The Anzac Bridge has four lanes in each direction.Credit:Dylan Coker
TheHerald has seen documents showing that the agency had plans last year to widen a 900-metre stretch of the Western Distributor’s city-bound lanes in Pyrmont from three to five lanes.
Widening a section of the Western Distributor would have presented a major engineering challenge because more than a dozen columns would have to be built – some near streets leading into the existing Sydney fish market – to support the additional overhead lanes. It would also have caused disruption to traffic using the motorway and surrounding streets.
As part of the plans,a so-called tidal flow system was to have been installed on the Anzac Bridge,allowing an extra city-bound lane in the morning peak to be temporarily created when traffic is heaviest.
It would have meant five lanes would have been devoted to city-bound traffic in the morning peak,instead of four at present,while reverting to an extra western-bound lane for the evening peak.
The system would have been similar to thatused on the Sydney Harbour Bridge,which involves large signs indicating the direction of each lane for vehicles.
The project involves widening a stretch of the Western Distributor by two lanes.Credit:Dylan Coker
The plans were shrouded in secrecy while the state’s transport agency sought bidders last year. The project was estimated to take about three years to complete.