The WestConnex motorway is an EUR7.41 billion, 33 km continuous motorway which links Sydney’s west and south-west with the CBD (Central Business District), Sydney Airport and Port Botany precincts. Apart from the existing surface sections of the M4 and M5, WestConnex will be constructed in tunnel. The entire project involves 19 km of tunnels and 14 km of surface roads. WestConnex will provide a three to four lane motorway in each direction. It will be opened to traffic in 2023. WestConnex has three stages of construction:
- Stage 1 is composed by two separate projects:
- M4 Widening - the widening of 7.5 km of the existing M4 to 2x4 lanes between Church Street, Parramatta and Homebush Bay Drive to be completed 2017;
- M4 East - involving the widening of 1 km of the existing M4 and new 5 km 2x3 lane tunnels to extend the M4 from Homebush Bay Drive to Parramatta Road and the City West Link to be completed 2019.
- Stage 2 will provide increased capacity along the M5 East corridor and extend the motorway to St Peters. It will also include a new access link to the Sydney Airport area. The new M5 will comprise up to 8.5 km of twin tunnels between the existing M5 East of King George Road and the St Peters interchange. It is scheduled for completion in 2019.
- Stage 3, scheduled for completion in 2023, comprises 11 km linking M4 and M5 from Haberfield to St Peters with an 8.5 km twin tunnel, to be built by TBM.
On 07.08.2014 the Australian and New South Wales Governments announced the three consortia bidding to build the three-lane tunnel under Parramatta Road as part of the WestConnex Stage 1: Future Connect JV (Acciona Infrastructure Australia, Obayashi Corporation, McConnell Dowell and Ghella); Lend Lease Bouygues JV (Lend Lease and Bouygues Construction Australia); Thiess Samsung John Holland JV (Thiess, Samsung C&T Corporation and John Holland). The preferred tenderer is expected to be selected by mid-2015.
On 04.11.2014 the Australian and New South Wales Governments announced the three consortia shortlisted to bid for design and construction the WestConnex Stage 2 tunnels: Lend Lease Acciona JV; Leighton Dragados Samsung JV; TunneLink (consisting of Ferrovial Agroman, Ghella and McConnell Dowell Constructors). The preferred design and preferred contractor for the Stage 2 tunnel work will be selected by mid-2015.
On 05.12.2014 the Rizzani De Eccher Leighton JV secured the contract to design and construct the M4 Widening.
When complete, WestConnex will reduce travel times from Parramatta, in the city’s heart, to Sydney Airport by 40 minutes, while bypassing 52 sets of traffic lights. It will remove up to 3,000 trucks a day from Parramatta Road and put them in underground tunnels. Visit http://www.westconnex.com.au. 50/14.
