex business case have been unsatisfactory That the delivery of the WestConnex project by Sydney Motorway Corporation has weakened the accountability and disclosure rules that would have otherwise applied if the project had been delivered by a government agency including the important provisions of the Government Information Public Access Act 2009 That the recent sale of a majority interest in Sydney Motorway Corporation to the private sector will likely exacerbate existing transparency and accountability concerns relating to the WestConnex project It is unacceptable that members of the community feel it necessary to undertake air quality monitoring in lieu of the responsible government agencies That the various noise mitigation measures offered by Roads and Maritime Services are wholly inadequate to substantially reduce heavy construction noise Local government should not have to step in to alleviate concerns held by residents in relation to State Significant Infrastructure projects such as the WestConnex when it is the responsibility of the NSW Government That while extensive consultation for the WestConnex project has been undertaken it appears that this consultation has been ineffective and has lacked an empathetic approach Responsibility EditThe WestConnex Delivery Authority WDA was a NSW Government agency established in November 2013 to plan and manage delivery of the WestConnex motorway scheme WDA s functions had previously been performed by a project office within Roads and Maritime Services 152 WDA was established by the Transport Administration General Amendment WestConnex Delivery Authority Regulation 2013 Its founding chairman was businessman Tony Shepherd and its founding chief executive was Dennis Cliche The Authority was merged into the Sydney Motorway Corporation in October 2015 with the Corporation responsible for all aspects of the project Following the resignation of Shepherd Peter Brecht became chair with claims that information about the project is less available to the public since Brecht s appointment 110 See also Edit Australian roads portal Transport in Sydney in the 2010s East West Link Melbourne Perth Freight Link NorthConnexReferences Edit a b O Sullivan Matt Saulwick Jacob 20 November 2015 WestConnex motorway cost blows out by 1 4 billion The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 25 July 2016 a b Nicholls Sean 16 September 2016 Cost of WestConnex property acquisitions set to exceed 1 5b The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 8 October 2016 a b c d WestConnex business case executive summary PDF September 2013 Archived from the original PDF on 25 February 2014 a b c Saulwick Jacob New motorways and road upgrades take WestConnex bill beyond 45 billion council The Sydney Morning Herald a b Stewart Robb 12 May 2017 New South Wales Seeks Buyer for WestConnex Toll Road Fox Business a b Thomsen Simon 31 August 2018 Transurban is buying 51 of the WestConnex toll road for 9 26 billion Business Insider Australia Pedestrian Group Retrieved 5 July 2020 a b Turnbull Malcolm 30 June 2017 Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull delivers Project Sydney speech transcript Speech Australia The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 27 April 2018 a b Berejiklian Gladys 20 December 2017 New M4 tunnels reach new lengths Press release Government of New South Wales Retrieved 27 April 2018 a b Raper Ashleigh 30 May 2016 WestConnex Labor will honour 3 5 billion for Sydney freeway project Bill Shorten says ABC News Australia Retrieved 17 November 2017 a b Parker Jamie Leong Jenny 7 June 2017 Labor commits to WestConnex Stage 3 Press release Greens NSW Retrieved 17 November 2017 Staples Sarah 11 August 2015 Biggest project since Harbour Bridge Westconnex s environmental impact statement set to be released in 1 to 2 months Daily Telegraph a b Standen Chris 1 December 2015 The way we justify investments in road projects like WestConnex doesn t add up The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 December 2015 a b c Farrelly Elizabeth 27 April 2016 WestConnex is a war on inner Sydney and city dwellers The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 28 April 2016 WestConnex City of Sydney proposes abandoning stage three connection between M4 M5 ABC News Australia 12 May 2017 Retrieved 29 June 2017 WestConnex Department of Infrastructure