M4 Motorway (Sydney)
M4 Motorway | ||
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Aerial view looking east in December 2010 | ||
Coordinates | ||
General information | ||
Type | Gazetted February 1977[2] | |
Route number(s) | M4 (2013–present) | |
Former route number |
| |
Major junctions | ||
West end | Great Western Highway Glenbrook, Sydney | |
East end | ||
Highway system | ||
The M4 Motorway is a 55-kilometre (34 mi)
The M4 Motorway comprises two connected parts:
- Western Motorway is the original section, completed between 1971 and 1993 between
- East Motorway,Rozelle was completed between 2019 and 2023 as part of WestConnex.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] This extension had been proposed since the 1990s. Its eastern end is the Rozelle Interchange with connections with the M8 Motorway, Victoria Road and the Anzac Bridge.
Route
Western Motorway commences at the transition point from
The
History
Alignment
The first main road west from Sydney was Great Western Highway, shown above in orange. The County of Cumberland planning scheme provided for a modified route west, much of which was later built as M4 Western Motorway. With the opening of the M4 East Tunnel and Rozelle Interchange in 2019 and 2023 respectively, the M4 today extends as far east as the Anzac Bridge.
Western Freeway
Western Freeway was originally constructed in several stages between the late 1960s and the mid-1980s: the first 5km-long section between Emu Plains and Regentville (including a new single carriageway bridge over the Nepean River, duplicated in 1986) opened in October 1971; the second 14.5km-long section between Regentville and Eastern Creek opened in December 1972; the third 4km-long section between Eastern Creek and Prospect opened in April 1974.
Western Motorway
A lack of funding resulted in the Wran
The motorway is mostly three or four lanes wide in either direction, and carries constant heavy traffic during daylight hours, seven days a week. Built as a four-lane motorway, it was widened to six lanes during 1998 to 2000, but this did little to ease the congestion.[citation needed]
Originally planned in the mid-1950s to start in the Sydney central business district,[21] the eastern section was built only as far west as Pyrmont, as part of the North West Expressway (or F3), a freeway that would connect the Sydney and Newcastle central business districts; this section is now part of the Western Distributor. From there it was to have joined with the Western Expressway (the F4), and the Southern Expressway (the F6) in Glebe.[22] The western end of Western Freeway was to be routed through the Mitchell's Pass area through to Blaxland, however due to protests and the fact that the historic Lennox Bridge was very close to the intended pathway, it was decided to terminate the road at Russell Street, Emu Plains until a solution could be later found. This would have bypassed the Lapstone Hill area and avoided the sharp bends as the road enters Glenbrook. In December 1989 the western extension of the freeway commenced construction, from Russell Street to Great Western Highway in the vicinity of Governors Drive in Lapstone, would bypass the narrow and winding section of Great Western Highway, including the historic Knapsack Bridge; in June 1993, this new section was opened to traffic.[23]
The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[24] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). With the subsequent passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[25] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, the Department of Main Roads (having succeeded the MRB in 1932) declared Western Freeway as a motorway (under plan number 6004), on 9 February 1977,[2] and was re-declared to cover each extension until it reached its eastern terminus in Concord; the tollway today still retains this declaration (under Tollway 6004).[26]
In 2013, the state government announced the intention to implement a 'Managed Motorway' scheme on the M4 over the coming years to improve traffic flow. Mechanisms to be used include improved Variable Message Signs, Ramp metering signals, dynamic speed and incident management, and an upgrade of the Emergency Telephone System.[27]
National Route 32 was allocated to Great Western Highway originally in 1955: as new sections of the freeway opened, National Route 32 was re-routed along these new sections; from 1974, sections of the highway formerly allocated National Route 32 were allocated State Route 44 instead. Freeway Routes were introduced in 1973, and Freeway Route F4 was allocated to all existing sections, and extended along with National Route 32 each time a new section was opened. In 1992, at the same time the freeway was renamed, Metroad 4 replaced both National Route 32 and Freeway Route F4 across the entire freeway from Emu Plains to North Strathfield. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, Metroad 4 was replaced with route M4.[28]
The section between Church Street in
M4 East
Leighton Contractors | |
Opened | 13 July 2019 |
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Owner | WestConnex |
Operator | Sydney Motorway Corporation |
Toll | $4.41 (2020 dollars, subject to indexing, each way) |
Technical | |
