This chapter outlines the potential traffic and transport impacts associated with the M4-M5 Link project (the project). A detailed traffic and transport assessment has been prepared for the project and is included in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport). This chapter provides a summary of the technical working paper and details:

The assessment methodology and approach used to carry out the traffic and transport assessment
The existing traffic and transport environment within the study area
Future traffic and transport conditions without the project
Potential impacts of the project on the road network during construction and operation
Recommended safeguards and management measures to avoid, minimise and/or mitigate potential traffic and transport impacts.

The Secretary of the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E) has issued environmental assessment requirements for the project. These are referred to as Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs). Table 8-1 sets out these requirements and the associated desired performance outcomes as they relate to traffic and transport, and identifies where they have been addressed in this environmental impact statement (EIS).

8.1 Assessment methodology

8.1.1 Strategic transport context

The transport network in Sydney is expected to be put under increasing pressure over the next 20 years. A Plan for Growing Sydney (NSW Government 2014) indicated that from 2011 to 2031, Sydney’s population is forecast to increase from 4.3 to 5.9 million, which equates to an average of around 80,000 additional residents per year. Moreover, by 2036, the number of trips made around Sydney each day is forecast to increase by 31 per cent from 16 to 21 million vehicle movements. This growth will place increasing pressure on the NSW transport network and the key travel demand corridors connecting regional cities and major centres across the greater Sydney metropolitan area, as shown in Figure 8-1.

Key corridors currently accommodate high levels of daily traffic including freight, commuter and leisure travel. Users of these corridors frequently experience congestion and delay, particularly during weekday and weekend peak periods. Both the NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan (Transport for NSW 2012) and the State Infrastructure Strategy Update 2014 (State Infrastructure Strategy) (Infrastructure NSW 2014) identified the need to plan and invest in the future of Sydney’s motorway network, which provides vital infrastructure connections within and between key travel demand corridors. Any investment in motorway infrastructure must be aligned with supporting public and active transport initiatives to achieve an increase in capacity, while aiming to reduce the reliance on and demand for private vehicles on the future road network.

The WestConnex project is one part of a broader solution to these growing pressures. While public transport is also part of the overall transport plan, it is recognised that not all trips across Sydney can be served by public transport, especially trips to dispersed destinations, commercial trips requiring the movement of large or heavy goods/materials or trade and service-related journeys. In addition, Sydney is home to two-thirds of NSW’s manufacturing sector, with many of the state’s major aviation, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, electronics and automotive industries based in western Sydney. These businesses rely heavily on the road network and its connectivity to the port and airport precincts.

A congested road network also affects public transport; with bus travel times experiencing the same delays as other road users. Providing new, tunnel alternatives to sections of the arterial road network will improve road-based public transport travel times and provide opportunities for new rapid transit options.

For these reasons, the NSW Government is investing in light rail, metro, bus rapid transit and motorways to provide a multi-modal response to current and future transport challenges. In this context, WestConnex is also an enabler of integrated transport and land use planning, supporting the development of initiatives including The Bays Precinct and the Parramatta Road Corridor Urban Transformation Strategy.

The key strategic traffic objectives of the project are to:

Provide an efficient motorway link between the M4 and M5 motorways and improve traffic flow on the motorway network
Enable long term motorway network development, including facilitating new cross-harbour capacity and connections to Sydney’s south
Improve accessibility and reliability of commercial vehicle movement in the M4 and M5 corridors to economic centres, including to Sydney Airport and Port Botany economic zone
Improve traffic conditions and ease future congestion on the inner western and south-western network, including Parramatta Road, supporting urban regeneration and growth
Improve overall network productivity.

A detailed discussion of the strategic context and justification for the project is provided in Chapter 3 (Strategic context and project need). This includes a description of transport policies, strategies and plans that are relevant to the project and the WestConnex program of works. A description of the alternatives to the project, which explains how and why the project design was selected as the preferred option for assessment in this EIS is provided in Chapter 4 (Project development and alternatives).

Figure 8-1 Sydney travel demand corridors

8.1.2 Traffic forecasting and modelling process

The Technical working paper: Traffic and transport (Appendix H) has assessed the potential impacts of the project during construction and operation, including cumulative impacts associated with the WestConnex program of works, as well as the proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and the F6 Extension projects.

The traffic and transport impact assessment undertaken for the project consisted of three key components:

Characterising the existing traffic and transport environment within the study area using a combination of data from Transport for NSW Transport Performance and Analytics and Roads and Maritime, traffic counts and survey data. A description of the study area for the traffic and transport assessment is included in section 8.1.4
The development and application of a regional strategic traffic model; the WestConnex Road Traffic Model (WRTM), to determine the anticipated future growth in traffic on the road network in the Sydney metropolitan area, based on planned and forecast changes in population and employment, and to understand the metropolitan-wide impacts of the project
Operational modelling of the road network to determine the traffic and transport conditions in future years with and without the project on roads:
- Around the Wattle Street interchange
- On the M4-M5 Link Motorway
- Around the Rozelle interchange
- Around St Peters interchange
- Around the construction ancillary facilities during construction of the project.

The study area for the traffic and transport assessment, as well as the methodology for undertaking these key traffic and transport assessments is discussed in section 8.1.4 to section 8.1.8.

8.1.3 Relevant guidelines and policies

The following guidelines were followed in carrying out the traffic and transport assessment:

Guide to Traffic Management – Part 3 Traffic Studies and Analysis (Austroads 2013)
Traffic Modelling Guidelines (NSW Roads and Maritime Services (Roads and Maritime) 2013)
Guide to Traffic Generating Developments Version 2.2 (NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) 2002).

8.1.4 Study area

The study area for the traffic and transport assessment was informed by the forecast traffic and transport changes from the WRTM version 2.3 (WRTM v2.3), a strategic traffic model that covers the Sydney metropolitan area. The extent of the study area and the areas requiring operational modelling assessment were determined through analysis of forecast WRTM v2.3 traffic flow differences as a result of the project. This process allowed for identification of those areas of Sydney’s road network where the project was forecast to have a substantial impact (adverse or beneficial).

The study area for the traffic and transport assessment is shown in Figure 8-2 and broadly encompasses an area extending from the Parramatta River in the north to Sydney Airport in the south, and from the Eastern Distributor in the east to Haberfield and Marrickville in the west. The study area is predominantly focussed on the corridor between Haberfield and Rozelle, the corridor between Rozelle and St Peters, the corridor between Haberfield and St Peters, and the surface road networks around the Wattle Street, Rozelle and St Peters interchanges.

Changes on strategic roads outside of this study area are assessed in the Sydney metropolitan road network sections in this chapter, and those outside the operational model areas are assessed through a screenline analysis, presented in section 8.3.3. Further justification of the study area is contained in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

8.1.2 Wattle Street interchange and surrounds

The existing travel behaviours and volumes in the study area are influenced by the function of Parramatta Road as a major east-west Sydney metropolitan road corridor.

Alternative east-west arterial roads within the study area include Frederick Street/Wattle Street/Dobroyd Parade/City West Link, Queens Road/Gipps Street/Patterson Street, Ramsay Street and the Hume Highway. The Frederick Street/Wattle Street/Dobroyd Parade/City West Link corridor is a major connector between Sydney’s western and south-western suburbs and the Sydney central business district (CBD) as well as carrying high volumes of local traffic. The corridor is part of a north- east link which extends for about 13 kilometres from the intersection of Punchbowl Road and King Georges Road in Punchbowl, to join the Western Distributor at its intersection with Victoria Road. It provides an alternative route to Parramatta Road into the Sydney CBD from inner southern and inner western Sydney.

The Hume Highway, to the south of Parramatta Road, is an important metropolitan connection for both local and regional traffic. It extends from Liverpool in south western Sydney to join Parramatta Road near Summer Hill in the east.

Modes of travel

The Wattle Street interchange is within the Inner West local government area (LGA). Travel mode share for the Inner West LGA in comparison with the Sydney Greater Metropolitan Area (GMA) is shown in Table 8-5.

Table 8-5 shows that 49 per cent of trips (driver and passenger combined) on a typical weekday in the study area are car based compared to 69 per cent in the Sydney GMA. The lower proportion of residents who are dependent on car travel can be partly attributed to good public transport options in the Wattle Street interchange area and surrounds (shown in the slightly higher dependence on bus and rail travel) and the proximity of activities which are accessible by walking (32 per cent of trips in the Inner West LGA are walk only, compared to 18 per cent in the Sydney GMA).

Table 8-5 Average weekday travel mode share for Inner West LGA and the Sydney GMA

LGA	Private vehicles			Rail	Bus	Walk only	Other modes
LGA	Driver	Passenger	Total	Rail	Bus	Walk only	Other modes
Inner West LGA	36%	13%	49%	7%	8%	32%	5%
Sydney GMA	47%	22%	69%	5%	6%	18%	2%

Note:

Inner West Council data has been derived by combining data from the former Leichhardt, Ashfield and Marrickville LGA’s Source: NSW Bureau of Transport Statistics (BTS), Household Travel Survey Report: Sydney 2012/13, Nov 2014 Release

Public transport services

Rail services

The Wattle Street interchange area and surrounding suburbs are serviced by the Northern, Western, Inner West and South Rail Lines. Ashfield Station is the closest rail station and is around 1.5 kilometres to the south.

To the north, North Strathfield Station is serviced by the Northern Line which provides limited stops services to the Sydney CBD. To the south, up to 10 stations are serviced by one or more of the Inner West, South, Western or Northern Lines. Additionally, limited stop express services to the Sydney CBD can be boarded at Flemington, Strathfield, Burwood, and Ashfield stations. Homebush and Croydon stations are served exclusively by Inner West Line all stops services.

Bus services

The bus network close to the Wattle Street interchange and surrounds includes Metrobus M41: Hurstville to Macquarie Park strategic north–south bus corridor and Route 461: Burwood to the Sydney CBD strategic east–west bus route, which runs along Parramatta Road. There are several bus routes that operate within particular sections of the Wattle Street interchange and surrounds area via train station hubs, such as Strathfield, Burwood and Ashfield. Specifically, the following bus routes utilise sections of Parramatta Road between Homebush Bay Drive and Wattle Street:

Routes 525 and 526 travel along Parramatta Road between Underwood Road and Concord Road
Route 461, Burwood to The Domain, operates along Parramatta Road from Burwood Road to Broadway
Route 415, Chiswick to Burwood, which runs along Parramatta Road between Burwood Road and Harris Road
Routes 490 and 492, Drummoyne to Hurstville and Rockdale, utilises the section of Parramatta Road between Arlington Street and Great North Road
Route 491, Five Dock to Hurstville, utilises the section of Parramatta Road between Great North Road and Frederick Street.

In addition, there are a further six Sydney metropolitan bus region routes that intersect Parramatta Road between Homebush Bay Drive and Wattle Street during peak periods.

Walking and cycling facilities

Details of existing walking and cycling facilities can be found in Appendix N (Technical working paper: Active transport strategy).

Existing traffic volumes and patterns

Automatic traffic count (ATC) surveys were completed between 2012 and 2014 to understand and analyse existing traffic volumes and patterns at the Wattle Street interchange and surrounds. Specifically, classified hourly traffic volumes at the following roadway locations were recorded over a one-week period:

Parramatta Road west of Wattle Street
Ramsay Road between Henley Marine Drive and Wolseley Street
Dobroyd Parade east of Timbrell Drive
Parramatta Road at Hawthorne Canal.

The AM peak hour, PM peak hour and average weekday traffic (AWT) volumes at each of these survey locations are summarised in Table 8-6.

Table 8-6 Average peak mid-block traffic volumes at key locations around the Wattle Street interchange and surrounds (2014 count data)

Source: WestConnex Delivery Authority traffic surveys (2012 – 2014)

On Parramatta Road, peak period traffic volumes show similar trends to daily figures with a fairly ‘flat’ profile of traffic throughout the day between the AM peak and PM peak periods. At the Hawthorne Canal, there are clear changes in peak direction between the AM peak hour and the PM peak hour, with more vehicles travelling towards the city in the AM peak hour, and more vehicles travelling away from the city in the PM peak hour.

During the AM peak hour, the traffic volume on Dobroyd Parade is similar in both directions, while during the PM peak hour, the eastbound volume is indicated as higher. This was due to congested traffic conditions. The surveyed volumes therefore only represent the satisfied demand and, due to downstream congestion and queueing at this location, underestimate the actual demand.

Existing road network performance

Network performance

Table 8-7 presents the performance of the modelled road network for Wattle Street and surrounds during the AM and PM peak hours. The Parramatta Road corridor currently functions under high levels of traffic demand, with the demand often exceeding the capacity of the road, especially eastbound during the AM peak period. This results in congested conditions and long queues and delays during peak periods.

An exception is east of Bland Street, where citybound Parramatta Road volumes in the AM peak are lower due to congestion at the Wattle Street intersection holding back traffic flow. Northbound congestion is also evident on Dobroyd Parade, reflecting citybound demand in the AM peak.

