5.1. The project

The project would comprise a new multi-lane road link between the M4 East Motorway at Haberfield and the New M5 Motorway at St Peters. The project would also include an interchange at Lilyfield and Rozelle (the Rozelle interchange) and a tunnel connection between Anzac Bridge and Victoria Road, east of Iron Cove Bridge (Iron Cove Link). In addition, construction of tunnels, ramps and associated infrastructure to provide connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project would be carried out at the Rozelle interchange.

Together with the other components of the WestConnex program of works and the proposed future Sydney Gateway, the project would facilitate improved connections between western Sydney, Sydney Airport and Port Botany and south and south-western Sydney, as well as better connectivity between the important economic centres along Sydney’s Global Economic Corridor and local communities.

The M4-M5 Link is part of the WestConnex program of works. Separate planning applications and assessments have been completed for each of the approved WestConnex projects. Roads and Maritime has commissioned Sydney Motorway Corporation (SMC) to deliver WestConnex, on behalf of the NSW Government. However, Roads and Maritime is the proponent for the project.

In addition to linking to other WestConnex projects, the M4-M5 Link would provide connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link, the Sydney Gateway (via the St Peters interchange) and the F6 Extension (via the New M5).

The WestConnex program of works, as well as related projects, are described in table 5-2.

pg. 5-3

table 5-2

pg. 5-4

table 5-2 cont.

5.1.1. The completed project

An overview of the completed project is shown in Figure 5-1. More detailed illustrations of completed project components are provided in Figure 5-2 to Figure 5-9 with corresponding descriptions provided in the following sections.

Key components of the project would include:

Twin mainline motorway tunnels between the M4 East at Haberfield and the New M5 at St Peters. Each tunnel would be around 7.5 kilometres long and sized to accommodate up to four lanes of traffic in each direction
Connections of the mainline tunnels to the M4 East project, comprising:
- A tunnel-to-tunnel connection to the M4 East mainline stub tunnels east of Parramatta Road near Alt Street at Haberfield
- Entry and exit ramp connections between the mainline tunnels and the Wattle Street interchange at Haberfield (which is currently being constructed as part of the M4 East project)
- Minor physical integration works with the surface road network at the Wattle Street interchange including road pavement and line marking
Connections of the mainline tunnels to the New M5 project, comprising:
- A tunnel-to-tunnel connection to the New M5 mainline stub tunnels north of the Princes Highway, near the intersection of Mary Street and Bakers Lane at St Peters
- Entry and exit ramp connections between the mainline tunnels and the St Peters interchange at St Peters (which is currently being constructed as part of the New M5 project)
- Minor physical integration works with the surface road network at the St Peters interchange including road pavement and linemarking
An underground interchange at Leichhardt and Annandale (the Inner West subsurface interchange) that would link the mainline tunnels with the Rozelle interchange and the Iron Cove Link (see below)
A new interchange at Lilyfield and Rozelle (the Rozelle interchange) that would connect the M4- M5 Link mainline tunnels with:
- City West Link
- Anzac Bridge
- The Iron Cove Link (see below)
- The proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link
Construction of connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project as part of the Rozelle interchange, including:
- Tunnels that would allow for underground mainline connections between the M4 East and New M5 motorways and the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link (via the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels)
- A dive structure and tunnel portals within the Rozelle Rail Yards, north of the City West Link/The Crescent intersection