Transport Regional Development and Communications Commonwealth Retrieved 27 May 2020 Saulwick Jacob 14 March 2015 What you need to know about WestConnex the biggest road we ve ever seen The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 14 March 2015 a b c McCallum Jake 3 June 2020 WestConnex motorists first look inside M8 tunnels opening date revealed The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 4 June 2020 a b c WestConnex nears completion with new 7 5km tunnel opening tomorrow under Sydney s inner west ABC News 19 January 2023 Retrieved 20 January 2023 M4 Widening WestConnex Archived from the original on 13 May 2020 Retrieved 27 May 2020 WestConnex NSW Government Archived from the original on 10 July 2019 Retrieved 10 July 2019 New M4 tunnels to open this weekend WestConnex 10 July 2019 Retrieved 2 July 2020 King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade WestConnex Archived from the original on 13 May 2020 Retrieved 27 May 2020 St Peters Masterplan PDF WestConnex Archived from the original PDF on 27 March 2019 Retrieved 27 May 2020 Campbell Street Green Link Sub Plan PDF WestConnex March 2017 Archived from the original PDF on 1 April 2018 Retrieved 27 May 2020 New Campbell Road Bridge over Alexandra Canal between St Peters and Mascot opening 22 June 2020 PDF WestConnex 13 June 2020 Archived from the original PDF on 17 June 2020 Retrieved 17 June 2020 New Campbell Road Bridge and green link between Mascot and St Peters now open Westconnex 22 June 2020 Archived from the original on 23 June 2020 Retrieved 23 June 2020 M5 East WestConnex Archived from the original on 9 June 2020 Retrieved 9 June 2020 a b Saulwick Jacob 21 July 2016 New tunnel under Victoria Road added to WestConnex at no extra cost government says The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 25 July 2016 Gerathy Sarah 21 July 2016 WestConnex interchange plans unveiled Government to buy 27 properties on Victoria Road ABC News Retrieved 25 July 2016 M4 M5 link to be renamed NSW Government 13 September 2022 WestConnex final stage gets approval setting stage for non stop bypass of Sydney CBD ABC News 27 April 2018 Missing link breakthrough on WestConnex tunnels WestConnex 1 February 2021 Retrieved 4 March 2021 M4 M5 Link Rozelle Interchange WestConnex Retrieved 2 July 2020 Rozelle Interchange tunnel design PDF WestConnex September 2019 Archived from the original PDF on 10 June 2020 Retrieved 10 June 2020 a b Forster Clive 1999 Australian cities continuity and change Melbourne Oxford University Press Clennell Andrew 23 February 2012 Future stuck in a political jam The Daily Telegraph Infrastructure New South Wales 2012 WestConnex Sydney s next motorway project PDF Metroad 5 Sydney to Campbelltown OzRoads Roads and Maritime Services 2014 Technical paper 9 evolution of road tunnels in Sydney PDF a b Goodsir Darren 18 June 2004 Carr s rivals fume in clash over M4 East The Sydney Morning Herald a b c d M4 East Environmental Impact Statement Volume 1A Part 1 WestConnex September 2015 p 4 1 to 4 3 4 12 to 4 13 Retrieved 21 October 2020 M4 East and Marrickville Tunnel Marrickville Greens 4 May 2009 Retrieved 21 October 2020 Sydney s 7bn mega motorway The Daily Telegraph 9 October 2007 Retrieved 25 October 2020 Secret plans to revive M4 East Sydney Morning Herald 31 March 2009 Retrieved 21 October 2020 Relief for Inner West residents as M4 tunnel fails to get funding Marrickville Greens 13 May 2009 Retrieved 21 October 2020 The next idea for the M4 dig Sydney Morning Herald 12 October 2004 Retrieved 21 October 2020 5b secret road under Sydney The Daily Telegraph 1 March 2007 Retrieved 22 October 2020 Sydney super tunnel no go 1 March 2007 Archived from the original on 13 July 2011 Labyrinth threatens to eat city Sydney Morning Herald 16 January 2010 Retrieved 22 October 2020 Labyrinth threatens to eat city Redwatch Retrieved 22 October 2020 WestConnex New M5 Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 4 WestConnex November 2015 pp 4 5 Retrieved 21 October 2020 Shakibaei Bambul 10 October 2012 Transport for NSW vs Infrastructure NSW Transport Sydney Retrieved 22 January 2013 a b First things first the state infrastructure strategy 2012 2032 PDF Infrastructure New South Wales 2012 p 86 to 90 Archived from the original PDF on 9 April 2020 WestConnex funding promise erupts into political row ABC News Australia 