A similar pattern is evidenced in the PM peak although congestion is recorded in both directions. East of Bland Street, westbound traffic flows relatively well due to an extra lane on Parramatta Road (west of Dalhousie Street), and congestion at the Hume Highway intersection that holds back westbound traffic.

Table 8-7 Wattle Street interchange modelled network performance – 2015 AM and PM peak hour

Network measure	AM peak hour	PM peak hour
All vehicles
Total traffic demand (veh)	13,233	13,559
Total vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	25,663	27,377
Total time travelled approaching and in network (hr)	1,731	1,504
Total vehicles arrived	13,191	13,559
Total number of stops	244,016	183,725

Network measure AM peak hour PM peak hour
Average per vehicle
Average vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	1.7	1.8
Average time travelled in network (mins)	7.0	5.9
Average number of stops	14.8	11.0
Average speed (km/h)	14.9	18.3
Unreleased vehicles
Unreleased demand (veh)	41	0
% of total traffic demand	0%	0%

Intersection performance

For the purpose of assessing intersection performance, all exit blocking constraints, applied in the microsimulation models to reflect network congestion beyond the modelled network extents, were removed. This allows for an assessment of intersections within the modelled network, irrespective of downstream queueing that masks the actual operation of the intersection. The assessment undertaken in the M4 East EIS used a different methodology; therefore intersection results at the Wattle Street interchange are not directly comparable.

Table 8-8 presents the modelled AM and PM peak hour LoS for key intersections in the vicinity of the Wattle Street interchange. The intersection performance analysis demonstrates that most of the key intersections perform acceptably in the AM peak hour, with the exception of the Parramatta Road and Wattle Street intersection. In the PM peak hour, results indicate that key intersections operate to an acceptable level under existing demand.

Table 8-8 Wattle Street interchange: key intersection performance (LOS) – 2015 AM and PM peak hour

Key intersections	AM peak hour	PM peak hour
Parramatta Road/Sloane Street	B	B
Parramatta Road/Liverpool Road	C	B
Parramatta Road/Dalhousie Street	B	B
Parramatta Road/Bland Street	B	B
Parramatta Road/Wattle Street	E	D
Parramatta Road/Great North Road	B	B
Parramatta Road/Arlington Street	B	B
Frederick Street/Church Street	B	B
Wattle Street/Ramsay Street	C	C
Dobroyd Parade/Waratah Street	A	A
City West Link/Timbrell Drive	C	D

Traffic crashes

An analysis of traffic crashes was carried out for Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road. The crash analysis considered relies on data recorded, with all crashes conforming to the national guidelines for reporting and classifying road vehicle crashes. The main criteria for these crashes are:

The crash was reported to police
The crash occurred on a public road
The crash involved at least one moving vehicle
The crash involved at least one person being killed or injured or at least one motor vehicle being towed away.

Table 8-9 summarises the crash history for the past five years (01 January 2012 – 31 December 2016) on Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road.

Table 8-9 Parramatta Road from Wattle Street to City Road: crash statistics (Jan 2012 to Dec 2016)

Road	Section from	Section to	Crashes
Road	Section from	Section to	Total	Fatal	Injury	Tow- away
Parramatta Road	Wattle Street	Broadway	539	0	404	135

Source: Summarised from crash reports, 2017

The average crash severity index on Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road is about 1.37, which is above the average for NSW (1.24) and the Sydney Metropolitan Area (1.22), as presented in Table 8-10.

Table 8-10 Parramatta Road from Wattle Street to City Road: crash severity indices (Jan 2012 to Dec 2016)

Road	Section from	Section to	Crash severity index
Parramatta Road	Wattle Street	City Road	1.37
NSW \| Sydney Metropolitan Averages – all roads (2010–2014)
NSW			1.24
Sydney Metropolitan Area			1.22

Source: Summarised from crash reports, 2017

The latest available data (for the 12 month period ending December 2013) show average fatality and injury rates across the Sydney Metropolitan Area of 0.2 and 29.4 per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled (MVKT) respectively.

Table 8-11 indicates that the occurrence of injury crashes is higher on Parramatta Road from Wattle Street to City Road, compared to the Sydney Metropolitan Area average, while fatal and tow-away crashes are lower. In particular, tow-away crash rates are significantly lower, with a tow-away crash rate of about 18 crashes per 100 MVKT compared with about 39 crashes per 100 MVKT for the Sydney Metropolitan Area.

Table 8-11 Parramatta Road from Wattle Street to City Road: crash rates per 100 MVKT (Jan 2012 to Dec 2016)

Source: Summarised from crash reports, 2017

Table 8-12 provides details of the crash costs for Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road. Average crash costs based on crash severity have been calculated using the Roads and Maritime Economic Analysis Manual (Economic Parameters for 2009). The crash costs presented in this report are based on a ‘willingness to pay’ approach. Willingness to pay values for road safety reflect the accumulated value the NSW community is willing to pay or forgo in exchange for a reduction in the probability of crash related injuries and deaths on NSW roads.

Table 8-12 Parramatta Road from Wattle Street to City Road: crash costs (Jan 2012 to Dec 2016)

Source: Summarised from crash reports, 2017

8.2.3 Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor

The Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor connects the M4 Motorway to the Sydney CBD and the north. East of the Wattle Street interchange, east–west traffic movement is focused on Dobroyd Parade/City West Link and Parramatta Road. City West Link then combines with Victoria Road and links to Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor to provide the main east-west movement to the east of the Rozelle interchange. Other routes from the Wattle Street interchange area to the Sydney CBD include along Great North Road/Lyons Road, Victoria Road and then Anzac Bridge.

Parramatta Road, as part of the corridor between the proposed Wattle Street interchange and the Sydney CBD, forms part of the Parramatta to Sydney CBD via Strathfield travel demand corridor.

Existing traffic volumes and patterns

Mid-block traffic volumes

ATC surveys presented in Table 8-6 included locations on Parramatta Road within the Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor. The Parramatta Road corridor accommodates consistently high volumes of travel demand, with volumes consistent through an average weekday, both during and between the AM and PM peak periods. Victoria Road, in this area, also forms part of the Parramatta to Sydney CBD via Ryde travel demand corridor. This corridor is also one of the most congested road corridors in Sydney and one of Sydney’s busiest bus corridors.

Table 8-13 provides the AM peak hour, PM peak hour and AWT flows for the key roads within the Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor. Count data was taken from 2014 to 2016 surveys. At some locations, only peak hour volumes were available.

Table 8-13 Average peak mid-block traffic volumes at key locations within the Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor (2014–2016 count data)

Source: Roads and Maritime traffic surveys (2014 – 2016)

Existing road network performance

Average speed and travel times on Wattle Street/City West Link, Parramatta Road and Victoria Road are shown in Table 8-14. The low speeds and long travel times across both AM and PM peaks indicate the peak hour congestion currently experienced along the Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor.

Table 8-14 Average speed and travel times along key roads within the Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor (2016 survey data)

8.2.7 Wattle Street interchange to St Peters interchange corridor

The Wattle Street interchange to St Peters interchange corridor connects the M4 and M5 motorways. There is a primary freight route between these interchange sites that extends along Parramatta Road, Old Canterbury Road, Railway Terrace, Gordon Street, Livingstone Road, Sydenham Road, Gleeson Avenue and Railway Road before connecting to Princes Highway. While this classified as a primary freight route, its use is restricted to heavy vehicles under 19 metres. An alternative route runs along Parramatta Road, Stanmore Road and Edgeware Road.

Existing traffic volumes and patterns

Table 8-39 provides 2012 AM peak hour, PM peak hour and AWT flows on Sydenham Road in Marrickville, along the primary freight route. The table indicates clear changes in peak direction between the AM peak hour and the PM peak hour, with more vehicles travelling eastbound in the AM peak hour, and more vehicles travelling westbound in the PM peak hour. The survey data also indicates a high heavy vehicle percentage, which is high through the day. This is consistent with the use of this route by freight vehicles, which may try and travel outside of peak traffic periods.

Table 8-39 Average peak mid-block traffic volumes at key locations within the Wattle Street interchange to St Peters interchange corridor (2012 count data)

Source: Roads and Maritime traffic survey (2012)

Existing road network performance

Average speeds and travel times on the primary freight route, described above, within the Wattle Street interchange to St Peters interchange corridor are shown in Table 8-40. The low speeds and long travel times indicate the peak hour congestion currently experienced along this route.

Table 8-40 Average speed and average travel time along key roads within the Wattle Street interchange to St Peters interchange corridor (2016 survey data)

8.3 Assessment of potential impacts

8.3.1 Construction

During construction, the project may affect the surrounding road network as a result of:

Construction vehicles using the surface road network, especially heavy vehicles transporting spoil
Surface road works, requiring temporary traffic, cyclist and/or pedestrian diversions, road occupation and temporary road closures
Temporary changes to speed limits.

Overview of construction traffic and vehicle routes

Construction of the project would result in additional heavy and light vehicle movements on the road network in three broad categories:

Removal of spoil generated by construction activities
Heavy vehicle deliveries and other heavy vehicles involved in construction activities
Light vehicle movements associated with construction of the project.

Construction traffic routes for the project would use the existing motorway and arterial road network as much as possible, reducing traffic related impacts on local roads.

Spoil would be transported from construction ancillary facilities to spoil management locations, generally along arterial roads and the M4 East Motorway, the New M5 Motorway, the M5 East Motorway and the M5 South West Motorway.

Construction traffic management and access

Construction traffic generation and distribution

The project would generate around four million cubic metres of spoil, the majority of which would be generated from excavation of the tunnels. As such, the primary facilities for receipt and dispatch of spoil would be the tunnel construction sites.

The project would seek to reuse at least 95 per cent of uncontaminated spoil, either within the project or at other locations. Where reasonable and practicable, spoil would be managed according to the following hierarchy:

Minimisation of spoil generation through design and management
Reuse of spoil within the project
Beneficial reuse of spoil outside the project
Where reuse is not possible, disposal of spoil would be the last resort.

Five potential sites have been identified for receiving excess spoil from the project, as summarised in Table 8-41. Negotiations for the final destination(s) for excess spoil would be carried out during detailed design, and may include one or more of the sites listed in Table 8-41 or other alternatives.

Table 8-41 Potential spoil management sites

Spoil management site	Location	Distance from the project (kilometres)	Capacity for site to accept spoil (m3)
Horsley Park (manufacturing facility)	Wallgrove Road at Horsley Park	About 40	Capacity for all project spoil
Blacktown Waste Services (landfill)	920 Richmond Road at Marsden Park	About 45	250,000
Sakkara Development (industrial estate)	Riverstone Parade at Riverstone	About 45	3,500,00
Kurnell Landfill	330 Captain Cook Drive at Kurnell	About 20	7,000,000
Moorebank Intermodal Terminal Precinct	Moorebank Avenue, Moorebank	About 30	2,500,000

Note: The Horsley Park spoil management site is a manufacturing facility and currently does not have a definitive limit for the amount of spoil it can receive.

Indicative haulage routes from the construction ancillary facilities are shown in Chapter 6 (Construction work) and in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport). Spoil haulage routes would be confirmed during detailed design. Delivery of concrete to support tunnel construction would originate from batching plants close to the project footprint, although other sources may also be required. Other materials required for construction would, where available, originate from within the Sydney region and surrounds and would be delivered by vehicles using the arterial road network to access the various construction sites.

Table 8-42 provides details of light and heavy vehicle volumes predicted to arrive and depart from construction ancillary facilities during a typical AM peak hour, PM peak hour and daily period. Light vehicles are comprised of passenger and commercial vehicles. The table shows that the highest volumes of heavy and light construction vehicles are forecast at the Rozelle civil and tunnel site (C5). Construction vehicles would use the M4 East and New M5 tunnels at Haberfield and St Peters rather than the surface road network, wherever possible.

The daily and peak hour volumes shown in Table 8-42 are based around targeted spoil haulage between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm. However, 24 hour spoil haulage would be required during tunnelling at five construction ancillary facilities, and the table shows indicative heavy vehicle volumes for these sites. Spoil haulage would only occur during standard daytime construction hours at the Darley Road civil and tunnel site to minimise heavy vehicle movements at night at this location. The peak hour

identified is representative of highest estimated construction volumes and falls within the broader peak periods experienced on the network.

Construction workforce parking

A number of the project’s staff and labour force would be expected to drive to construction sites and would therefore require car parking. The number of construction personnel requiring parking would vary over the duration of the construction program.

It is anticipated that construction workforce parking would be primarily provided at the following sites:

Northcote Street civil site (C3a) – around 150 car parking spaces (Option A)
Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b) – around 140 car parking spaces (Option B)
Rozelle civil and tunnel site (C5) – around 400 car parking spaces
Campbell Road civil and tunnel site (C10) – around 150 car parking spaces.

These facilities would be used to provide worker parking and shuttle bus transfers to other nearby construction sites.

Due to the generally constrained nature of the other construction sites, only minimal car parking for construction workers would be provided at these locations. Typically, these sites would provide between four to 20 parking spaces intended to be used by engineers and other construction management staff. Parking of construction-related vehicles in adjacent local roads would occur, particularly during site establishment.