pg. 5-5

- Entry and exit ramps that would extend north underground from the tunnel portals in the Rozelle Rail Yards to join the mainline connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link
- A ventilation outlet and ancillary facilities as part of the Rozelle ventilation facility (see below)
Twin tunnels that would connect Victoria Road near the eastern abutment of Iron Cove Bridge and Anzac Bridge (the Iron Cove Link). Underground entry and exit ramps would also provide a tunnel connection between the Iron Cove Link and the New M5/St Peters interchange (via the M4- M5 Link mainline tunnels)
The Rozelle surface works, including:
- Realigning The Crescent at Annandale, including a new bridge over Whites Creek and modifications to the intersection with City West Link
- A new intersection on City West Link around 300 metres west of the realigned position of The Crescent, which would provide a connection to and from the New M5/St Peters interchange (via the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels)
- Widening and improvement works to the channel and bank of Whites Creek between the light rail bridge and Rozelle Bay at Annandale, to manage flooding and drainage for the surface road network
- Reconstructing the intersection of The Crescent and Victoria Road at Rozelle, including construction of a new bridge at Victoria Road
- New and upgraded pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure
- Landscaping, including the provision of new open space within the Rozelle Rail Yards
The Iron Cove Link surface works, including:
- Dive structures and tunnel portals between the westbound and eastbound Victoria Road carriageways, to connect Victoria Road east of Iron Cove Bridge with the Iron Cove Link
- Realignment of the westbound (southern) carriageway of Victoria Road between Springside Street and the eastern abutment of Iron Cove Bridge
- Modifications to the existing intersections between Victoria Road and Terry, Clubb, Toelle and Callan streets
- Landscaping and the establishment of pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure
Five motorway operations complexes; one at Leichhardt (MOC1), three at Rozelle (Rozelle West (MOC2), Rozelle East (MOC3) and Iron Cove Link (MOC4) and one at St Peters (MOC5). The types of facilities that would be contained within the motorway operations complexes would include substations, water treatment plants, ventilation facilities, offices, on-site storage and parking for employees
Tunnel ventilation systems, including ventilation supply and exhaust facilities, axial fans, ventilation outlets and ventilation tunnels
Three new ventilation facilities, including:
- The Rozelle ventilation facility at Rozelle
- The Iron Cove Link ventilation facility at Rozelle
- The Campbell Road ventilation facility at St Peters
Fitout (mechanical and electrical) of part of the Parramatta Road ventilation facility at Haberfield (which is currently being constructed as part of the M4 East project) for use by the M4-M5 Link project

pg. 5-6

Drainage infrastructure to collect surface and groundwater for treatment at dedicated facilities. Water treatment would occur at:
- Two operational water treatment facilities (at Leichhardt and Rozelle)
- The constructed wetland within the Rozelle Rail Yards
- A bioretention facility for stormwater runoff within the informal car park within King George Park at Rozelle (adjacent to Manning Street). A section of the existing informal car park would also be upgraded, including sealing the car park surface and landscaping Treated water would flow back to existing watercourses via new, upgraded and existing infrastructure
Ancillary infrastructure and operational facilities for electronic tolling and traffic control and signage (including electronic signage)
Emergency access and evacuation facilities, including pedestrian and vehicular cross and long passages and fire and life safety systems
Utility works including protection and/or adjustment of existing utilities, removal of redundant utilities and installation of new utilities. A Utilities Management Strategy has been prepared for the project that identifies management options for utilities, including relocation or adjustment (Appendix F {part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4} (Utilities Management Strategy)) of the EIS as discussed in section 5.10.

The project does not include:

Site management works at the Rozelle Rail Yards. These works were separately assessed and determined by Roads and Maritime through a review of environmental factors under Part 5 of the EP&A Act (refer to Chapter 2 (Assessment process))
Ongoing motorway maintenance activities during operation
Operation of the components of the Rozelle interchange which are the tunnels, ramps and associated infrastructure being constructed to provide connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project.

5.1.2. Project footprint

The project footprint would include the land above and below ground required to construct the project, as well as for temporary ancillary construction facilities, and the land required above and below ground to accommodate permanent infrastructure and areas of new public open space. An overview of the area required for construction is provided in Chapter 6 (Construction work). The land required for permanent operational infrastructure is shown in Figure 5-1 and shown in detail in Figure 5-2 to Figure 5-9.

5.1.3. Staged construction and opening of the project

It is anticipated the project would be constructed and opened to traffic in two stages (as shown in Figure 5-1).

Stage 1 would include:

Construction of the mainline tunnels between the M4 East at Haberfield and the New M5 at St Peters, stub tunnels to the Rozelle interchange (at the Inner West subsurface interchange) and ancillary infrastructure at the Darley Road motorway operations complex (MOC1) and Campbell Road motorway operations complex (MOC5)
These works are anticipated to commence in 2018 with the mainline tunnels open to traffic in 2022. At the completion of Stage 1, the mainline tunnels would operate with two traffic lanes in each direction. This would increase to generally four lanes at the completion of Stage 2, when the full project is operational.

pg. 5-7

Stage 2 would include:

Construction of the Rozelle interchange and Iron Cove Link including:
- Connections to the stub tunnels at the Inner West subsurface interchange (built during Stage 1)
- Ancillary infrastructure at the Rozelle West motorway operations complex (MOC2), Rozelle East motorway operations complex (MOC3) and Iron Cove Link motorway operations complex (MOC4)
- Connections to the surface road network at Lilyfield and Rozelle
- Construction of tunnels, ramps and associated infrastructure as part of the Rozelle interchange to provide connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project
Stage 2 works are expected to commence in 2019 with these components of the project open to traffic in 2023.