12 May 2013 Retrieved 13 May 2013 a b Needham Kristy 12 May 2013 What a stunt NSW Treasurer slams Gillard government on West Connex road plan The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 13 May 2013 Coultan Mark 19 September 2013 Tony Abbott launches 11bn WestConnex motorway The Australian Retrieved 16 October 2015 WestConnex M4 East Homebush Bay Drive to Parramatta Road and City West Link State Significant Infrastructure Application Report WestConnex Delivery Authority November 2013 Retrieved 22 October 2020 a b M4 M5 Link Environmental Impact Statement Main Volume Chapters 1 to 8 WestConnex August 2017 p 4 6 to 4 13 Retrieved 21 October 2020 Saulwick Jacob 21 November 2014 Revealed Second Sydney Harbor road tunnel The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 July 2016 New M4 M5 Link design features released 10 November 2016 Archived from the original on 30 July 2019 Westconnex M4 M5 Link Notification PDF 17 November 2016 Archived from the original PDF on 6 March 2019 Saulwick Jacob 3 September 2015 Multimillion dollar compensation brawl brews over WestConnex St Peters interchange The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 July 2016 a b c d e f WestConnex Updated Strategic Business Case PDF Sydney Motorway Corporation November 2015 ISBN 978 1 925421 39 2 Archived from the original PDF on 10 February 2016 Retrieved 26 July 2016 Community Guide To The Crescent Overpass And Active Transport Links Modification Report PDF WestConnex August 2019 Archived from the original PDF on 18 February 2020 Retrieved 18 February 2020 WestConnex M4 M5 Link MOD 2 The Crescent overpass and active transport links Department of Planning Industry and Environment Major Projects Retrieved 21 October 2020 National Infrastructure Plan 2013 PDF Blagg Linda 20 March 2015 Peter Newman on WestConnex YouTube retrieved 9 March 2017 a b The benefits and beneficiaries of urban tollroad expansion The University of Sydney Business School Retrieved 9 March 2017 NSW WestConnex Infrastructure Australia Australian Government Retrieved 9 March 2017 a b c KPMG 19 November 2015 WestConnex Full Scheme Economic Appraisal PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2 March 2016 Infrastructure Australia April 2015 Population Estimates and Projections PDF Gerathy Sarah 30 May 2016 WestConnex explained Policy and politics surrounding the Sydney motorway ABC News Australia Retrieved 17 November 2017 Leggett Cie Jai 3 October 2012 West Connex will get Sydney moving The National Roads and Motorists Association Retrieved 29 January 2015 Stuart Tony 15 October 2012 After 65 years it really is time to get on with it The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 29 January 2015 NSW brings forward congestion busting motorway projects Infrastructure partnerships Australia Retrieved 29 January 2015 Sydney Business Chamber welcomes Infrastructure NSW plan Sydney Business Chamber 3 October 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty url help Sydney Airport welcomes Infrastructure NSW report Sydney Airport Retrieved 29 January 2015 Wiggins Jenny 23 September 2016 WestConnex what could go wrong Financial Review Australia Retrieved 17 November 2017 Why stop WestConnex WestCONnex Action Group 2018 Retrieved 27 April 2018 Knaus Christopher 5 April 2017 WestConnex bitter battles mark the road to Australia s urban future Guardian Australia Retrieved 27 April 2018 McIlroy Jim 20 October 2017 10 000 submissions oppose WestConnex tollway Green Left Weekly Retrieved 27 April 2018 New Council renews opposition to WestConnex Press release Inner West Council 4 October 2017 Retrieved 27 April 2018 Stop WestConnex Greens New South Wales and Jenny Leong 2018 Retrieved 27 April 2018 McKenny Leesha 30 April 2015 Parramatta Road plans criticised by City of Sydney Urban Taskforce architect group The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 5 August 2016 Raper Ashleigh Blumer Clare 26 June 2017 WestConnex Why does the Sydney Lord Mayor persist with motorway resistance ABC News Australia Retrieved 27 April 2018 O Sullivan Matt 23 March 2016 Sydney residents vent opposition to WestConnex in flood of submissions The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 8 April 2016 O Sullivan Matt 7 April 2016 Opposition to WestConnex grows as council blocks contractors from streets The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 