Sydney’s new tunnel link opening

Sydney’s new tunnel link is now opening to traffic.
By MJ Woof July 10, 2020 Read time: 1 min
New tunnel links are helping cut congestion in Sydney - image © courtesy Sjankauskas, Dreamstime.com

The opening of the new tunnels that form a stretch of Sydney’s M8 motorway is reducing journey times for drivers in the city. A massive rise in vehicle use in Sydney over the years has seen existing routes suffering heavy congestion, resulting in a need for additional road connections. The 9km twin tube tunnels connect the south side of the city of Sydney, with the western suburb of Liverpool.

With the twin tunnel tubes being opened, this helps cut journey times by as much as 30 minutes. The tunnels cost S$6.95 to use and run parallel with the existing M5 East route, which links Sydney’s central business district with the international airport as well as Port Botany and the south-western suburbs. The new tunnels connect Kingsgrove with the newly constructed interchange at St Peters.

The new tunnels form the second phase of the massive WestConnex project, which is costing some A$16.8 billion in all. The first stage of the WestConnex project included the opening of the M4 tunnels and a widened stretch of motorway. Future stages of the project will see the M8 linked with the M4 by further tunnel sections as well as to other new routes still being planned.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Challenging Colombian tunnel completed
    May 30, 2024
    A tunnel stretch on Colombia’s Santa Fe - Cañasgordas highway is complete – Mauro Nogarin reports
    Read More
  • India pushing ahead with infrastructure projects
    July 4, 2012
    Despite the economic downturn, India looks to be pressing ahead with its major infrastructure projects to further boost its incredible growth. Patrick Smith reports India, which like most countries has been affected by the current economic climate, although not to the same extent, is pressing ahead with its ambitious highway construction plans. Each week new projects are completed, started or awarded as the nation seeks to improve its transportation requirements. These are needed to meet the aspirations of
    Read More
  • EIB backing Irish motorway link
    April 30, 2014
    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is providing financial backing worth €144 million for the new M17/M18 Gort-Tuam motorway project. The M17/M18 Gort to Tuam PPP Scheme is situated in the west of Ireland and will be constructed as a four lane motorway that will replace the existing N17/N18 roads. This new motorway will reduce journey times by around 20 minutes and has an overall cost estimated at €550 million. Construction work will start during this year and this is the second transport PPP to be signed un
    Read More
  • Russia to commission new Moscow-St Petersburg highway by 2020
    June 20, 2017
    Final delivery of the final stretch for Russia’s key highway project looks set to be delayed – Eugene Gerden writes. I now looks as if Russia’s most ambitious project in the field of road building in recent years, the building of a new high-speed road link between Moscow and St Petersburg, the country’s largest cities, will not be complete in time. The project was set up by the Russian government and several private investors. According to initial state plans, building of the new road should have been compl
    Read More

Highlighted Content