The total construction period for both stages of the project is expected to be around five years, which includes commissioning that would occur concurrently with the final stages of construction. Further staging details would be confirmed when construction contractors have been engaged.

The potential benefits of a staged opening of the project are detailed in Chapter 4 (Project development and alternatives). A more detailed description of how the project would be constructed in stages is provided in Chapter 6 (Construction work). An assessment of the traffic and transport impacts of opening the project in stages is included in Chapter 8 (Traffic and transport).

pg. 5-8

3.1. Mainline tunnels

The mainline tunnels would be about 7.5 kilometres long and would extend from the underground connection with the M4 East tunnels at Haberfield to the underground connection with the New M5 tunnels at St Peters. The mainline tunnels would connect to the surface road network at four locations:

The Wattle Street interchange at Haberfield via tunnel portals being built by the M4 East project
The St Peters interchange at St Peters via tunnel portals being built by the New M5 project
City West Link and Victoria Road at Rozelle via the Inner West subsurface interchange and the Rozelle interchange
Victoria Road at Rozelle, east of Iron Cove Bridge, via the Inner West subsurface interchange, the Rozelle interchange and the Iron Cove Link.

pg. 5-19

4. Integration with other WestConnex projects

4.1. Connection to the M4 East mainline tunnel

The mainline tunnels would connect with the M4 East mainline tunnels underground around Alt Street at Haberfield (see Figure 5-2). This would be a tunnel-to-tunnel connection facilitated by stub tunnels that are being constructed as part of the M4 East project, and would provide for travel between the M4-M5 Link and M4 East mainline tunnels. The mainline tunnels would be three-lanes wide in each direction at this connection.

4.2. Connection to the Wattle Street interchange

Entry and exit ramps would connect the mainline tunnels with the Wattle Street interchange at Haberfield via tunnel portals and twin, two-lane cut-and-cover tunnels and dive structures being built between the divided Wattle Street carriageways. These ramps are being built as part of the M4 East project. This connection is shown in Figure 5-2 and an indicative cross-section of these tunnel portals is shown in Figure 5-17.

To efficiently manage the merge between the Wattle Street interchange entry ramp and the mainline tunnels and the approach to the Inner West subsurface interchange, the Wattle Street interchange entry ramp would divide into two, one-lane entry ramps about midway along the entry ramp (around Alt Street at Haberfield). These single lane tunnels would then join with the southbound mainline tunnel before the Inner West subsurface interchange. Motorists traveling to the Rozelle interchange would join on the left (northern) side of the southbound mainline tunnel, and motorists traveling to the New M5 Motorway would join on the right (southern) side of the southbound mainline tunnel.

By giving motorists the ability to choose a merge location dependent on their destination, this arrangement would make driving in the tunnel safer by reducing the amount of lane changes that motorists may need to carry out on the approach to the Inner West subsurface interchange. Further detail on operational traffic is provided in Chapter 8 (Traffic and transport) and Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

pg. 5-40

5. Connectivity

The project has been designed to provide essential connections between the M4 East and New M5 motorways and the surface road network at Haberfield, Lilyfield, Rozelle and St Peters. The project would also facilitate expansion of a connected motorway network for western and south-western Sydney by enabling future connections to the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel at Rozelle, and the proposed future Sydney Gateway via the St Peters interchange.

The connectivity that would be provided by the project comprises:

Free-flow connection (that is, a connection that does not require motorists to travel through or stop at an intersection) between:
- The M4 East and the New M5, via the mainline tunnels
- The M4 East and Anzac Bridge, via the Rozelle interchange
- The M4 East and the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link, via the Rozelle interchange (this connection would not be operational as part of the project)
- The New M5 and the Iron Cove Link, via the Rozelle interchange
- The New M5 and the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link (this connection would not be operational as part of the project)
- Anzac Bridge and Victoria Road at Rozelle, near the eastern abutment of Iron Cove Bridge (via the Iron Cove Link)
A connection between the New M5 and the surface road network at Lilyfield and Rozelle, via a new intersection with City West Link between Catherine Street and The Crescent (see section 5.6.2)
A connection between the surface road network and the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link, via the realigned intersection of City West Link and The Crescent (see section 5.6.3).

pg. 5-41

The mainline tunnel connection between the M4 East at Haberfield and the New M5 at St Peters is shown in Figure 5-1. The connectivity that would be provided by the Rozelle interchange and the Iron Cove Link is shown in Figure 5-24.

These planned and proposed connections have been determined based on the strategic road network requirements of the region. Further detail is provided in Chapter 8 (Traffic and transport) and Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

pg. 5-42