8 April 2016 a b c O Sullivan Matt 19 July 2016 WestConnex Extra tunnel road widening makes 16 8b motorway even bigger The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 5 August 2016 Nicholls Sean 16 September 2016 Cost of WestConnex property acquisitions set to exceed 1 5b The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 September 2016 a b Nicholls Sean 1 October 2016 Sydney Metro property acquisition hits 1 8 billion The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 October 2016 Saulwick Jacob 23 February 2015 WestConnex the wrong project for Sydney report says invest in public transport instead The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 3 March 2015 Saulwick Jacob 13 February 2016 WestConnex Fewer lanes for motorists on Parramatta Road more for public transport The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 20 February 2016 a b Farrelly Elizabeth 24 September 2016 Our trees are wiser than our leaders The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 September 2016 Hehir Grant 18 December 2014 WestConnex assurance to the Government Auditor General s Report to Parliament Duncan Peter 12 December 2014 Performance audit WestConnex assurance to the Government Baird government s dismissal of Hehir report alarming The Sydney Morning Herald 12 January 2015 Retrieved 29 January 2015 Standen Chris 1 December 2015 The way we justify investments in road projects like WestConnex doesn t add up The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 7 December 2015 Nicholls Sean 19 August 2016 Mike Baird s concern for WestConnex residents not matched by his actions The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 September 2016 Nicholls Sean 23 August 2016 Mike Baird under fire over failure to act on WestConnex fairness advice The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 26 September 2016 Hawke Sarah 31 July 2015 Fears Sydney WestConnex road project will destroy habitat for vulnerable green and golden bell frog ABC News Defending Sydney Park Day 1 EcoTransit Sydney 18 September 2016 Sydney Park to be trashed for WestCONnex EcoTransit Sydney 17 September 2016 Little Deb 27 January 2016 Submission in response to Westconnex New M5 Environmental Impact Statement AECOM 2015 Project application no SSI I4 6788 PDF Letter to Department of Planning and Environment Wolli Creek Preservation Society Archived from the original PDF on 9 March 2016 Hunt Greg 11 July 2016 Federal Government approves Stage 2 of WestConnex motorway PDF Press release Department of the Environment Archived from the original PDF on 29 July 2016 Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark Forest of the Sydney Basin Bioregion Department of the Environment and Energy Archived from the original on 29 July 2016 Hunt Elle 20 August 2016 Protesters in Lucy Turnbull masks block controversial WestConnex road project The Guardian Retrieved 26 September 2016 Karp Paul 16 August 2016 Lucy Turnbull pleads ignorance of WestConnex heritage house destruction The Guardian Retrieved 26 September 2016 Gainsford Jim 25 January 2015 WestConnex letters anger St Peters residents The Sydney Morning Herald Saulwick Jacob 17 December 2014 Victorian example sparks fresh calls to release WestConnex business case The Sydney Morning Herald a b Saulwick Jacob 16 October 2015 WestConnex shielded from scrutiny after control handed to private corporation The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 16 October 2015 WestConnex is a bad deal for motorists and taxpayers Who is it good for The Guardian 26 February 2017 ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 6 March 2017 a b Infrastructure NSW Transport for NSW and NSW Roads and Maritime Service October 2012 WestConnex Sydney s next motorway priority PDF Retrieved 8 October 2016 a b c WestConnex M5 Project Deed Schedules PDF Roads amp Maritime Services Government of New South Wales 2015 a b c Tolling WestConnex Retrieved 27 January 2022 Toll costs by road NSW Government 1 January 2023 Retrieved 1 January 2023 What is my vehicle class Linkt Retrieved 5 November 2020 When and how do toll prices increase Linkt Retrieved 5 November 2020 Road tolling in New South Wales PDF New South Wales Parliament Portfolio Committee No 2 Health and Community Services October 2017 Retrieved 30 October 2020 WestConnex Acquisition Transurban