The Western Harbour Tunnel has passed an important milestone with work on the main roadway now progressing under the Warringah Freeway and just over one kilometre of tunnelling completed.
Working on what is known as Western Harbour Tunnel Stage 2, road header machines have cut through sandstone from Cammeray and are now breaking through 1000 tonnes of rock a day – the equivalent weight of two Airbus A380s – on the north and southbound mainline tunnels.
Currently underneath the Warringah Frewway, there are five road headers at work, including one that has commenced tunnelling from Ridge Street North Sydney to complete the future Falcon Street off ramp.
The 6.5 kilometre Western Harbour Tunnel is due to open to traffic in 2028 and importantly, will remain in public ownership.
As the first new road crossing of the harbour in over 30 years, Western Harbour Tunnel will deliver time-saving benefits to motorists, with 20 minutes shaved off a journey between North Sydney and Sydney Olympic Park or Leichhardt.
Tunnels currently being excavated under the Warringah Freeway will progress to Waverton where specialist tunnel boring machines will then tunnel under the harbour to Birchgrove and plug into the Rozelle Interchange.
The connection will be a key moment for the Sydney road network as the Western Harbour Tunnel will take pressure off the Anzac Bridge and Sydney Harbour Bridge, assisting traffic flow in the inner-west following the opening of the Rozelle Interchange.
The project’s twin, three-lane tunnels are expected to reduce traffic on the Western Distributor by 35 per cent, the Harbour Tunnel by 20 per cent and the Harbour Bridge by 17 per cent.
Work on the southern side of the harbour is now complete and is due to be wrapped up in 2025.
Following the release of the final report of the Independent Toll Review on Tuesday, the NSW Government is focused on creating a fairer, simpler and transparent tolling network.
The facts – Western Harbour Tunnel Stage 2:
- More than 3,300 workers inducted
- Five road headers are advancing 20-25 metres a week through Sydney sandstone
- Over 186,000 tonnes of material so far excavated from Cammeray construction site
- 1.1 linear kilometres of tunnel excavated
- 11,000 linear metres of rock bolts installed
- 244 concrete piles have been installed for the future Falcon Street off ramp – the equivalent of 1500 linear metres.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said:
“This is an important and exciting project for Sydney and we are seeing important progress today.
“I want to thank the 3300 workers so far inducted on the project, with 7000 jobs expected to be created before its opening in 2028.
“Anyone who has crossed the harbour by road knows the system is constrained so the Western Harbour Tunnel will provide much-needed relief, slashing travel times by 20 minutes on a simple journey from North Sydney to Leichardt or Sydney Olympic Park.”
Minister for Roads John Graham said:
“It has been more than three decades since a new road crossing of the harbour opened and this project will bring vital extra capacity and take pressure off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Harbour Tunnel, Western Distributor and Anzac Bridge – roads used by more than 2.5 million motorists every year.
“The Western Harbour Tunnel will remain in public hands and is part of our plans to remake a fairer toll road network for Sydney.
“Once completed, the Western Harbour Tunnel will provide more scope to improve traffic conditions through the inner-west, particularly on Victoria Road.”