The construction workforce would be encouraged to use public transport. Victoria Road and Parramatta Road are major transport corridors that have multiple bus routes. The Inner West Light Rail Line runs along the southern side of City West Link with stops near the Rozelle Rail Yards at Rozelle Bay and Lilyfield; and at the Darley Road civil and tunnel site (Leichhardt North light rail stop). The T3 Bankstown Line stops at St Peters Station around 800 metres north of the Campbell Road civil and tunnel site. However, workers starting or ending shifts very early or very late would be more likely to use private vehicles.

A car parking strategy would be developed as part of the Construction Traffic and Access Management Plan (CTAMP) to limit impacts on parking for the surrounding communities. The strategy would be developed in consultation with local councils and stakeholders associated with public facilities adjacent to project sites, as well as with the M4 East and New M5 contractors (where relevant) to identify opportunities to access parking during their respective construction periods and once those periods are completed.

The car parking strategy would include items such as forecasting of construction parking demand, review of existing parking supply and use on local streets in the area, impact on existing parking, consultation activities and proposed mitigation measures, such as management of workforce parking and transport, alternative parking arrangements and communication and engagement. This would include the identification of areas where there are high levels of existing parking demand around the construction ancillary facilities and works sites and identifying alternative car parking sites for use by the construction workforce. Processes for monitoring, reporting and corrective actions would also be part of the strategy.

Table 8-42 Indicative daily and peak period construction traffic volumes

Notes:

1: Spoil haulage would occur 24 hours per day, seven days per week

2: Indicative daily, AM and PM peak hour construction traffic volumes for a cumulative impact scenario where a section of the Rozelle civil and tunnel site (C5) is handed over for use for construction of the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project are included in Table 8-42. These indicative construction traffic volumes have been used to carry out the cumulative construction traffic impact assessment in Chapter 26 (Cumulative impacts)

Access routes

The proposed access routes to the construction ancillary facilities are summarised in Table 8-43 and shown in Chapter 6 (Construction work). Wherever possible, access is proposed to be gained directly from major arterial roads. The project is also investigating the use of a marshalling area for spoil trucks to further assist in staggering the arrival of vehicles to site. This would be located in a non- residential area and in close proximity to the arterial road network and construction ancillary facilities where tunnelling would occur. This measure would assist in preventing queuing and parking of heavy vehicles on local roads in the vicinity of the project.

The distribution of light vehicles across the road network would be more varied. For the purposes of this assessment, light vehicle trips have been considered on top of background traffic and distributed accordingly. For all sites, except for the Campbell Road civil and tunnel site (C10), the distribution of access is assumed to be via the M4 Motorway, Victoria Road, Anzac Bridge and Parramatta Road, with the proportion via each varying for each site. For the Campbell Road civil and tunnel site (C10), access for light vehicles is assumed to be divided equally between access from the Princes Highway from the north and the south.

Table 8-43 Indicative access routes to and from construction ancillary facilities

Site	Access and egress points
Site	Heavy vehicles1	Light vehicles
Wattle Street civil and tunnel site (C1a)	Parramatta Road then Wattle Street via M4-M5 Link entry and exit ramps	Parramatta Road then Wattle Street northern (eastbound) carriageway (right in, right out)
Haberfield civil and tunnel site (C2a)	Below ground: via the WestConnex M4 East tunnels Above ground: Wattle Street (left-in, left-out)	Wattle Street southern westbound) carriageway (left-in, left-out) Walker Avenue Parramatta Road
Northcote Street civil site (C3a)	Parramatta Road (left-in, left- out)	Wolseley Street Wattle Street (left-out)
Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b)	Parramatta Road (left-in, left- out) Alt Street (crossover between sites only)	Parramatta Road (left-in, left-out) Alt Street
Haberfield civil site (C2b)	Wattle Street (left-in, left-out) Parramatta Road (left-in, left- out)	Wattle Street (left-in, left-out) Parramatta Road (left-in, left-out) Walker Avenue (left-in, left-out)
Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b)	Parramatta Road (left-in, left- out)	Parramatta Road (left-in, left-out) Alt Street Bland Street
Darley Road civil and tunnel site (C4)	City West Link then Darley Road2	City West Link then Darley Road
Rozelle civil and tunnel site (C5)	City West Link (left-in from eastbound carriageway, right- out to westbound carriageway)	Lilyfield Road
The Crescent civil site (C6)	The Crescent (left-in, right-out)	The Crescent
Victoria Road civil site (C7)	Victoria Road (left-in, left-out)	Victoria Road (left in, left out) Hornsey Street

Site	Access and egress points
Site	Heavy vehicles1	Light vehicles
Iron Cove Link civil site (C8)	Victoria Road (left-in, left-out)	Victoria Road (left-in, left-out)
Pyrmont Bridge Road tunnel site (C9)	Parramatta Road (left-in) Pyrmont Bridge Road (left-out)	Pyrmont Bridge Road
Campbell Road civil and tunnel site (C10)	Albert Street via Campbell Road and Princes Highway	Albert Street via Campbell Road

Notes:

Some use of local roads by heavy vehicles delivering materials and/or equipment may also be required, however this would be minimised as far as practicable.
Spoil haulage vehicles would enter and exit the Darley Road civil and tunnel site (C4) via City West Link.

Construction ancillary facilities

Twelve construction ancillary facilities are described and assessed in this EIS (see Table 8-44). The construction ancillary facilities would be used for a combination of civil surface works, tunnelling and tunnelling support, construction workforce parking and administrative purposes.

The number, location and layout of construction ancillary facilities would be finalised as part of detailed construction planning during detailed design and would meet the environmental performance outcomes stated in the EIS and the Submissions and Preferred Infrastructure Report and satisfy criteria identified in any relevant conditions of approval.

To assist in informing the development of a construction methodology that would manage constructability constraints and the need for construction to occur in a safe and efficient manner, while minimising impacts on local communities, the environment, and users of the surrounding road and other transport networks, two possible combinations of construction ancillary facilities at Haberfield and Ashfield have been assessed in this EIS. The construction ancillary facilities that comprise these options have been grouped together in this EIS and are denoted by the suffix a (for Option A) or b (for Option B) eg C1a Wattle Street civil and tunnel site. Although both of these options have been assessed in this EIS, only one of these options would be used during construction.

Table 8-44 Proposed construction ancillary facilities

Construction ancillary facility
Option A
C1a	Wattle Street civil and tunnel site
C2a	Haberfield civil and tunnel site*
C3a	Northcote Street civil site
Option B
C1b	Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site
C2b	Haberfield civil site*
C3b	Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site
Both options
C4	Darley Road civil and tunnel site
C5	Rozelle civil and tunnel site
C6	The Crescent civil site
C7	Victoria Road civil site
C8	Iron Cove Link civil site

C9	Pyrmont Bridge Road tunnel site
C10	Campbell Road civil and tunnel site

Surface construction, including road works, and the establishment of construction ancillary facilities may result in traffic related impacts, including:

Alterations to:
- Existing property access
- Existing pedestrian and cyclist access and movements
- Location of existing bus stops
- Local traffic environment
Temporary road closures
Temporary impacts on bus stop locations
Temporary changes to pedestrian and cyclist access and movements.

Where applicable, these impacts have been assessed for each of the areas where surface construction, including road works, would occur. Construction ancillary facility locations are shown in Figure 8-8.

Haberfield Option A – Wattle Street civil and tunnel site (C1a)

Location and construction activities

The Wattle Street civil and tunnel site (C1a) would be located above and below ground along Wattle Street at Haberfield between Parramatta Road and Ramsay Street. This construction ancillary facility would use land above ground that is currently being used as a construction site for the M4 East project.

Roadheaders would be launched below ground from the Wattle Street entry and exit ramps to excavate the tunnels that would connect the Wattle Street entry and exit ramps with the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels. Works at this site would also be supported by the facilities at Haberfield civil and tunnel site (C2a) and car parking and laydown at Northcote Street civil site (C3a).

Spoil handling on the site would occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Where practical, spoil would be removed during the day, outside of peak periods. Reasonable and practicable management strategies would be investigated to minimise the volume of heavy vehicle movements at night. The construction activities at this location are expected to occur between 2019 and 2022.

Entry and exit

The Wattle Street interchange entry and exit ramps that will be constructed as part of the M4 East project would be used for spoil removal. Heavy vehicles would enter the site via the eastbound entry ramp, be loaded with spoil underground within the tunnels, and then exit the site to Wattle Street via the westbound exit ramp. Light vehicles would enter and exit the site via a left-in/left-out arrangement off the eastbound Wattle Street carriageway.

Local road impacts

No traffic or access impacts are expected on surrounding local roads with heavy and light vehicle access and egress taken directly to and from Wattle Street.

Haberfield Option A – Haberfield civil and tunnel site (C2a)

Location and construction activities

The Haberfield civil and tunnel site (C2a) would be located above and below ground around the south-eastern corner of the Parramatta Road and Wattle Street intersection, extending along Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and Walker Avenue. This construction ancillary facility would use land above ground that is currently being used as a construction ancillary facility for the M4 East project.

The below ground section of the Haberfield civil and tunnel site would be within the M4 East tunnel stubs being built by the M4 East project and would support tunnelling of the mainline tunnels. The above ground section of the site would be used to support civil construction of a substation, and fitout of permanent operational infrastructure including the Parramatta Road ventilation facility (being constructed as part of the M4 East project).

Roadheaders would be launched from this site below ground to excavate the mainline tunnels. Spoil handling on the site would occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Excavated spoil from tunnelling would only be stockpiled within the tunnels. The construction activities at this location are expected to occur between 2019 and 2022.

Entry and exit

Trucks would enter the eastbound stub tunnel from the M4 East mainline tunnels, be loaded with spoil, and exit to the westbound M4 East mainline tunnels. No tunnel spoil would be removed to the surface via the Haberfield civil and tunnel site – all spoil would be transported below ground via the M4 East mainline tunnels.

Heavy vehicles delivering materials and equipment would enter and exit the surface section of the Haberfield civil and tunnel site via the westbound Wattle Street carriageways. Light vehicles would enter and exit the site via the westbound Wattle Street carriageways, the southbound Parramatta Road carriageways, and via Walker Avenue.

Local road impacts

About 90 daily light vehicle trips are expected to access the site distributed between three access points. The impact on Walker Avenue is expected to be minor given light vehicle trips would be dispersed between the access points, and the alternative access points from this site are from the arterial road network. Workforce car parking for this site would also be located at the Northcote Street civil site (C3a).

Haberfield Option A – Northcote Street civil site (C3a)

Location and construction activities

The Northcote Street civil site (C3a) at Haberfield would be located between Wattle Street and Wolseley Street at Haberfield. This construction ancillary facility would use land that is currently being used as a construction ancillary facility for the M4 East project. The site would be used for construction workforce parking and to support construction activities at the nearby civil and tunnel sites, including laydown and storage of materials.

The use of the laydown area and light vehicle parking would occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reasonable and practicable management strategies would be investigated to minimise the volume of heavy vehicles using the laydown area at night. The construction activities at this location are expected to occur between 2019 and 2022.

Entry and exit

Heavy vehicles would enter and exit the site to and from Parramatta Road. Light vehicles would enter the site via Wolseley Street and an egress only point for light vehicles would be provided on to Wattle Street. During construction, Northcote Street would be closed at the intersection with Parramatta Road and the site would occupy around 100 metres of Northcote Street east of Parramatta Road. Northcote Street would be reopened to Parramatta Road when construction is complete.

Local road impacts

Wolseley Street is a local road and around 150 daily light vehicle trips are expected to access the site. While these trips would only access the site from Wolseley Street with egress onto Wattle Street, there is likely to be a minor impact on Wolseley Street during construction as these trips would be dispersed to correspond with shift start and end times. No heavy vehicle impacts are expected on local roads with heavy vehicle access and egress taken directly to and from Parramatta Road.

Haberfield and Ashfield Option B – Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b)

Location and construction activities

The Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b) would be located west of Parramatta Road from around Alt Street to Bland Street at Ashfield. The site would be used for tunnelling support during construction and would include temporary site offices, a workshop and storage facilities, a laydown area, entry and exit points for construction traffic, a temporary substation, temporary ventilation for the tunnels, a temporary water treatment plant and sediment pond, workforce amenities and car parking. A construction site for the M4 East project is located south of Bland Street on the western side of Parramatta Road. The construction activities at this location are expected to occur between 2018 and 2022.

Entry and exit

Construction traffic would enter and exit the site to and from the western (northbound) carriageway of Parramatta Road via new driveways. There would also be a vehicle cross-over point on Alt Street to allow construction vehicles to move between the parts of this site that are on the northern and southern sides of Alt Street.

Local road impacts

Heavy vehicle impacts on local roads would be minimised with heavy vehicle access and egress taken directly to and from Parramatta Road. The cross-over on Alt Street is likely to cause minor impacts on motorists and pedestrians using Alt Street when construction vehicles are moving between the sites. These minor impacts would be minimised through construction traffic management measures (see section 8.5). Due to existing property driveways being able to be augmented for use during construction, there would be no loss of on-street parking on Alt Street or Bland Street, west of Parramatta Road.

