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Attendants at a Stop WestConnex meeting at the Balmain Town Hall demonstrate the local opposition to the project.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The current plan for the motorway included entry and exit ramps on the surface of Parramatta Road adjacent to Sydney University at Camperdown,near the intersection with Ross Street.

One potential benefit of removing those ramps would be forgoing the difficulty and controversy of building motorway ramps so close to the university and central business district.

There might also be local traffic benefits,although those would be difficult to determine. Traffic modelling released as part of the business case showed the WestConnex portal at Camperdown was expected to generate extra traffic in the Broadway area,an increase of about 20,000 vehicles a day.

An argument against removing the Camperdown interchange,however,was that could direct extra traffic to the Anzac Bridge.

The so-called Sydney gateway was listed as part of the second stage of WestConnex in the business case.

A spokesman for the Sydney Motorway Corporation,responsible for building the toll road,said:"Sydney Motorway Corporation is considering a range of options to optimise the design solution for the M4-M5 Link to ensure it delivers the best outcome for Sydney.

"Designs will undergo further refinement over the coming months as stakeholder consultation progresses and local community feedback is sought on what outcomes they want the project to deliver."

Previously disclosed plans for surface motorway interchange at Rozelle. It is understood a larger proportion of that interchange will be underground.Credit:SMH

Sources said there were likely to be major changes to the design of an interchange at Rozelle.

It is understood the Sydney Motorway Corporation will try to put a much greater proportion of that interchange underground,potentially allowing the surface of the area to be used for other activities. The bulk of the interchange is to be in the former goods yards at Rozelle.

Artist's impression of WestConnex entry and exit in Haberfield. An entrance of similar scale would be built at Parramatta Road at Sydney University if an interchange was build there.

This will be a different model from the interchange at St Peters,which has drawn criticism for planned above-ground motorway ramps.

The 33-kilometre WestConnex motorway,which is deeply unpopular in pockets of the Inner West,is to be built in stages. The first section,a widening of the existing M4 between Parramatta and Concord,is expected to be open to traffic next year,and will mean the re-imposition of a toll on the M4.

The final stage,the tunnel between Haberfield and St Peters,is scheduled to be built between 2019 and 2023. The Sydney Motorway Corporation says a"reference design"should be released late this year,and an environmental impact statement released early next year.

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