Length | 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) |
No. of lanes | 3 in each direction |
Operating speed | 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph) (variable speed limit) |
Up until 2019, the eastern end of the M4 was at North Strathfield, some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the Sydney central business district. Over the years a number of proposals were made to extend the M4 east towards the city. One plan in the 1990s involved extending the M4 eastwards by approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) so that it would subsequently end in
The government proposed a subsequent $7 billion plan for M4 East in July 2002, including three options:[29][30]
- short tunnel option: a 3.6-kilometre (2.2 mi) tunnel between the M4 at Concord and City West Link and Parramatta Road at Haberfield
- long tunnel option: a 6.5-kilometre (4.0 mi) tunnel between the M4 at Concord and City West Link at Lilyfield
- slot option: a sunken trench road similar to the Eastern Distributor, between the M4 at Concord and Parramatta Road at Haberfield
All three options would run below or parallel to Parramatta Road and/or City West Link. The short tunnel option was preferred for having lower costs both during construction and operation. The long tunnel option was considered to have the potential to increase congestion on the approaches to Anzac Bridge, causing eastbound queues to extend into the tunnels. The slot option could be constructed at a similar cost to the short tunnel, however, it was considered to not provide the same level of traffic benefits as the short tunnel option. Additionally, the option would need to acquire additional properties and the construction period for this option would be longer.[30]
Between 2003 and 2004, the preferred short tunnel option for an eastern extension of the M4 Motorway was exhibited.[30] Members of the government were divided over the M4 East proposal and ultimately did not proceed with it in early 2005 due to community opposition.[29][31] The preferred option eventually formed the basis of the concept design for the M4 East project of the WestConnex.
In the month prior to the
In October 2012, the NSW Government announced their commitment to deliver the WestConnex project, involving widening the existing M4 motorway as well as extending it east with a tunnel from North Strathfield to Taverners Hill. The project also involved duplicating the M5 East tunnel and building a new tunnel linking the M4 and M5 motorways.[34]
In June 2015, the tender to design and build the WestConnex M4 Tunnel was awarded to
M4 & M8 Extensions
Stage 3 of the WestConnex scheme saw a new motorway connection running from the end of the M4 at Haberfield to connect with the airport and the
In September 2022, the government announced that the connection would be referred to as extensions of the M4 and M8 when the connection opened.[11] The main tunnels between WestConnex M4 Tunnels at Haberfield and the M8 Tunnels at St Peters opened on 20 January 2023, with the M4 and M8 route markers extended to meet at Leichhardt until Rozelle Interchange opened.[12] The interchange opened on 26 November 2023 and the M4 route marker was further extended to Rozelle and Anzac Bridge where the route transitions into A4.[14]
M4 Smart Motorway Project
In July 2019, the NSW government announced its M4 Smart Motorway Project[42] which involves widening the on and off ramps for the untolled section of the motorway between Lapstone and Mays Hill, including the installation of overhead gantries with variable speed limit displays and traffic signals on the on-ramps between Orchard Hills and Mays Hill for traffic metering during peak periods.
Toll
The section of the M4 between Church Street,
Toll points are located at entrances and exits along this section. The toll charge consists of:- a flagfall
- a charge per kilometre
Tolls for heavy vehicles are triple of cars and motorcycles. Toll prices increase by 4% or the consumer price index (CPI) every year, whichever is greater, until 2040, after which CPI will apply.[44]
Toll road | Class A toll prices[a] | Class B toll prices[a] | Toll increase[47] | Toll concessionaire | Expiry of toll concession[48] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Flagfall | Charge per km | Toll cap
| |||||
WestConnex (M4, M5 East, M8) |
$1.67 | $0.6164 | $11.78 | 3 x of Class A prices | Annually on 1 January, by the greater of CPI or 4% until December 2040, then by CPI only | Sydney Transport Partners (9% Tawreed Investments 10.5% CPPIB, 10% Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), 20.5% Australian Super, 50% Transurban )
|
2060
|
A toll point was previously introduced between James Ruse Drive and Silverwater Road in both directions until the toll was removed on 16 February 2010, when the M4 ownership was returned to the state government.[49]
Exits and interchanges
LGA | Location | km[1] | mi | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Blue Mountains | Glenbrook | 0 | 0.0 | Great Western Highway (A32) – Katoomba, Lithgow, Bathurst | Western terminus of motorway and route M4; Road continues as Great Western Highway |
Blue Mountains railway line | |||||
Penrith | Emu Plains–Leonay boundary | 1.7 | 1.1 | Russell Street (A44) – Emu Plains, Penrith | Offset dumbbell interchange |