Haberfield and Ashfield Option B – Haberfield civil site (C2b)

Location and construction activities

The Haberfield civil site would be located around the south-eastern corner of the Parramatta Road and Wattle Street intersection, extending along Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and Walker Avenue. This construction ancillary facility would use land that is currently being used as a construction ancillary facility for the M4 East project. The Haberfield civil site (C2b) would be used to support civil construction of a substation, and fitout of permanent operational infrastructure including the Parramatta Road ventilation facility (being constructed as part of the M4 East project). The site would include temporary site offices, workshop and storage facilities, laydown areas, ingress and egress for heavy and light vehicles, workforce amenities and car parking. The construction activities at this location are expected to occur between 2018 and 2022.

Entry and exit

Heavy vehicles delivering materials and equipment would enter and exit the site via the westbound Wattle Street carriageways. Light vehicles would enter and exit the site via Wattle Street and Walker Avenue.

Local road impacts

While Walker Avenue is a local road, around 90 daily light vehicle trips are expected to be accessing the site, and these trips are distributed between three access points. Therefore, the impact on Walker Avenue would be minor. The majority of workforce car parking for this area would be located at the Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b).

Haberfield and Ashfield Option B – Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b)

Location and construction activities

The Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b) would be located east of Parramatta Road at Haberfield between Alt Street and Bland Street. The Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b) would be used to support tunnelling construction activities that would occur at the Parramatta Road West civil site (C1b), and to provide construction workforce parking. The site would include temporary site offices, ingress and egress for light vehicles, workforce amenities and car parking. The construction activities at this location are expected to occur between 2018 and 2022.

Entry and exit

Heavy vehicles delivering materials and equipment would enter and exit via the southbound Parramatta Road carriageways. In addition to using the Parramatta Road access, light vehicles would also be able to enter and exit the site using the Alt Street and Bland Street access points.

Local road impacts

With about 150 daily light vehicle trips expected, split between the three access points, the potential impact on Alt Street and Bland Street would be minor. Due to existing property driveways, there would be no loss of on-street parking on Alt Street or Bland Street, east of Parramatta Road.

Intersection level of service

The intersection performance results for the road network under the 2021 ‘without construction’ and ‘with construction’ forecast traffic volumes for the AM and PM peak are summarised in Table 8-47 and Table 8-48. These intersection levels of service are not directly comparable to those presented in the operational modelling results, as those had exit blocking constraints, applied in the microsimulation models to reflect network congestion beyond the modelled network extents, removed.

The intersections assessed were grouped into six corridors (or clusters). A summary of the construction traffic impacts within each of these clusters is provided in the following sections. Detailed discussion on the potential impacts within each cluster is provided in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

Cluster 1: Parramatta Road and Wattle Street corridors at Haberfield

Cluster 1 consists of the following intersections:

Parramatta Road/Harris Road
Parramatta Road/Croydon Road/Arlington Street
Parramatta Road/Great North Road
Parramatta Road/Frederick Street/Wattle Street
Parramatta Road/Bland Street
Wattle Street/Ramsay Street
Dobroyd Parade/Waratah Street
Dobroyd Parade/Timbrell Drive/Mortley Avenue.

The construction modelling forecasts a number of intersections to operate with high levels of delay (LoS E or F) in the ‘without construction’ scenario. In the ‘with construction’ scenario, the performance at most intersections along Parramatta Road is impacted, with larger impacts forecast to occur at the intersections along Wattle Street and Dobroyd Parade. Management and mitigation measures for construction traffic impacts are outlined in section 8.5.

Table 8-47 Option A – 2021 AM peak hour intersection operational performance summary

Notes: 1Traffic volume rounded to nearest 10

Table 8-48 Option A – 2021 PM peak hour intersection operational performance summary

Notes: 1Traffic volume rounded to nearest 10

Location	Indicative road network modifications	Indicative duration	Road reinstatement
Wattle Street interchange	Northcote Street would be closed at the intersection with Parramatta Road for the duration of construction. This would be a continuation of the current closure of this section of Northcote Street to facilitate construction of the M4 East project	Until completion of tunnel works in 2022	Once construction is complete, the Northcote Street/Parramatta Road intersection would be reinstated

The construction of major infrastructure in constrained urban environments requires detailed consideration of the staging of construction works. There are three key areas of the project which will require the preparation of detailed traffic staging plans during construction:

Victoria Road/City West Link/Anzac Bridge approach intersection – reconstructing the intersection to accommodate existing connectivity, the new M4 East Motorway/Iron Cove Link to Anzac Bridge connections and construction of a new bridge at Victoria Road
City West Link/The Crescent intersection – realigning The Crescent to the west, building a new bridge over Whites Creek and modifying the intersection
Victoria Road at Iron Cove – realigning the westbound (southern) carriageway of Victoria Road to create sufficient space to build new tunnel portals and entry and exit ramps for the Iron Cove Link.

These works would be undertaken on parts of the arterial road network that are heavily trafficked and which provide important network connectivity. To construct these works would require the implementation of multiple traffic stages that meet the requirements of the construction contractor, Roads and Maritime, Transport Management Centre (TMC) and other key stakeholders. The traffic staging would likely require the creation of temporary carriageways, intersections and bridges offline from the existing road infrastructure to enable the construction of the new works and the switching of traffic.

Temporary closures and diversions, outside of peak hours would be required and would be undertaken following consultation with the TMC. Staging arrangements would be confirmed by the construction contractor during detailed design.

In preparing the traffic staging plans during construction the key considerations would include:

Maintaining a safe environment for the public and the construction workforce
Maintaining traffic and lane capacity, including bus or transit lane capacity, on the arterial road network particularly during peak periods
Minimising delays to motorists utilising the affected parts of the arterial road network
Undertaking the works efficiently to minimise the duration of traffic impacts
Maintaining the safety of motorists, members of the public and construction personnel
Minimising impacts on public transport services and providing alternative arrangements where necessary
Minimising impacts on key active transport links and providing alternative arrangements where necessary.

Traffic crashes

Construction traffic volumes are expected to be low when compared to existing traffic volumes on key arterial roads connecting to the construction ancillary facility locations. The greatest increase is forecast to occur on City West Link west of the City West Link/James Street intersection where, as a worst-case scenario, construction would generate around 110 vehicles during the AM peak hour and around 220 vehicles in the PM peak hour. Compared to existing traffic volumes, total construction traffic would be the equivalent of around three per cent of peak hour traffic on City West Link at this location during the AM peak hour and five per cent of existing peak hour volumes in the PM peak hour.

The volume of traffic generated by construction is expected to be low compared to existing traffic. The effects of this short-term increase on the existing road network is not expected to substantially impact road safety in and around the study area, although there is still a risk with construction traffic interacting with general traffic, with elevated risk when construction-related vehicles are entering and leaving construction sites.

Foreseen impacts on road safety for all users during construction would be mitigated as much as possible through the provision of a CTAMP and would include the development of construction staging and temporary works that minimises conflicts with the existing road network and maximises spatial separation between work areas and travel lanes. Further management measures that would be incorporated in the CTAMP are detailed in section 8.5.3.

Public transport services

An increase in vehicles on the road network during the construction period is forecast to result in some increased delays at certain intersections. Heavy vehicle volumes would increase along major roads. The following impacts on public transport services in these areas would potentially be experienced:

Buses:

Similar to general traffic, there would be an increase in bus travel times due to slower travel speeds and increased intersection delays. This would be partially mitigated by the presence of bus lanes along Victoria Road and Parramatta Road to be installed as part of the M4 East project (refer to condition of approval B34 for the M4 East project for details on the provision of bus lanes along Parramatta Road)
Longer travel times to and from bus stops by supplementary travel modes (eg car passenger, walking to/from bus stops) due to an increase in traffic volumes, slower travel speeds and increased intersection delays
Reduced amenity for bus users waiting at stops.

The traffic assessment has identified bus stops that would require relocation during construction for safety reasons, comprising

The bus stops on The Crescent (northbound and southbound) at Annandale near the intersection with City West Link would be moved south towards Johnston Street to allow for construction along The Crescent. The northbound bus stop would be permanently moved south to accommodate the new alignment. The southbound bus stop would be reinstated in generally the same location. Alternative access from The Crescent to the Rozelle Bay light rail stop would also be provided during construction
Three bus stops on Victoria Road (two on the northbound side and one on the southbound side) near the intersection with The Crescent would be relocated north to accommodate the reconstruction of Victoria Road. These bus stops would be reinstated in generally the same location at the completion of construction
Two bus stops on Victoria Road near Iron Cove Bridge would be temporarily relocated (further east of the bridge) to allow for the widening works along Victoria Road. These bus stops would be reinstated in generally the same location at the completion of construction.

The modifications to bus stops would be reviewed during detailed design with the objective of minimising disruptions to public transport services. Bus stop relocations would be agreed with Transport for NSW and all affected bus operators.

Rail services

Bus service connections to railway stations may be affected due to a reduction in the reliability of bus services during the construction period. The project would have no direct impact on heavy rail services.

Light rail

Bus service connections to light rail stops may be affected due to a reduction in the reliability of bus services during the construction period. Pedestrian access to the Leichhardt North light rail stop adjacent to the Darley Road civil and tunnel site (C4) and the Rozelle Bay light rail stop next to The Crescent, would be maintained during construction. The project would not directly impact on operation of light rail services.

Walking and cycling

The construction impacts on pedestrians and cyclists have been assessed using the criteria outlined in Table 8-50. An increase in the number of vehicles during the construction period would potentially impact walking and cycling amenity. Pedestrian footways and cycle paths would also need to be diverted during construction.

Table 8-50 Active transport – impact severity criteria

Severity	Impact criteria
Negligible	The impacts result in an imperceptible change (ie a very minor increase in traffic volumes) and do not require any mitigation
Minor	Diversion of less than 200 metres on key routes and no new at-grade crossing Negligible safety impact
Moderate	Diversion of more than 200 metres but less than 500 metres on key routes Negligible safety impact
High	Diversion of more than 500 metres on key routes Potential safety impact

Construction activities would be carried out in stages resulting in changing impacts over the course of the construction program. Further information on the staged construction of the project is provided in Chapter 6 (Construction work). A key objective of the construction program would be to minimise disruption to pedestrians and cyclists and enable the use of the active transport links that would be provided as part of the project as soon as possible. Details about the active transport infrastructure that would be provided by the project are included in Appendix N (Technical working paper: Active transport strategy).

Wattle Street interchange construction ancillary facilities (C1a, C2a and C3a)

Construction is planned between 2018 and 2022 at these sites. There are limited changes to the surface network proposed at the Wattle Street interchange. Construction-related activity at the interchange would include civil and tunnelling work associated with the mainline tunnel and the Wattle Street entry and exit ramps, fit-out of the Parramatta Road ventilation facility that is being constructed as part of the M4 East project, and provision of parking for construction workers.

The east-facing portals to the M4 East tunnels would also provide an effective bypass of the Wattle Street/Parramatta Road intersection for construction vehicles from other construction sites (such as the Rozelle civil and tunnel site (C5)).

These factors, combined with relatively limited use of the interchange by cyclists due to it not being part of key commuter routes (refer to Appendix N (Technical working paper: Active transport strategy)), and no required diversions would mean that impacts on active transport would be negligible.

Construction impact assessment – Option B

The results of the construction impact assessment for Option B presented in this section refer to impacts around the Parramatta Road and Wattle Street corridors at Haberfield, the City West Link corridor at Leichhardt and City West Link and The Crescent at Lilyfield. The construction impacts at other locations assessed as part of the Option A assessment would also apply (including impacts on public and active transport).

Road level of service

An analysis of roadway service levels was carried out to determine the impact of construction traffic in 2021, and includes consideration of the spoil reuse sites.

Mid-block traffic level of service demonstrates the impact of construction traffic in 2021 for all construction activities (see section 8.1.8 for further details on measures of network performance). Theoretical mid-block roadway capacities were based on Austroads Guide to Traffic Management and these capacities and assessment results are shown in Table 8-51 for the AM peak and PM peak hours. In reality, if a link is over capacity, this would result in queueing further back in the network. However, this assessment provides a high level indication of the level of impact of the construction vehicles compared to the background traffic.

The analysis shows that construction traffic generated by Option B has a minimal impact on roadway service levels, with one change in the mid-block level of service between the ‘without construction’ and ‘with construction’ scenarios to less than LoS D, with City West Link, west of The Crescent, forecast to decrease from LoS D to LoS E in the westbound direction in the PM peak hour.

As previously noted, in highly congested networks, singe-point assessment criteria, such as mid-block levels of service, do not present a complete picture of traffic operations. In reality, if a link is over capacity, this would result in queueing further back in the network. However, this assessment provides a high-level indication of the level of impact of the construction vehicles compared to the background traffic.

Table 8-51 Option B – 2021 mid-block operational performance summary

Notes: 1Rounded to nearest 10

The Option B construction impact assessment is the same as Option A for Cluster 4: Victoria Road in Rozelle, Cluster 5: Parramatta Road in Camperdown, and Cluster 6: Princes Highway in St Peters. The analysis for the Option B construction impact assessment is therefore only Cluster 1: Parramatta Road and Wattle Street corridors in Haberfield, Cluster 2: City West Link corridor in Leichhardt, and Cluster 3: City West Link and The Crescent in Lilyfield.

