With so much development going on in Sydney at the moment with regards to public transport it’s hard to keep track of it all! That’s why we like to bring you informative blogs regularly to keep our readers involved in the development. One topic we haven’t covered yet is the NorthConnex, which is a major road infrastructure underway at the moment in Sydney’s north west.
NorthConnex is a 9km tunnel which will go underground connecting the M2 Hills Motorway and Pennant Hills Road to the M1 Pacific Highway Interchange. The road will be up to 90 metres below the surface at the tunnel’s deepest point, running below the North West Rail Link tunnel.
How will NorthConnex help congestion?
With the ever increasing house prices and cost of renting in Sydney people are having to move further out of the city. This is causing congestion for people travelling in and out of the North of Sydney which is hard work for regular commuters.
The NorthConnex project will link the M1 and the M2 motorways which will bypass up to 21 sets of traffic lights making travel a lot quicker and easier (up to 40 sets of traffic lights from the Pacific Highway to the CBD). Local streets can then be returned to local communities as opposed to commuters passing through. Speaking of the local community, the project will also deliver improved air quality to local residents due to lower car emissions.
Not only will it benefit commuters but also the efficient movement of state and national freight, for example it is expected to take up to 5,000 trucks off Pennant Hills Road. And of course where there is construction there are new jobs, up to 8,700 jobs for NSW to be exact.
When will NorthConnex be completed and how much will it cost?
The project is expected to be completed by 2019 and will initially be opened as a two lane motorway, but this can be expanded to 3 lanes. The total cost of the project is an estimated $3bn, which goes someway towards explaining that this is going to be a toll road for users. Users in cars can expect to pay around $6 to use the road.
At BriX Projects labour hire we provide skilled workmen for construction projects in and around Sydney and are always interested in new projects that will improve the city and its transport.
