Sydney’s proposed WestConnex motorway will be wider than planned to accommodate four instead of three lanes in each direction, according to media reports.
The changes are part of a revamp of the third and final stage of the ambitious project in the capital city of Australia’s eastern New South Wales state.
Some exit and entry ramps will also be scrapped but the overall cost of just under US$5.3 billion for the third stage remains unchanged, reported the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
The projects overall cost is set at nearly $12.7 billion
New South Wales roads minister Duncan Gay said that if the twin tunnels from Haberfield to St Peters for the M4-M5 Link were to be built as a separate contract, they could open in 2022.
"This stage of WestConnex is the most important because it's the missing link which finally joins the M4 and M5 motorways together," he said.
The project is being carried out in three stages, with the first for the widening of the existing M4 Motorway as well as a 5.5km tunnel extension. The second stage (WestConnex M5) includes building a 9km tunnel, which will more than double capacity of the existing M5 East motorway corridor and provide an interchange, north of the city’s airport. The third stage (WestConnex M4-M5 Link) will link stages 1 and 2 through a new road tunnel, connecting the M4 and M5 corridors.
In January this year,2376 Egis Projects and its partner 6191 Fulton Hogan Construction were awarded the contract for the operation and maintenance of WestConnex. The package was awarded by Sydney Motorway Corporation (SMC) to Fulton Hogan Egis O&M (FHEO&M). The partners hold equal 50% shares in the project. Egis has its share in the Australian project through its Australian subsidiary Egis Projects Asia Pacific.
The deal is of significance as the WestConnex link is Australia’s largest road infrastructure project. The construction work is being carried out by SMC, a private corporation, whose shareholders include the Ministry for Roads, Maritime and Freight and the Treasurer of NSW.
The changes are part of a revamp of the third and final stage of the ambitious project in the capital city of Australia’s eastern New South Wales state.
Some exit and entry ramps will also be scrapped but the overall cost of just under US$5.3 billion for the third stage remains unchanged, reported the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.
The projects overall cost is set at nearly $12.7 billion
New South Wales roads minister Duncan Gay said that if the twin tunnels from Haberfield to St Peters for the M4-M5 Link were to be built as a separate contract, they could open in 2022.
"This stage of WestConnex is the most important because it's the missing link which finally joins the M4 and M5 motorways together," he said.
The project is being carried out in three stages, with the first for the widening of the existing M4 Motorway as well as a 5.5km tunnel extension. The second stage (WestConnex M5) includes building a 9km tunnel, which will more than double capacity of the existing M5 East motorway corridor and provide an interchange, north of the city’s airport. The third stage (WestConnex M4-M5 Link) will link stages 1 and 2 through a new road tunnel, connecting the M4 and M5 corridors.
In January this year,
The deal is of significance as the WestConnex link is Australia’s largest road infrastructure project. The construction work is being carried out by SMC, a private corporation, whose shareholders include the Ministry for Roads, Maritime and Freight and the Treasurer of NSW.