Cluster 1

Cluster 1 consists of the following intersections:

Parramatta Road/Harris Road
Parramatta Road/Croydon Road/Arlington Street
Parramatta Road/Great North Road
Parramatta Road/Frederick Street/Wattle Street
Parramatta Road/Bland Street
Wattle Street/Ramsay Street
Dobroyd Parade/Waratah Street
Dobroyd Parade/Timbrell Drive/Mortley Avenue.

During the AM peak hour, the Parramatta Road/Bland Street and Dobroyd Parade/Timbrell Drive intersections are forecast to both operate at LoS F. High levels of delay at the Parramatta Road/Bland Street intersection can be attributed to the downstream exit blocking along Parramatta Road, resulting in significant exit blocking for the southbound movement. During the PM peak hour, the Parramatta Road/Frederick Street/Wattle Street intersection is forecast to operate at LoS E, while the Parramatta Road/Great North Road and Dobroyd Parade/Timbrell Drive intersections are forecast to operate at LoS F.

In the ‘with construction’ scenario, about 320 PCU and 510 PCU would be added to the network in the AM and PM peaks respectively. During both the AM and PM peak hours, about 50 per cent of this additional traffic is via the M4 East tunnels east of Ramsay Street, to access construction sites along City West Link and Victoria Road. The additional traffic due to construction is predominantly eastbound in the AM peak hour and westbound in the PM peak hour. As a result, the performance at most intersections along Parramatta Road would likely be impacted, with larger impacts at the intersections along Wattle Street and Dobroyd Parade.

During the AM peak hour, there would be an increase in traffic of up to about 105 PCU along Parramatta Road, resulting in relatively small impacts – the level of service is not forecast to worsen at modelled intersections in Cluster 1 for this option. At the eastern end of Cluster 1, it is estimated that an additional 100 PCU would emerge from the M4 East eastbound tunnels, and 65 PCU would enter the M4 East westbound tunnels. This would impact mostly on the Dobroyd Parade/Timbrell Drive intersection, which is already forecast to operate at LoS F in the ‘without construction’ scenario.

During the PM peak hour, there would be an increase in traffic of up to about 145 PCU along Parramatta Road. However, the impacts on intersections along Parramatta Road are forecast to be small. The level of service at two intersections are forecast to worsen compared to the ‘without construction’ scenario – the Parramatta Road/Harris Road intersection is forecast to worsen slightly from LoS B to LoS C and the Parramatta Road/Croydon Road/Arlington Street intersection from LoS D to LoS E.

The M4 East tunnels are forecast to accommodate an additional 75 PCU eastbound and 185 PCU westbound. This would subsequently impact on the Dobroyd Parade/Timbrell Drive intersection, however this intersection is forecast to operate at LoS F in the ‘without construction’ scenario.

The intersection performance results for the road network under the 2021 ‘without construction’ and ‘with construction’ forecast volumes for the Option B scenario at Haberfield are summarised in Table 8-52 and Table 8-53 for the AM peak and PM peak respectively.

Table 8-52 Option B – 2021 AM peak hour intersection operational performance summary

Notes:
1 Rounded to nearest 10

Temporary closures and diversions during construction

In addition to the temporary road network modifications outlined in T able 8-49, additional modifications outlined in Table 8-54 would be required as part of construction option B. Impacts from construction traffic and associated temporary network changes are considered above.

Table 8-54 Indicative temporary road network modifications during construction – Option B

Location	Indicative road network modifications	Indicative duration	Road reinstatement
Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b) and Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b)	WorkswouldbecarriedoutonAltStreet and Bland Street to facilitate access via new driveways to the Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b) and the Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b) TemporaryclosuresofonelaneofAltStreet and Bland Street (either side of Parramatta Road) may be required for establishment of construction vehicle access provisions including installation of driveways and associated construction activities. Traffic management, that could include temporary diversions, would be implemented during temporary closures Duetoexistingpropertydriveways,there would be no loss of on-street parking on Alt Street or Bland Street	Q3 2018 to Q1 2019 to complete road modification. Q3 2018 to Q4 2022 including construction duration and reinstatement of roads	Once road modification works are complete, both lanes along Alt Street and/or Bland Street would be reopened in line with temporary design. When construction is complete, the road would be reinstated as per the existing arrangement

Traffic crashes

Construction traffic volumes are expected to be low when compared to existing traffic volumes on key arterial roads connecting to the construction ancillary facility locations. The greatest increase occurs on City West Link west of City West Link/James Street intersection where, as a worst-case scenario, construction generates around 110 vehicles in the AM peak and around 190 vehicles in the PM peak. When compared to existing traffic volumes, total construction traffic would be the equivalent of around four per cent of peak hour traffic on City West Link at this location in the AM peak and six per cent of existing peak hour volumes in the PM peak.

As the volume of traffic generated by construction is expected to be low compared to existing traffic, the effects of this short-term increase on the existing road network is not expected to significantly

impact road safety in and around the project footprint. There is still a risk with construction traffic interacting with general traffic, with elevated risk when construction-related vehicles are entering and leaving construction sites. Foreseen impacts on road safety for all users during construction would be mitigated as much as possible through tailored provisions in the CTAMP and other measures detailed in section 8.5.

Public transport services

As for the Option A construction scenario at Haberfield, an increase in vehicles on the existing road network during the construction period using the Option B sites would likely result in increased delays at certain intersections along the Parramatta Road corridor and in surrounding areas. Heavy vehicle volumes would increase along major roads. The same impacts on public transport services in these areas would potentially be experienced. Any bus stop relocations would be agreed with Transport for NSW and all affected bus operators, and would need to consider proposed pedestrian diversions during construction.

Walking and cycling

An increase in heavy vehicle volumes during the construction period in the project footprint and surrounding areas would potentially impact walking and cycling amenity. There are no planned diversions to pedestrian footways and cycling paths during construction for the three Option B construction sites.

The Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b) has a proposed heavy and light vehicle cross- over on Alt Street and the Parramatta Road East civil site (3b) has proposed light vehicle entries and exits on Alt Street and Bland Street. Although this section of Alt Street is not a designated on-road cycle route, cycle logos are painted on Alt Street close to Parramatta Road.

Periodic, short-term closures of footpaths on both sides of Alt Street on the eastern and western sides of Parramatta Road may be required. These would be most likely to occur during site establishment, when access to these sites is being established. Where a footpath is temporarily closed, the corresponding footpath on the other side of the road would remain open.

While the volume of vehicles forecast to use these are low, minor impacts are anticipated during construction at these two sites as, while no diversions are required, there may be a safety impact. Traffic management measures would be implemented at the entry and exit driveways on Parramatta Road, Alt Street and Bland Street to manage potential interactions between construction traffic and pedestrians and cyclists.

8.3.2 Operational impacts without the project

In the future, there is a forecast growth in travel demand for both traffic and public transport, due to a forecast increase in population and employment. This causes increased congestion levels on the road network.

This section details the forecast traffic changes and performance in a ‘without project’ (or ‘do minimum’) scenario using forecast AM and PM peak traffic volumes for 2023 and 2033. Full details of this assessment can be found in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

Sydney metropolitan road network

‘Do minimum’ (2023)

The 2023 ‘do minimum’ scenario is described in Table 8-2. It is called ‘do minimum’ rather than ‘do nothing’ as it assumes on-going improvements would be made to the broader transport network, including some new infrastructure and intersection improvements to improve capacity and cater for traffic growth.

Figure 8-11 shows the forecast change in daily traffic volumes between the 2023 ‘do minimum’ and the 2015 ‘base’ scenarios. The changes shown represent differences in the forecast AWT between the modelled scenarios. Roads that are expected to carry less traffic in the future 2023 ‘do minimum’ scenario are shown in green and roads where volumes are predicted to increase are shown in red. The line thickness is indicative of the magnitude of this change.

General traffic

A reduction in daily traffic is forecast along Parramatta Road (west of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps) as a result of the M4 East project, and along the M5 East Motorway, as a result of the New M5 project. Forecast traffic on the M4 East and the New M5 Motorway corridors, which will open to traffic in the period between the base year (2015) and 2023, are illustrated by the red bands on these links (as shown in Figure 8-11).

Increased daily traffic is forecast along Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps), Southern Cross Drive, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Anzac Bridge, as well as other urban arterials in the study area including Victoria Road, City West Link, Hume Highway, Canterbury Road, Stoney Creek Road, Olympic Drive, Centennial Drive and Anzac Parade approaching the Sydney CBD. The main cause of this is increased traffic as a result of population and employment growth from areas accessing these roads.

Table 8-55 compares the 2023 ‘do minimum’ scenario with the 2015 ‘base case’ scenario (which represents road conditions prior to the commencement of the M4 East and New M5), an increase in both VKT and vehicle hours travelled (VHT) on an average weekday on the Sydney road network is forecast.

Table 8-55 Comparison of daily VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in 2023 ‘without project’ and 2015 ‘base case’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

On-road freight

Forecast changes in daily road-based freight or heavy vehicle movements predominantly follow the same pattern as the general traffic movements, with more pronounced reductions in daily heavy vehicle movements on Parramatta Road (west of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps) and the M5 East, as a result of heavy vehicles shifting to the M4 East and the New M5 projects.

On-road public transport

The increases in traffic volumes and congestion on roads that are also key bus corridors would impact negatively on the reliability and the trip times of on-road public transport. These include Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta ramps), which is a key bus corridor for services running between the inner west and the Sydney CBD, Sydney Harbour Bridge, which allows buses north of the harbour to access the Sydney CBD, Anzac Bridge and Victoria Road, which links northwest bus services with the Sydney CBD, and Anzac Parade, which is a key corridor for bus services from the southeast to the Sydney CBD and beyond.

A description of the 2033 ‘do minimum’ scenario is provided in Table 8-2. Figure 8-12 shows the forecast change in daily traffic volumes between the 2033 ‘do minimum’ and the 2015 ‘base’ scenarios. As with the 2023 ‘do minimum’ scenario, roads that are expected to carry less traffic in the future 2033 ‘do minimum’ scenario are shown in green and roads where traffic volumes are predicted to increase are shown in red.

General traffic

Reductions in daily traffic are forecast along Parramatta Road (west of the M4 East Parramatta ramps) and the M5 East, as a result of the M4 East and the New M5 projects. Increases in daily traffic movements in 2033 follow a similar pattern forecast for 2023 but with larger volumes. As in 2023, changes in population and employment distribution are the main cause of the forecast traffic increases. Traffic increases are forecast along Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta ramps), Southern Cross Drive, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Anzac Bridge, as well as most other urban arterials.

Figure 8-12 shows the forecast change in daily traffic volumes between the 2033 ‘do minimum’ and the 2015 ‘base case’ scenarios. Roads that are expected to carry less traffic in the future 2033 ‘do minimum’ scenario are shown in green and roads where traffic volumes are predicted to increase are shown in red.

Table 8-56 compares the 2033 ‘do minimum’ scenario with the 2015 base scenario (which represents road conditions prior to the commencement of the M4 East and New M5). A further increase in both VKT and VHT on an average weekday on the Sydney road network would be experienced. This indicates that the network is becoming so congested that an increase in traffic on the network is causing substantial increases in travel time.

Table 8-56 Comparison of daily VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in 2033 ‘without project’ and 2015 ‘base case’ scenarios

On-road freight

As in 2023, forecast changes in daily road-based freight or heavy vehicle movements follow the same pattern as the general traffic movements, with more pronounced reductions in daily heavy vehicle movements on Parramatta Road (west of the M4 East Parramatta ramps) and the M5 East, as a result of the M4 East and the New M5 projects respectively.

On-road public transport

In accordance with the changes forecast for traffic volumes in 2033 compared with 2023, trip times would increase and the reliability of bus services would decrease in 2033 due to larger increases in general traffic. Similar to the 2023 ‘do minimum’ case, key bus corridors where service reliability would be impacted would include Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps), Sydney Harbour Bridge, Anzac Bridge and Victoria Road, as well as Anzac Parade.

Operational performance – Wattle Street interchange

Changes to the road network in ‘do minimum’ scenario

The Wattle Street interchange is at the eastern end of the M4 East project and, as such, associated M4 East road network infrastructure was included in the ‘do minimum’ or ‘without project’ scenario models, including:

M4 East entry and exit ramps to accommodate at-grade network access and egress at two locations:

– Wattle Street (between the intersections of Ramsay Street and Waratah Street)

– Parramatta Road (between the intersections of Bland Street and Dalhousie Street)

Adjustments to the at-grade network to facilitate the entry and exit ramp infrastructure
A second right turn bay on Parramatta Road northbound approach to Great North Road in accordance with planned Pinch Point works by Roads and Maritime
Parramatta Road kerbside lanes converted to bus lanes between the western end of the modelled network (west of Arlington Street) and east of Bland Street. This is consistent with Condition B34 of the M4 East Conditions of Approval, which requires at least two lanes of Parramatta Road, from Burwood Road to Haberfield, to be solely dedicated for the use of public transport. In the model, vehicles turning left are allowed to enter kerbside lanes about 100 metres in advance of intersections to accommodate left turns.

