About the project
The Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade is a major transport infrastructure project that will make it easier, faster and safer to get around Sydney. By creating a western bypass of the Sydney CBD, the Western Harbour Tunnel will take pressure off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Anzac Bridge and Western Distributor corridors to improve transport capacity in and around Sydney Harbour.
We are simplifying the Warringah Freeway, making it safer and easier to use, and more efficient and reliable for the benefit of all road users, including public transport users.
What is Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade?
Transport for NSW is constructing an integrated road and public transport network that gives you the freedom to choose how and when you get around, no matter where you live and work.
One area of focus in Sydney is to complete the missing links in the motorway network to support the growth of our communities, places and economy, and enable people and goods to move safely and reliably around our city and beyond.
We know Sydney traffic can be frustrating, especially in peak hour. The Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade will change the way you travel across Sydney Harbour. These projects will get you to places faster by improving capacity and providing new direct routes on both sides of the harbour, while streamlining the existing motorway to make journeys more reliable for all road users.
Once complete, you will save time on your journeys and enjoy more direct bus routes between the Inner West, Sydney and North Sydney, with seamless connections to the future Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains.
The projects are constructed and operated in accordance with the Minister's Conditions of Approval. A copy of these conditions can be found on the Department of Planning Housing and Infrastructure’s (DPHI) website.
The Environmental Impact Statement was on exhibition from 29 January to 30 March 2020. This process provided an important opportunity for the community to provide feedback. The feedback you submitted was considered and responded to in a submissions report. This report is available here. We have submitted this report to the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment who used it to inform the Conditions of Approval and the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces decision on the project.
Why we need Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade
Population in our great city is expected to grow from five million to eight million in the next 40 years.
We also expect to see Sydney’s economic output double by 2031. This includes significant growth in high-skilled jobs in the Global Economic Corridor, which stretches from Macquarie Park and Chatswood to North Sydney, the Sydney CBD and beyond to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge, Warringah Freeway and Eastern Distributor have been identified as among Australia’s 30 most congested roads.
Improvements to existing transport networks and the creation of new transport connections will be essential for our city to continue to have a competitive economy and meet the growing needs of our communities.
