“With these complex tunnels,motorists will need to take their time getting used to moving through,” he said. “It won’t be straightforward at first,but over time,as we’ve all gotten used to moving through these tunnels … this will make a real difference.”
The $3.9 billion interchange will connect the recently opened M4-M8 Link between St Peters and Haberfield,the City West Link,the Anzac Bridge,Iron Cove and,by 2028,theplanned Western Harbour Tunnel. The latter will allow motorists to bypass the CBD,and avoid having to use the Anzac Bridge and Western Distributor to travel between the inner west and north shore.
A 10-hectare parkland is taking shape above the Rozelle interchange.Credit:Jessica Hromas
Graham said the government was “unapologetic about then shifting our priorities” to local roads once the final piece of the WestConnex project was completed this year.
Rozelle interchange project director Steven Keyser said it was now in the final testing and commissioning phase,which involved ensuring lights,signs,cameras and systems worked in accordance with the design.
“It’s lights,camera,action. We are very close to finishing the project,” he said.
All up,about 144,000 devices such as switches and signs need to be connected and tested. A high-techcontrol centre for WestConnex at St Peters will later oversee the interchange when it is in operation.
NSW Roads Minister John Graham at an entrance to one of the tunnels.Credit:Jessica Hromas
While the pandemic disrupted the project,one of the biggest challenges was removing about 7 million tonnes of spoil from the site,which required 250,000 truck trips. Much of the spoil was used to help buildWestern Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek.
Keyser said the large number of motorway and ventilation tunnels within a small area also added to the project’s complexity. “We have two areas where three tunnels are stacked on top of each other. The deepest part is 55 metres[below the surface],” he said.
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“What you don’t see behind all the panels is the network of cross passages that are fitted with electrical equipment.[It has] taken 19,000 people to do this job over a five-year period.”
Transport for NSW’s deputy secretary of infrastructure and place,Camilla Drover,said the 1.1-kilometre tunnel bypass ofVictoria Road was projected to halve traffic on the latter and create opportunities to revitalise it.
Drover said the interchange would help relieve a traffic bottleneck on the Anzac Bridge and,together with the rest of WestConnex,deliver a 20-minute travel time saving for motorists driving between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD.
Like the other WestConnex tunnels,the Rozelle interchange will have a speed limit of 80km/h despite them being designed for 90km/h. Thepossibility of lifting the speed limit to 90km/h was aired during the NSW election campaign in March,prompting the state’s transport agency to assess the impact of any increase.
Distance-based tolls across the entire 33-kilometre WestConnex motorway are capped at $11.11 per journey for cars and motorcycles. The tolls for WestConnex are increased annually by the rate of inflation or 4 per cent,whichever is greater.
By the numbers
- Almost 17 kilometres of motorway tunnels and 7 kilometres of mostly ventilation passages.
- The tunnels required 1.74 million metres of cabling to be laid.
- Almost 7 million tonnes of earth excavated.
- Installation of 132 jet fans,335 emergency phones and 7400 lights.
- Nine electricity substations built.
- The project has required 38 traffic changes on nearby roads since 2019.
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