A more detailed description of these inclusions from the M4 East project is provided in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

Network performance

2015 base and 2023 ‘do minimum’ scenario
Table 8-57 and Table 8-58 present a comparison of the performance of the modelled road network

between the 2015 base scenario and 2023 ‘without project’ scenario for the AM and PM peak periods.

During the AM peak hour, the average travel time per vehicle through the modelled road network around the Wattle Street interchange shows a moderate increase compared to the 2015 base year. However, average speeds would be similar. Substantial delays are also observed at the M4 East Parramatta Road exit ramp, south of Bland Street. This results from the merge upstream of the Dalhousie Street intersection, existing congestion at Liverpool Road and the merge from three lanes to two lanes downstream of Sloane Street. Queuing is forecast to extend along the M4 East Parramatta Road exit ramp, reaching the M4 East Wattle Street exit ramp diverge.

During the PM peak hour, average time travelled per vehicle in the core modelled road network would increase by around 38 per cent compared with the 2015 base year and average speed would decrease (by around 26 per cent). The increase in average travel time and decrease in average speeds during the PM peak indicates an increase in congestion during this peak period.

Table 8-57 Wattle Street interchange network performance – AM peak hour (2015 Base vs 2023 ‘without project’ scenario)

Network measure	2015 base case	2023 ‘without project’	Percentage change
All vehicles
Total traffic demand (veh)	13,233	15,279	15%
Total vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	25,663	31,474	23%
Total time travelled approaching and in network (hr)	1,732	2,153	23%
Total vehicles arrived	13,191	14,483	10%
Total number of stops	244,016	242,127	-1%

Network measure	2015 base case	2023 ‘without project’	Percentage change
Average per vehicle in network
Average vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	1.7	2.0	14%
Average time travelled in network (mins)	7.0	8.0	15%
Average number of stops	14.8	13.4	-9%
Average speed (km/h)	14.9	14.8	-1%
Unreleased vehicles
Unreleased demand (veh)	41	796	–
% of total traffic demand	0%	5%	–

Table 8-58 Wattle Street interchange network performance – PM peak hour (2015 Base vs 2023 ‘without project’ scenario)

Network measure	2015 base case	2023 ‘without project’	Percentage change
All vehicles
Total traffic demand (veh)	13,559	15,209	12%
Total vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	27,377	29,075	6%
Total time travelled approaching and in network (hr)	1,504	2,176	44%
Total vehicles arrived	13,559	14,702	8%
Total number of stops	183,725	318,512	73%
Average per vehicle in network
Average vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	1.8	1.8	2%
Average time travelled in network (mins)	5.9	8.1	38%
Average number of stops	11.0	17.4	59%
Average speed (km/h)	18.3	13.5	-26%
Unreleased vehicles
Unreleased demand (veh)	0	507	–
% of total traffic demand	0%	3%	–

2023 ‘do minimum’ and 2033 ‘do minimum’ scenario
Table 8-59 and Table 8-60 present a comparison of the performance of the modelled road network

between the 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ scenarios for the AM and PM peak hours.

Road network traffic performance is forecast to deteriorate by 2033 compared to 2023 as a result of increased demand. Congestion from both the M4 East Wattle Street and Parramatta Road portals blocks past the M4 East exit ramp diverge, resulting in large delays to vehicles from the M4 accessing the surface road network in the peak hour. Average network conditions experienced by vehicles in the network are similar in 2033 to those in 2023, however more vehicles are not able to enter the modelled network in the peak hour.

Table 8-59 Wattle Street interchange network performance – AM peak hour (2023 ‘without project’ vs 2033 ‘without project’ scenario)

Network measure	2023 ‘without project’	2033 ‘without project’	Percentage change
All vehicles
Total traffic demand (veh)	15,279	16,553	8%
Total vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	31,506	32,470	3%
Total time travelled approaching and in network (hr)	2,143	2,316	7%
Total vehicles arrived	14,497	15,505	7%
Total number of stops	236,008	272,807	13%
Average per vehicle in network
Average vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	2.0	2.0	-1%
Average time travelled in network (mins)	8.0	8.3	3%
Average number of stops	13.1	14.5	8%
Average speed (km/h)	14.9	14.2	-4%
Unreleased vehicles
Unreleased demand (veh)	782	1,048	–
% of total traffic demand	5%	6%	–

Table 8-60 Wattle Street interchange network performance – PM peak hour (2023 ‘without project’ vs 2033 ‘without project’ scenario)

Network measure	2023 ‘without project’	2033 ‘without project’	Percentage change
All vehicles
Total traffic demand (veh)	15,209	16,665	10%
Total vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	29,171	29,461	1%
Total time travelled approaching and in network (hr)	2,157	2,557	17%
Total vehicles arrived	14,726	15,451	5%
Total number of stops	320,111	387,426	22%
Average per vehicle in network
Average vehicle kilometres travelled in network (km)	1.8	1.8	-4%
Average time travelled in network (mins)	8.1	9.0	11%
Average number of stops	17.4	20.0	15%
Average speed (km/h)	13.6	11.7	-13%
Unreleased vehicles
Unreleased demand (veh)	483	1,214	–
% of total traffic demand	3%	7%	–

Intersection performance

Table 8-61 presents a comparison of intersection performance between the 2015 base scenario and 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ scenarios for the AM and PM peak periods.

The AM peak comparison suggests that under ‘without project’ conditions, the intersection performance in the future years is forecast to be similar to the base scenario; with the exception of the intersections of Parramatta Road/Wattle Street, at which performance is forecast to improve from LoS E to LoS C. The performance of the City West Link/Timbrell Drive intersection is forecast to worsen over time, given the increased eastbound demand for City West Link that causes queuing along Wattle Street, with minor impacts at the upstream intersection of Waratah Street as a result.

In the PM peak hour, Sloane Street and Liverpool Road intersection performances are predicted to worsen as a result of increased demand for Liverpool Road from Parramatta Road eastbound, causing congestion on all approaches, with queues in 2033 extending back along the M4 Parramatta Road ramps. City West Link/Timbrell Drive intersection is unable to accommodate the forecast increased demand along City West Link and Timbrell Drive in the future years, performing at LoS F in both 2023 and 2033.

Table 8-61 Wattle Street interchange: key intersection performance – 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ scenarios

Travel times

During the AM peak, forecast 2033 travel times generally remain consistent with 2023 forecast conditions. This is predominantly because a substantial amount of the increased demand is on roads which are either relatively free flowing in both scenarios (therefore volume increases do not result in significant travel time differences) or are already over capacity in the 2023 scenario (therefore additional demand is unreleased, with little impact on the travel times of vehicles within the network). The consistent travel times align with the network performance metrics, which forecast average speed in the network is relatively consistent between the 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ scenarios.

Travel times also remain generally similar in the PM peak, with minor increases in travel times across the network, in line with the forecast increased demand. A substantial amount of the additional demand in the 2033 scenario is unreleased and so impacts on travel times for vehicles that are able to enter the network are reduced.

Traffic crashes

Traffic crash analysis comparing existing traffic conditions to 2033 ‘without project’ conditions suggests that by 2033, an increase in traffic volumes would create a proportional increase in crash frequencies and costs along Parramatta Road in the vicinity of the Wattle Street interchange.

On Parramatta Road (Wattle Street to City Road) crashes would be expected to increase from an average of 108 to 130 per annum. The corresponding cost of crashes would rise from $11.6 million to $14.1 million per annum.

Public transport services

As part of Condition B34 of the M4 East Conditions of Approval, at least two lanes of Parramatta Road from Burwood Road to Haberfield are to be solely dedicated for the use of public transport.

Because the details of these planned bus lanes (eg kerbside or centre-running) were unknown at the time of carrying out the traffic and transport assessment for the project, Parramatta Road kerbside lanes were converted to bus lanes in the modelled network from the western model extent to east of Bland Street. Vehicles turning left were allowed to enter kerbside lanes 100 metres in advance of intersections to accommodate left turns.

Future year bus frequencies were supplied by Transport for NSW and consist of an additional 40 buses per hour in each direction along Parramatta Road.

Active transport facilities

Details of planned walking and cycling facilities in the absence of the project can be found in Appendix N (Technical working paper: Active transport strategy).

Sydney metropolitan road network

‘With project’ (2023)

Figure 8-13 shows the forecast change in daily traffic volumes between the 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios. The changes shown represent differences in the forecast AWT between the modelled scenarios. Roads that are expected to carry less traffic in the future 2023 ‘with project’ scenario are shown in green and roads where traffic volumes are predicted to increase are shown in red. The band thickness is indicative of the magnitude of this change. These forecast traffic volumes include both fixed and induced traffic demand.

The project provides a key link in the Sydney motorway network, connecting the M4 East Motorway to the New M5 Motorway, as well as to the Western Distributor, Cross City Tunnel and the M1 Motorway. With the inclusion of the project, a large volume of traffic is forecast to shift to the M4-M5 Link, including the Iron Cove Link, with significant reductions in daily traffic volumes forecast on Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps), City West Link and Victoria Road (east of Iron Cove Bridge).

Increases in daily traffic are forecast on the M4 East Motorway and Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor, as traffic accesses the M4-M5 Link. This is shown by the thick red lines on the motorway network and the corresponding reduction in traffic on the surface network as illustrated by the green lines.

As a consequence of traffic using the project, reductions in daily traffic are forecast for the existing M5 East Motorway, Southern Cross Drive and King Georges Road, north of the existing M5 East Motorway. Traffic reductions are also forecast on roads through the Inner West, such as Stanmore Road and Sydenham Road, which link Parramatta Road to the St Peters and Mascot areas, as traffic shifts to the M4-M5 Link instead.

Increases in daily traffic on surface roads between the St Peters interchange and Sydney Airport are forecast. Reductions are forecast on sections of Princes Highway and Canal Road. With the inclusion of the M4-M5 Link, reductions in peak period travel times between the M4 corridor and the Sydney Airport/Port Botany precinct in 2023, with traffic shifting from the A3 (King Georges Road) corridor to the M4-M5 Link. Changes in peak period travel times as a result of the project include:

Between Parramatta and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 25 minute saving comparing the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Burwood and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about five minutes. This saving is part of a 15 minute saving comparing the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Silverwater and Port Botany, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 15 minute saving comparing the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex.In 2023, with the inclusion of the project, road network productivity would improve as indicated by a drop in daily VKT and VHT on the arterial (non-motorway) network, with an increase in kilometres and hours travelled along the motorway and highway routes. Overall, the road network would accommodate more or longer trips in a shorter time. As shown in Table 8-72, the increase in daily VKT and drop in VHT is mainly due to traffic using the new motorway, with reductions in daily VKT and VHT forecast on non-motorway roads.

Table 8-72 Comparison of daily 2023 VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in the ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

On-road freight

Forecast changes in daily road-based freight or heavy vehicle movements follow the same pattern as the general traffic movements, with significant reductions in daily heavy vehicle traffic volumes focused on Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps), City West Link, Victoria Road (east of Iron Cove Bridge), King Georges Road and the existing M5 East Motorway. There are also reductions forecast along Stanmore Road and Sydenham Road in the inner west.

Increases in daily heavy vehicle traffic on surface roads between the St Peters interchange and Sydney Airport are forecast, with reductions in daily heavy vehicle volumes forecast on sections of Princes Highway and Canal Road.

On-road public transport

Changes in traffic volumes on roads that are also key bus corridors would be expected to impact on the reliability and the journey times of on-road public transport. Reduced traffic volumes on key bus corridors would improve public transport journey times and reliability. While bus journey times would benefit from reduced traffic on Victoria Road (east of Iron Cove Bridge), this would be offset by the forecast increase in traffic and congestion on Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor.

A large forecast decrease in traffic on Parramatta Road, east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps, would improve reliability and trip times of bus services on Parramatta Road.

Changes by LGA on non-motorway links

Table 8-73 presents the percentage changes in daily VKT, VHT and average speed in 2023 with the project on non-motorway links in the LGAs closest to the project. The average speed would vary by time of day and by road type. The forecast percentage changes indicate that, apart from Bayside, all other LGAs either benefit from reduced traffic on surface roads or there is no forecast change. The increase in VKT and VHT in Bayside LGA is due to forecast increases in daily traffic on surface roads between the St Peters interchange and Sydney Airport, in the absence of Sydney Gateway.

Table 8-73 Percentage change in daily travel distance, time and average speed on non-motorway links by LGA in 2023

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

Figure 8-13 Difference in AWT between 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2016

‘With project’ (2033)

Figure 8-14 shows bandwidth plots illustrating the forecast change in daily traffic volumes between the 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios.

General traffic

The pattern of change in the 2033 comparison is generally the same as in the 2023 comparison, however, on some roads the forecast increases in daily traffic volumes are less pronounced due to the growth in background traffic by 2033.

