Duncan Gay med rel: Easing congestion around Sydney Airport: $500 million for ground transport solutions

The NSW Government and Sydney Airport are jointly investing almost $500 million to improve traffic flow in and around Sydney Airport, as part of a package of ground transport solutions.

Roads Minister Duncan Gay said the NSW Government is building more than $282 million in road projects around the airport precinct, including $40 million from the Federal Government, for WestConnex Enabling Works and other projects to address pinch points.

“The NSW Government is committed to working closely with Sydney Airport to improve the arrival and departure experience for local travellers and visitors to our great city,” Minister Gay said.

“Our package of works including the WestConnex Enabling Works will ease congestion by providing direct and improved access to and from the new motorway from the airport and port precincts.

“The Enabling Works are already full steam ahead, with community consultation and pre-construction work such as geotechnical drilling already underway.

“From today, the preferred design for work east of the airport is on display at www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects/AirportEast/ and is being sent to thousands of local residents.
“The Marsh Street widening is on track to start mid-next year pending project approval and construction on the Enabling Works is planned to start a year later,” Mr Gay said.

The works will include the delivery of:

· Improved traffic flow around the airport and to Port Botany:

– By widening Joyce Drive and General Holmes Drive between O’Riordan Street and Mill Pond Road to three lanes in each direction, and

– Widening Marsh Street (fully State funded).

· Supporting future growth and access to the airport:

– By improving the Mill Pond Road intersections with General Holmes Drive and Botany Road.
· Improving the movement of rail freight and access to the airport, Mascot and the eastern suburbs:

– Through the replacement of General Holmes Drive rail level crossing with a road underpass that links General Holmes Drive, Botany Road and Wentworth Avenue.

“This builds on the NSW Government’s other congestion busting measures for Sydney including the $246 million pinch points program, the Clearways Strategy and our expanded Motorcycle Response Teams.

“We are also building for the future with critical infrastructure projects such as NorthConnex and WestConnex which will ease congestion, create jobs and connect communities,” Mr Gay said.

Sydney Airport will invest more than $300 million in on-airport road works and other elements of the project including passenger facilities.

The on-airport works will complement and be integrated with both the government’s WestConnex Enabling Works and conversion of Robey and O’Riordan streets into one-way streets northbound and southbound.
Sydney Airport Chief Executive Officer Kerrie Mather said the key priority is to improve the passenger and airport user experience, with more than 150,000 travelling to and from the airport every day.

“We’ve listened to our passengers and are working to make it easier to travel to the airport, whether by car or public transport,” Ms Mather said.

“With 74 million passengers a year forecast by 2033, we’re building the road and public transport capacity now to support continued tourism and travel growth.”