Nepean River | 2.6 | 1.6 | Regentville Bridge | ||
Jamisontown–Regentville boundary | 4.0 | 2.5 | Mulgoa Road – Mulgoa, Penrith | Diamond interchange | |
Glenmore Park–South Penrith–Orchard Hills tripoint | 7.5 | 4.7 | The Northern Road (A9) – Windsor, Narellan, Nepean Hospital | Single-point urban interchange | |
Orchard Hills–Claremont Meadows boundary | 12.7 | 7.9 | Kent Road – Orchard Hills, Werrington | Half-diamond interchange, eastbound entrance and westbound exit only | |
South Creek | 13.2 | 8.2 | Bridge over the river (no known name) | ||
Penrith | Orchard Hills–St Clair–St Marys tripoint | 13.7 | 8.5 | Mamre Road – St Marys, Badgerys Creek | Partial cloverleaf interchange |
Partial cloverleaf interchange, eastbound and westbound entrance, westbound exit only | |||||
Blacktown | Eastern Creek–Minchinbury boundary | 21.6 | 13.4 | Wallgrove Road – Horsley Park, Rooty Hill | Diamond interchange |
Westlink M7 (M7) – Dean Park, Bella Vista, Prestons, Sydney Airport (via M5) | Light Horse Interchange: modified four-level stack interchange; tolled entrance to and exit from M7 | ||||
Blacktown, Sydney Motorsport Park, Prospect Reservoir | Partial diamond and partial cloverleaf interchange | ||||
Wet'n'Wild , Prospect Reservoir | Partial offset dumbbell interchange | ||||
Children's hospitals | Diamond interchange | ||||
, Westmead and Children's hospitals | Eastbound entrance ramp from Great Western Highway; Westbound exit via Coleman Street | ||||
Parramatta | Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only | ||||
Holroyd | 35.9 | 22.3 | Western boundary of toll road | ||
Parramatta Parramatta Road (Great Western Highway) (A44 east) – Granville, Strathfield Woodville Road (south) – Villawood | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance only No right turn from Church Street into westbound entrance ramp | ||||
North Parramatta, Northmead | Eastbound exit to the north only, westbound entrance from the north only | ||||
37.8 | 23.5 | North Parramatta, Northmead , to Great Western Highway | Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only | ||
Duck River | 38.8 | 24.1 | Bridge over the river (no known name) | ||
Silverwater, Carlingford | Diamond interchange | ||||
Haslams Creek | 41.2 | 25.6 | Bridge over the river (no known name) | ||
Lidcombe, Wentworth Point, Sydney Olympic Park | Eastbound exit to the north, eastbound and westbound entrances from the north only | ||||
Beverley Hills, Blakehurst | Offset diamond interchange hybrid; westbound entrance from the north is via a loop | ||||
Strathfield | Homebush | 44.0 | 27.3 | M4 Western Motorway eastern terminus; M4 East western terminus | M4 East Tunnel entrance/exit |
45.0 | 28.0 | Parramatta Road (Great Western Highway) (A44) – Homebush | Westbound entrance only | ||
Powells Creek | 45.1 | 28.0 | Tunnel under creek, bridge over the creek (no known name) | ||
North Strathfield, Strathfield, Concord | Surface entrance and exit: Eastbound exit to the north and south, westbound entrance from the north only | ||||
Concord Road – North Strathfield, Strathfield, Concord | Tunnel entrance and exit: Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only | ||||
Five Dock | Westbound entrance from and eastbound exit to east only Eastern terminus of surface-level roadway | ||||
Iron Cove Creek | 48.9 | 30.4 | Tunnel under the creek | ||
Inner West | Haberfield | 49.3 | 30.6 | M4 East eastern terminus; M4–M8 Link western terminus | |
Sydney | Westbound entrance from and eastbound exit to the north only Eastbound entrance from and westbound exit to the south only | ||||
Haberfield–Ashfield boundary | 49.6 | 30.8 | Parramatta Road (Great Western Highway) (A22) – Leichhardt, Haymarket | Westbound entrance from and eastbound exit to the east only | |
Hawthorne Canal | 51.2 | 31.8 | Tunnel under the canal | ||
Inner West | Leichhardt | 52.1 | 32.4 | M8 Motorway (M8) – St Peters, Sydney Airport | M4–M8 Link continues along the M8 Motorway Rozelle Interchange western terminus |
Lilyfield | 53.1 | 33.0 | Eastern boundary of toll road | ||
Western Harbour Tunnel – North Sydney, Warringah Freeway | Under construction Westbound entrance and eastbound exit only | ||||
Lane Cove, Ryde | Eastbound entrance and westbound exit only | ||||
54.4 | 33.8 | Rozelle Interchange eastern terminus | Tunnel entrance/exit | ||
54.8 | 34.1 | Sydney, Anzac Bridge | Eastern terminus of motorway and route M4, continues west as route A4 along Western Distributor | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
See also
- Freeways in Australia
- Freeways in Sydney
- Metroad 4
References
- ^ a b c Google (30 November 2023). "M4 Motorway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ a b "Main Roads Act 1924". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 18. National Library of Australia. 18 February 1977. p. 605. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ^ Western Motorway (M4) Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved on 29 August 2008.[self-published source]
- ^ Historic Photos, Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved on 29 August 2008.[self-published source]
- ^ M4 Photos Today, Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved on 29 August 2008.