With the inclusion of the M4-M5 Link, the WRTM is forecasting reductions in peak period travel times between the M4 corridor and the Sydney Airport/Port Botany precinct in 2033, with traffic shifting from the A3 (King Georges Road) corridor to the M4-M5 Link. For example:

Between Parramatta and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 30 minute saving comparing the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Burwood and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about five minutes. This saving is part of a 20 minute saving comparing the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Silverwater and Port Botany, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 20 minute saving comparing the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
With the inclusion of the project there is a drop in the daily VKT and VHT on the arterial (non- motorway) network and a corresponding increase in kilometres and hours travelled along the motorway and highway routes. The addition of the M4-M5 Link provides a substantial overall benefit to the network where more or longer trips could be made on the road network in a shorter time.

Table 8-74 Comparison of daily 2033 VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

On-road freight

Forecast changes in daily road-based freight or heavy vehicle movements would generally follow the same pattern as the 2023 comparison. Significant reductions in daily heavy vehicle traffic are forecast on Parramatta Road (east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps), City West Link, Victoria Road (east of Iron Cove Bridge), King Georges Road and the M5 East Motorway.

On-road public transport

The anticipated impacts of the project on on-road public transport in 2023 and 2033 are similar. Changes in traffic volumes on roads that are also key bus corridors would be expected to impact on the reliability and the trip times of on-road public transport. Reduced traffic on key bus corridors would improve journey times and reliability. Reduced traffic is forecast on Victoria Road (east of Iron Cove Bridge), however this is offset by the forecast increase on Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor. A large forecast decrease in traffic on Parramatta Road, east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps, would improve reliability and trip times of bus services on Parramatta Road.

Scenario	Daily VKT (‘000 km)			Daily VHT (‘000 hours)
Scenario	Motorway	Other	Total	Motorway	Other	Total
Do minimum (without project)	31,030	101,900	132,930	590	4,670	5,560
With project	32,010	101,410	133,430	600	4,610	5,220

Changes by LGA on non-motorway links

Table 8-75 presents the percentage changes in daily VKT, VHT and average speed in 2033 with the project on non-motorway links in the LGAs that are closest to the project. The average speed would vary by time of day and by road type. The changes are similar to the 2023 comparison. Apart from Bayside, all other LGAs benefit from reduced traffic on surface roads. Again, the increase in VKT and VHT in Bayside LGA is due to forecast increases in daily traffic on surface roads between the St Peters interchange and Sydney Airport, in the absence of Sydney Gateway.

Table 8-75 Percentage change in daily travel distance, time and average speed by LGA in 2033

Local Government Area	Daily VKT	Daily VHT	Daily average speed
Bayside	1%	4%	-3%
Burwood	-2%	-3%	1%
Canada Bay	-1%	-1%	0%
Canterbury-Bankstown	-1%	-4%	3%
Inner West	-11%	-21%	14%
Strathfield	-1%	-4%	3%
Sydney	-2%	-2%	0%

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

Figure 8-14 Difference in AWT between 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2016

Screenline/parallel route analysis

A screenline analysis has been carried out to examine how traffic patterns along and adjacent to the arterial road network may change as a result of the operation of the project (in 2023 and 2033). Analysis of the operation of the WestConnex program of works, as well as the proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and the F6 Extension projects was also undertaken.

Four screenlines, which represent theoretical boundaries specifically designed to collectively analyse directional and two-way traffic volume outputs from the different modelling scenarios have been established:

The east–west screenline captures changes in east–west traffic movement and includes a location on the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels between the Wattle Street and Rozelle interchanges, as well as on four parallel corridors (City West Link, Darley Road, Marion Street and Parramatta Road). This screenline also includes a location on Lyons Road, which would reflect any changes in traffic using Lyons Road to travel to and from Victoria Road
The upper north–south screenline captures changes in vehicle travel patterns on north–south links north of Parramatta Road, including Norton Street, Balmain Road, Catherine Street, Johnston Street, Booth Street (north of Pyrmont Bridge Road) and Ross Street (north of Bridge Road). These roads are close to the Rozelle interchange and would display changes in traffic on surface roads as a result of the new road connections at the Rozelle interchange
The lower north–south screenline includes a location on the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels between the Rozelle interchange and the St Peters interchange, as well as locations on 10 north– south regional connector roads (Stanmore Road, Addison Road, Sydenham Road, Marrickville Road, King Street, Wyndham Street, Botany Road, Elizabeth Street, South Dowling Street and the Southern Cross Drive)
The cross-harbour screenline looks at changes in cross-harbour traffic flow on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Gladesville Bridge. It also includes a location on the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel in the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios.The screenline analysis also included an analysis of impacts during peak hours to see how the M4-

M5 Link may impact on the wider road network during these periods. A summary of the screenline and peak hour analyses is provided in the following sections. Screenline locations are shown in Figure 8-15.

Summary

As a result of the new roadway links provided by the project, the two-way future year AWT traffic demand compared to a ‘without project’ scenario is predicted to significantly decrease on:

City West Link and Parramatta Road, east of the M4 East Wattle Street and Parramatta Road ramps respectively, by about 25 per cent in 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios
King Street in St Peters by about 20 per cent in the 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios
Stanmore Road in Stanmore by about 15 per cent in 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ and‘cumulative’ scenarios
Lyons Road in Russell Lea by about 15 per cent in the 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios, and about 20 per cent in the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios
Southern Cross Drive and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel by about 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively in the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios.

The reduction in traffic demand on these major traffic routes is likely to improve speed, journey reliability and safety on these corridors compared to a ‘without project’ scenario.

The following sections provide additional detail on the key observations for each of the screenlines. Further detail is provided in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).

East-west screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– The average weekday traffic volumes would increase by about 28 per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario

– The average weekday traffic volumes on surface arterial roads is forecast to decrease by around 20 per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario

– The largest decreases in average weekday traffic occur on Parramatta Road (about 25 per cent or more than 15,000 vehicles), on Marion Street at Leichhardt (around 40 per cent or more than 2,000 vehicles) and on City West Link (about 23 per cent or more than 14,000 vehicles)

– The average weekday traffic volumes on Lyons Road would fall by around 14 per cent as a result of the Iron Cove Link and the M4-M5 Link providing an alternative route

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– The average weekday traffic volumes on surface roads and in the tunnels would increase by

around 30 per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario

– A substantial shift in traffic away from surface roads and onto the M4-M5 mainline tunnels between the Wattle Street and Rozelle interchanges, with almost 40 per cent of the average weekday traffic volumes forecast to use the M4-M5 Link in 2033

Key observations comparing the ‘cumulative’ to the ‘without project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033 are:

– The average weekday traffic volumes crossing the east-west screenline would increase by around 36 per cent in 2023 and 41 per cent in 2033

– Average weekday traffic volumes on surface roads would decrease by about 22 per cent in both 2023 and 2033.

Peak hour analysis

The forecasts indicate that the impact of the project on two-way peak hour traffic volumes are similar to the impacts forecast for average weekday traffic volumes, with traffic shifting off surface roads and onto the M4-M5 Link. However, traffic volume decreases on City West Link and Parramatta Road are much smaller in the peak hours compared to the total daily decrease.

Upper north–south screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Decreases on Parramatta Road results in average weekday traffic decreases on some north- south roads connecting to Parramatta Road, including Norton Street (southbound) and Balmain Road (northbound)

– Increase in average weekday traffic volumes (around four per cent) on Johnston Street and Ross Street as traffic moves between the surface road network and the M4-M5 Link

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Decreases on Parramatta Road results in further average weekday traffic decreases on some north-south roads connecting to Parramatta Road, including Norton Street (southbound) and Balmain Road (northbound)

– Again, an increase in average weekday traffic volumes is forecast for Johnston Street and Ross Street, as traffic moves between the surface road network and new road links at the Rozelle interchange

Key observations comparing the ‘cumulative’ to the ‘without project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033 are:

– Forecast decreases on some north-south roads connecting to Parramatta Road, with large decreases forecast for southbound average weekday traffic on Norton Street (around 25 per cent in 2023 and about 28 per cent in 2033) and for northbound average weekday traffic volumes on Balmain Road (around 17 per cent in 2023 and about 19 per cent in 2033)

– An increase in average weekday traffic volumes on Johnston Street (around 15 per cent in 2023 and around 12 per cent in 2033), and Ross Street (around 16 per cent in 2023 and about 20 per cent in 2033). As a percentage of traffic crossing the screenline, this represents an increase of about three per cent or less.

Peak hour analysis

Similar to the AWT forecasts, the AM peak and PM peak forecasts show changes in traffic volumes on north-south links, with increases on some roads and decreases on others as vehicles shift from Parramatta Road to use the M4-M5 Link.

Lower north–south screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Two-way average weekday traffic volumes on the M4-M5 Link is forecast to be around 16 per cent of total two-way average weekday traffic volumes crossing the screenline, with average weekday traffic crossing the screenline on existing surface roads forecast to decrease by around seven per cent
– The greatest forecast reductions in traffic volume occur on Stanmore Road and Southern Cross Drive. Total two-way average weekday traffic is forecast to fall by around 16 per cent on Stanmore Road and by about three per cent on Southern Cross Drive
– There are also forecast reductions on King Street, where two-way average weekday traffic volumes decreases by around 19 per cent (around 4,000 vehicles per day), and on Sydenham Road where two-way average weekday traffic volumes decrease by about 10 per cent (about 3,000 vehicles per day).

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:
– Two-way traffic on the M4-M5 Link is forecast to be around 17 per cent of total two-way

average weekday traffic crossing the screenline, while average weekday traffic crossing the screenline on existing surface roads is forecast to decrease by about seven per cent

– Forecast average weekday traffic reductions on Southern Cross Drive and Stanmore Road, with reductions also forecast for King Street and Sydenham Road

Key observations comparing the ‘cumulative’ to ‘without project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033 are:

– In the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios, two-way average weekday traffic volumes crossing the screenline are forecast to increase. Traffic on the M4-M5 Link is forecast to be about 24 per cent and around 27 per cent of total two-way average weekday traffic crossing the screenline in 2023 and 2033 respectively
– Two-way average weekday traffic on Southern Cross Drive is forecast to fall by about 14 per cent in 2023, and by about 16 per cent in 2033. This is due to vehicles travelling from areas north of Sydney Harbour to areas around Sydney Airport, or to the M5 Motorway, with the M4- M5 Link and proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Sydney Gateway projects providing a new parallel route
– As in the ‘with project’ scenario, there are significant forecast reductions on Stanmore Road, King Street, and Sydenham Road. Under the ‘cumulative‘ scenario, there is also a significant forecast reduction in northbound average weekday traffic on Botany Road of about 3,000 vehicles daily or about nine per cent, due to the presence of Sydney Gateway providing an alternative route from the Sydney Airport and Port Botany precinct to the St Peters interchange
– There are slight forecast increases in southbound average weekday traffic volumes on Wyndham Street, Botany Road, Elizabeth Street and King Street in the ‘cumulative’ scenario. However, in terms of total southbound average weekday traffic crossing the screenline, the forecast increase of traffic on these roads in 2023 and 2033 represents an increase of about two per cent.

Peak hour analysis

The peak hour forecasts indicate traffic volume changes are similar to those in the average weekday traffic forecasts, with traffic shifting from surface roads onto the M4-M5 Link. However, road network capacity constraints limit the shifts in traffic in the peak hours, and hence reductions in traffic on surface roads crossing the screenline are not as high in the peak hours compared to across the day.

Cross-harbour screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Minimal forecast changes to total daily traffic crossing Sydney Harbour on the Gladesville Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel in the ‘with project’ scenario

– Two-way average weekday traffic is forecast to increase by around six per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario on the Gladesville Bridge. This reflects the increase in traffic along Victoria Road due to vehicles using the Iron Cove Link and the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels, via the Rozelle interchange

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Minimal forecast changes in two-way average weekday traffic volumes crossing the screenline in the ‘with project’ scenario

– Two-way average weekday traffic on the Gladesville Bridge is forecast to increase by about seven per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario due to vehicles using the Iron Cove Link and the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels, via the Rozelle interchange

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project and ‘cumulative’ scenarios are:

– Forecast two-way average weekday traffic crossing the screenline increases by about three per cent in the ‘cumulative’ scenario due in part to traffic induced by the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link project connection

– A forecast shift in traffic from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel onto the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel tunnels. Two-way average weekday traffic is forecast to decrease by around six per cent on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and by around 23 per cent in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel under the ‘cumulative’ scenario

– Two-way average weekday traffic is forecast to increase by around 13 per cent on the Gladesville Bridge in the ‘cumulative’ scenario, reflecting the increase in traffic forecast to access the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels and the Iron Cove Link

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios are:

– Forecast two-way average weekday traffic crossing the screenline increases by about seven per cent in the ‘cumulative’ scenario due in part to traffic induced by the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link connection. The Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link is forecast to carry about 12 per cent of two-way average weekday traffic crossing the screenline (without a surface connection at Rozelle)

– The forecast changes in two-way average weekday traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and on Gladesville Bridge are similar to that forecast in 2023.

