Inner West - Rozelle to Birchgrove
Western Harbour Tunnel will connect the Rozelle Interchange with the Warringah Freeway near North Sydney, crossing underneath Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton.
The project is being delivered in two stages.
Stage 1
Stage 1 involved the excavation of more than 1.7 kilometres of traffic tunnels from under Emily Street, Rozelle, to Cove Street, Birchgrove, and was completed by John Holland CPB Contractors Joint Venture (JHCPB) in February 2025.
Stage 2
Stage 2 is being delivered by ACCIONA and includes excavation of 1.5 kilometres of tunnels from Birchgrove to Cammeray, and the complete tunnel fit out.
Tunnel fit out work
Tunnel fit out activities are ongoing throughout the tunnels under Lilyfield, Rozelle, Balmain and Birchgrove.
This includes installing lighting, drainage systems, line marking, architectural panels, traffic networks and signage.
Work within the tunnels is carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
We will notify you if we are working in your area.
Please follow the link below to see the locations of our work.
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An excavator in the tunnels under Balmain
Tunnel excavation
We have excavated two launch chambers under Birchgrove for our tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to excavate the tunnels under Sydney Harbour.
The TBMs will be assembled in the launch chambers underground to start tunnelling under the harbour by mid-2026.
Click here to read fact sheet about TBM tunnelling.
We are also excavating in the tunnels under Rozelle to widen the existing ventilation tunnels. For more information about this work please click here for our fact sheet.
Birchgrove launch chambers
Glebe Island
The Western Harbour Tunnel (WHT) Glebe Island site is where our TBMs were delivered and the parts are being stored before they are transported underground to be assembled in the launch chambers.
Some of the precast concrete segments for our TBMs will also be stored at Glebe Island before they are taken underground to be installed in the tunnels by the TBMs.
We have also been constructing the slurry treatment plants (STPs) for our TBMs at Glebe Island to be installed in the tunnels underground. The STPs are needed to process and drain spoil excavated by our TBMs as they tunnel under Sydney Harbour from Birchgrove to Waverton. Having the STPs underground minimises the operational impact on the surface for residents.
We also have offices at the Glebe Island site and car parking available for our workers.
Our work at Glebe Island is approved 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Current work activities are shown on our construction notifications map.
Glebe Island site
Motorway Operations Complex
The Motorway Operations Complex (MOC) next to Rozelle Parklands in Lilyfield Road was established for construction of the Rozelle Interchange and Western Harbour Tunnel and will support traffic monitoring operations when Western Harbour Tunnel opens to traffic in 2028.
The MOC is now being fitted out with utilities to support our TBM excavation with a water treatment plant and permanent power supply.
We installed a permanent power supply to support the construction and operation of Western Harbour Tunnel and this work was completed in mid-2025.
The impacted roads in Lilyfield and Rozelle will be resurfaced in 2026.
We know this work has been disruptive and we thank you for allowing us to work in your streets to deliver this critical infrastructure.
Motorway Operations Complex
City West Link
When Western Harbour Tunnel opens to traffic in 2028 there will be two access ramps in and out of the tunnel from City West Link.
Our construction vehicles are currently using this access point to reach our work areas underground.
We have been carrying out utility investigations and survey work in City West Link, The Crescent and Johnston Street in Lilyfield, Rozelle and Annandale.
This work will inform the design and installation of the Western Harbour Tunnel’s Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) network to provide drivers with real-time traffic information when the tunnel opens in 2028.
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