- ^ a b c "M4 Widening | WestConnex". WestConnex. Archived from the original on 13 May 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ NSW Government - M4 12-Months Post Opening East Road Network Performance Review Plan Consultation Report
- ^ Alpha Numeric Implementation Factsheet, Roads and Maritime Services. Retrieved 28 May 2013
- ^ a b "WestConnex". NSW Government. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- ^ a b "New M4 tunnels to open this weekend". WestConnex. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ a b "M4-M5 link to be renamed". NSW Government. 13 September 2022.
- ^ a b "WestConnex nears completion with new 7.5km tunnel opening tomorrow under Sydney's inner west". ABC News. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "Map of the new extensions of the M4 and M8" (PDF). WestConnex. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Rozelle Interchange to open for Sydney drivers on Sunday morning". ABC News. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ a b "JOURNAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MAIN ROADS, NEW SOUTH WALES" (PDF). Main Roads. 48 (1). Sydney: OpenGov NSW: 3–6. March 1983.
- . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- )
- ^ Jones, Cathy (31 January 2017). "M4 Motorway History". Strathfield Heritage. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ "Department of Main Roads Annual Report 1988-89" (PDF). OpenGov NSW. Department of Main Roads. p. 6, 31. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- S2CID 153484704. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ Western Motorway (M4) Construction, Ozroads: the Australian Roads Website. Retrieved on 29 August 2008.[self-published source]
- ^ Torr, Bradley. "The M4 Motorway – a history and exit guide". Geocities. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) [self-published source] - ^ "Knapsack Viaduct, Lapstone". New South Wales Heritage Database. Office of Environment & Heritage. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
- ^ State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929
- ^ Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- Roads and Traffic Authority. Retrieved on 24 October 2013.
- Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2012. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^ a b Goodsir, Darren (18 June 2004). "Carr's rivals fume in clash over M4 East". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b c "M4 East Environmental Impact Statement - Volume 1A Part 1". WestConnex. September 2015. p. 4-1 to 4-3, 4-12 to 4-13. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "M4 East and Marrickville Tunnel". Marrickville Greens. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Boulevard of dreams comes with a hidden cost". The Sydney Morning Herald. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "New plan to transform Sydney's West" (Press release). NRMA. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "WestConnext Green Light" (Press release). WestConnex: Government of New South Wales. 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ^ "Leighton team scoops $2.7bn Sydney motorway". Construction Index. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
- ^ "M4 East: Project Overview" (PDF). WestConnex. NSW Government and Australian Government. September 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- Transurban Limited. 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. 2015.
- ^ West, Michael (28 February 2018). "WestConnex: when four tollroads become ten". Michael West Media. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
- ^ Infrastructure New South Wales (2012). "First things first: the state infrastructure strategy 2012–2032" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ "M4-M5 Link Tunnels". WestConnex. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Roads and Maritime Services, N. S. W. "M4 Smart Motorway project". Roads and Maritime Services. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
- ^ "New M4 tolls". WestConnex. Archived from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2020.
- ^ "Tolling". WestConnex. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Toll costs by road". NSW Government. 1 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ "What is my vehicle class?". Linkt. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "When and how do toll prices increase". Linkt. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Road tolling in New South Wales" (PDF). New South Wales Parliament. Portfolio Committee No.2 – Health and Community Services. October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "Sydney's M4 Toll to be abolished". Sydney Morning Herald. 14 February 2010.
External links
- O'Sullivan, Matt; Saulwick, Jacob (2016). "Sydney 2026: Chapter 1: The future of Sydney roads and rail: The Commute". The Sydney Morning Herald.