What is Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade?
The NSW Government’s vision for Sydney is one of 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. This project will get you to places faster by improving capacity and providing new direct routes and reliability on both sides of the harbour.
This much needed new crossing of Sydney Harbour will be a game changer for our city. 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.
We are pleased to announce the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade has been approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces.
The project will be constructed and operated in accordance with the Ministers Conditions of Approval. A copy of these conditions can be found on the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s (DPIE) 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.
Supporting NSW amid COVID-19
The health and safety of our workforce and the wider community will be top of mind as we carry out our work. This will include ensuring our workers follow the appropriate hygiene and social distancing guidelines.
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.