equity raising PDF Transurban August 2018 p 49 Retrieved 5 November 2020 3 5 billion funding secured for WestConnex 21 November 2015 2016 17 Budget Paper No 2 Infrastructure Statement Chapter 1 Investment Program PDF Retrieved 6 October 2016 Transurban wins bid for majority control of Sydney s WestConnex 31 August 2018 Retrieved 8 September 2018 a b Transurban August 2018 WestConnex Acquisition Transurban equity raising Investor Presentation PDF Retrieved 8 September 2018 Saulwick Jacob 15 May 2013 Are you serious Baird dismisses 1 8b for WestConnex The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 6 October 2016 Funding agreement to fast track construction of WestConnex 16 May 2014 Archived from the original on 2 September 2014 Retrieved 6 October 2016 Docs reveal another WestConnex blowout 1 billion cost blowout in Westconnex gateway project to Sydney Airport Taxpayers and not tolls to pay for 2 6b motorway to Sydney Airport Nicholls Sean 26 February 2017 Minister vows to review WestConnex property valuation The Sydney Morning Herald Brown Michell 3 July 2017 WestConnex contractors seeking 1b in compensation according to documents leaked to Labor ABC News Sydney Motorway Corporation WestConnex Archived from the original on 26 October 2016 Retrieved 6 December 2018 NSW looking to sell its remaining WestConnex stake Australian Financial Review 6 March 2020 Retrieved 20 September 2021 WestConnex Remaining Equity Sell Down Australia New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline Retrieved 20 September 2021 WestConnex sale generates more than 11 billion for NSW NSW Liberal Party 20 September 2021 Retrieved 20 September 2021 Transurban wins WestConnex with 10b plus bid Australian Financial Review 19 September 2021 Retrieved 20 September 2021 CDPQ invests in WestConnex Australia s largest road infrastructure project Cision Pr Newswire 19 September 2021 Retrieved 20 September 2021 Transurban keeps powder dry taps investors for WestConnex takeover WA Today 20 September 2021 Retrieved 20 September 2021 a b Transurban reaches financial close on acquisition of WestConnex PDF Transurban 29 October 2021 Retrieved 30 November 2021 Board and Governance WestConnex Retrieved 30 November 2021 WestConnex Assurance to the Government NSW Auditor General 18 December 2014 p 3 Retrieved 1 June 2018 Bullen James 19 May 2016 WestConnex funding to be scrutinised by auditor general after Anthony Albanese Senate requests ABC News Australia Retrieved 6 October 2016 The Approval and Administration of Commonwealth Funding for the WestConnex Project Australian National Audit Office 14 February 2017 O Sullivan Matt 14 February 2017 Audit office highly critical of government funding for WestConnex The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 1 June 2018 Knaus Christopher Karp Paul 14 February 2017 Canberra gave WestConnex 3 5bn without proper assessment audit finds Guardian Australia Retrieved 1 June 2018 Hawke Sarah 14 February 2017 WestConnex Audit finds project was not properly assessed for Federal funding ABC News Australia Retrieved 1 June 2018 Terrill Marion Danks Lucille 21 February 2017 WestConnex audit offers another 17b lesson in how not to fund infrastructure The Conversation Australia Retrieved 1 June 2018 Fletcher Paul 14 February 2017 WestConnex Audit Report Makes No Criticisms of the Project Press release Australian Government Retrieved 1 June 2018 O Sullivan Matt 12 October 2017 NSW Auditor General to inquire into WestConnex for a second time The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 1 June 2018 WestConnex Changes since 2014 NSW Auditor General n d Retrieved 4 July 2020 Public Accountability Committee Impact of the WestConnex project NSW Legislative Council Parliament of New South Wales Public Accountability Committee 17 December 2018 Impact of the WestConnex project Final Report PDF NSW Legislative Council Parliament of New South Wales WestConnex Delivery Authority established Roads and Maritime Services 31 October 2013 Archived from the original on 27 January 2014 Retrieved 4 August 2015 External links EditWestConnex website Video summary of WestConnex Infrastructure NSW 14 October 2012 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title WestConnex amp oldid 1139059265, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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