Peak hour analysis

The changes in peak hour volumes at the cross-harbour screenline indicate project impacts on peak hour traffic volumes similar to those forecast for AWT, with only minor changes in traffic volume crossing the harbour on the Gladesville Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel in the ‘with project’ scenario.

Heavy vehicle analysis

A separate analysis of only heavy vehicles was carried out for the east–west, upper north–south and lower north–south screenlines to confirm if there were any different traffic pattern shifts forecast for heavy vehicles. The results of this analysis indicate:

A decrease in the daily volume of heavy vehicles on surface roads is generally forecast across all screenlines, as heavy vehicles shift onto the M4-M5 Link
Daily heavy vehicle volumes on Parramatta Road and City West Link are forecast to drop by around 40–50 per cent
Daily heavy vehicle volumes on roads in the inner west, such as Stanmore Road, Sydenham Road, Marrickville Road and King Street, are forecast to drop by about 20–50 per cent
Forecast increases on Johnston Street and Ross Street as heavy vehicles move between the surface road network and the M4-M5 Link tunnels. However, in the peak hours, these increases are generally less than around 80 heavy vehicle movements per hour, and in some cases are directional, with an increase in one peak hour forecast changing to a decrease in the other peak hour.Operational performance – M4-M5 Link Motorway
Forecast traffic in the mainline tunnels Table 8-76 presents the two-way daily AWT volumes that are forecast on the mainline tunnel sections of the project.

Table 8-76 Two-way daily AWT forecast in the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels

Scenario	Year	Location
Scenario	Year	Between Wattle Street interchange and Rozelle interchange	Between Rozelle interchange and St Peters interchange
With project	2023	89,000	61,500
Cumulative	2023	107,000	96,000
With project	2033	99,500	70,000
Cumulative	2033	126,000	119,500

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

Mid-block level of service

Table 8-77 and Table 8-78 presents peak hour mid-block traffic volumes and levels of service under the ‘with project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033. The results indicate that the new M4-M5 Link motorway would operate at a good level of service in the 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios.

Table 8-77 M4-M5 Link motorway mid-block LoS – 2023 ‘with project’ scenario

Table 8-78 M4-M5 Link motorway LoS – 2033 ‘with project’ scenario

Table 8-79 presents the crash analysis for the M4-M5 Link.

The analysis has been carried out using crash rates from existing motorway tunnels in Sydney (Lane Cove, Eastern Distributor, Cross City and Sydney Harbour tunnels). These crashes would be balanced against the reduction in crashes forecast by the reduction in traffic volumes on the surface roads. Crash rates on motorways are much lower than on surface arterial roads and there would therefore be expected to be a reduction in the number of accidents.

Table 8-79 M4-M5 Link: Crash analysis for 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios

8.3.3 Assessment of operational impacts of the project

This section details the forecast traffic performance during the ‘with project’ scenarios carried out using forecast traffic volumes for the following scenarios:

‘With project’ (2023): including NorthConnex, M4 Widening, M4 East, New M5 and the M4-M5 Link are complete and open to traffic
‘With project’ (2033): including the same road network as the ‘with project’ (2023) scenario is and assumes no proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link or F6 Extension.SummaryA number of key benefits and improvements are forecast as a result of the project:
- Non-motorway roads in the Inner West LGA are forecast to experience faster trips with the daily average speed increasing by about 10 per cent. Similarly, the vehicle distance travelled on non- motorway roads is forecast to reduce by about 12 per cent. This indicates that on average, these trips are fewer in number and faster
- Improved network productivity on the metropolitan network, with more trips forecast to be made or longer distances travelled on the network in a shorter time. The forecast increase in VKT and reduction in vehicle hours travelled (VHT) is mainly due to traffic using the new motorway, with reductions in daily VKT and VHT forecast on non-motorway roads
- The project, along with investment in other road, public transport and active transport projects, would help to accommodate the forecast growth in population and travel demand in the Sydney metropolitan area

Reduced travel times are forecast on key corridors, such as between the M4 Motorway corridor and the Sydney Airport/Port Botany precinc
Reduced traffic forecast on sections of major arterial roads including City West Link, Parramatta Road, Victoria Road, King Street, Princes Highway, Southern Cross Drive and Sydenham Road

Almost 2,000 heavy vehicles are forecast to be removed from Parramatta Road, east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps, each weekday.

Where the project would connect to the existing road network, increased congestion is forecast in parts of Mascot, along Frederick Street at Haberfield, Victoria Road north of Iron Cove Bridge, Johnston Street at Annandale and on the Western Distributor. The performance of the road network at a number of these areas would be improved when the proposed future Sydney Gateway and Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link projects are completed.

Sydney metropolitan road network

‘With project’ (2023)

Between Parramatta and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 25 minute saving comparing the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Burwood and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about five minutes. This saving is part of a 15 minute saving comparing the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Silverwater and Port Botany, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 15 minute saving comparing the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex.In 2023, with the inclusion of the project, road network productivity would improve as indicated by a drop in daily VKT and VHT on the arterial (non-motorway) network, with an increase in kilometres and hours travelled along the motorway and highway routes. Overall, the road network would accommodate more or longer trips in a shorter time. As shown in Table 8-72, the increase in daily VKT and drop in VHT is mainly due to traffic using the new motorway, with reductions in daily VKT and VHT forecast on non-motorway roads.

Table 8-72 Comparison of daily 2023 VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in the ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

On-road freight

On-road public transport

A large forecast decrease in traffic on Parramatta Road, east of the M4 East Parramatta Road ramps, would improve reliability and trip times of bus services on Parramatta Road.

Changes by LGA on non-motorway links

Table 8-73 Percentage change in daily travel distance, time and average speed on non-motorway links by LGA in 2023

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

Figure 8-13 Difference in AWT between 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2016

‘With project’ (2033)

Figure 8-14 shows bandwidth plots illustrating the forecast change in daily traffic volumes between the 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios.

General traffic

Between Parramatta and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 30 minute saving comparing the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Burwood and Sydney Airport, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about five minutes. This saving is part of a 20 minute saving comparing the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex
Between Silverwater and Port Botany, average peak period travel times are forecast to reduce by about 10 minutes. This saving is part of a 20 minute saving comparing the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario to a scenario without WestConnex.

With the inclusion of the project there is a drop in the daily VKT and VHT on the arterial (non- motorway) network and a corresponding increase in kilometres and hours travelled along the motorway and highway routes. The addition of the M4-M5 Link provides a substantial overall benefit to the network where more or longer trips could be made on the road network in a shorter time.

Table 8-74 Comparison of daily 2033 VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

On-road freight

On-road public transport

Scenario	Daily VKT (‘000 km)			Daily VHT (‘000 hours)
Scenario	Motorway	Other	Total	Motorway	Other	Total
Do minimum (without project)	31,030	101,900	132,930	590	4,670	5,560
With project	32,010	101,410	133,430	600	4,610	5,220

Changes by LGA on non-motorway links

Table 8-75 Percentage change in daily travel distance, time and average speed by LGA in 2033

Local Government Area	Daily VKT	Daily VHT	Daily average speed
Bayside	1%	4%	-3%
Burwood	-2%	-3%	1%
Canada Bay	-1%	-1%	0%
Canterbury-Bankstown	-1%	-4%	3%
Inner West	-11%	-21%	14%
Strathfield	-1%	-4%	3%
Sydney	-2%	-2%	0%

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

Figure 8-14 Difference in AWT between 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenariosSource: WRTM v2.3, 2016

Screenline/parallel route analysis

The east–west screenline captures changes in east–west traffic movement and includes a location on the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels between the Wattle Street and Rozelle interchanges, as well as on four parallel corridors (City West Link, Darley Road, Marion Street and Parramatta Road). This screenline also includes a location on Lyons Road, which would reflect any changes in traffic using Lyons Road to travel to and from Victoria Road
The upper north–south screenline captures changes in vehicle travel patterns on north–south links north of Parramatta Road, including Norton Street, Balmain Road, Catherine Street, Johnston Street, Booth Street (north of Pyrmont Bridge Road) and Ross Street (north of Bridge Road). These roads are close to the Rozelle interchange and would display changes in traffic on surface roads as a result of the new road connections at the Rozelle interchange
The lower north–south screenline includes a location on the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels between the Rozelle interchange and the St Peters interchange, as well as locations on 10 north– south regional connector roads (Stanmore Road, Addison Road, Sydenham Road, Marrickville Road, King Street, Wyndham Street, Botany Road, Elizabeth Street, South Dowling Street and the Southern Cross Drive)
The cross-harbour screenline looks at changes in cross-harbour traffic flow on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Gladesville Bridge. It also includes a location on the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel in the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios.The screenline analysis also included an analysis of impacts during peak hours to see how the M4-

Summary

As a result of the new roadway links provided by the project, the two-way future year AWT traffic demand compared to a ‘without project’ scenario is predicted to significantly decrease on:

City West Link and Parramatta Road, east of the M4 East Wattle Street and Parramatta Road ramps respectively, by about 25 per cent in 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios
King Street in St Peters by about 20 per cent in the 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios
Stanmore Road in Stanmore by about 15 per cent in 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios
Lyons Road in Russell Lea by about 15 per cent in the 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios, and about 20 per cent in the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios
Southern Cross Drive and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel by about 20 per cent and 25 per cent respectively in the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios.The reduction in traffic demand on these major traffic routes is likely to improve speed, journey reliability and safety on these corridors compared to a ‘without project’ scenario.The following sections provide additional detail on the key observations for each of the screenlines. Further detail is provided in Appendix H (Technical working paper: Traffic and transport).
East-west screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– The average weekday traffic volumes would increase by about 28 per cent in the ‘with project’

scenario

– The average weekday traffic volumes on surface arterial roads is forecast to decrease by around 20 per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario

– The average weekday traffic volumes on Lyons Road would fall by around 14 per cent as a result of the Iron Cove Link and the M4-M5 Link providing an alternative route

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– The average weekday traffic volumes on surface roads and in the tunnels would increase by

around 30 per cent in the ‘with project’ scenario

Key observations comparing the ‘cumulative’ to the ‘without project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033 are:

– The average weekday traffic volumes crossing the east-west screenline would increase by around 36 per cent in 2023 and 41 per cent in 2033

– Average weekday traffic volumes on surface roads would decrease by about 22 per cent in both 2023 and 2033.

Peak hour analysis

Upper north–south screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Increase in average weekday traffic volumes (around four per cent) on Johnston Street and Ross Street as traffic moves between the surface road network and the M4-M5 Link

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

Key observations comparing the ‘cumulative’ to the ‘without project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033 are:

Peak hour analysis

Lower north–south screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Two-way average weekday traffic volumes on the M4-M5 Link is forecast to be around 16 per cent of total two-way average weekday traffic volumes crossing the screenline, with average weekday traffic crossing the screenline on existing surface roads forecast to decrease by around seven per cent
– The greatest forecast reductions in traffic volume occur on Stanmore Road and Southern Cross Drive. Total two-way average weekday traffic is forecast to fall by around 16 per cent on Stanmore Road and by about three per cent on Southern Cross Drive
– There are also forecast reductions on King Street, where two-way average weekday traffic volumes decreases by around 19 per cent (around 4,000 vehicles per day), and on Sydenham Road where two-way average weekday traffic volumes decrease by about 10 per cent (about 3,000 vehicles per day).

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:
– Two-way traffic on the M4-M5 Link is forecast to be around 17 per cent of total two-way

average weekday traffic crossing the screenline, while average weekday traffic crossing the screenline on existing surface roads is forecast to decrease by about seven per cent

– Forecast average weekday traffic reductions on Southern Cross Drive and Stanmore Road, with reductions also forecast for King Street and Sydenham Road

Key observations comparing the ‘cumulative’ to ‘without project’ scenarios for 2023 and 2033 are:

– In the 2023 and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios, two-way average weekday traffic volumes crossing the screenline are forecast to increase. Traffic on the M4-M5 Link is forecast to be about 24 per cent and around 27 per cent of total two-way average weekday traffic crossing the screenline in 2023 and 2033 respectively
– Two-way average weekday traffic on Southern Cross Drive is forecast to fall by about 14 per cent in 2023, and by about 16 per cent in 2033. This is due to vehicles travelling from areas north of Sydney Harbour to areas around Sydney Airport, or to the M5 Motorway, with the M4- M5 Link and proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Sydney Gateway projects providing a new parallel route
– As in the ‘with project’ scenario, there are significant forecast reductions on Stanmore Road, King Street, and Sydenham Road. Under the ‘cumulative‘ scenario, there is also a significant forecast reduction in northbound average weekday traffic on Botany Road of about 3,000 vehicles daily or about nine per cent, due to the presence of Sydney Gateway providing an alternative route from the Sydney Airport and Port Botany precinct to the St Peters interchange
– There are slight forecast increases in southbound average weekday traffic volumes on Wyndham Street, Botany Road, Elizabeth Street and King Street in the ‘cumulative’ scenario. However, in terms of total southbound average weekday traffic crossing the screenline, the forecast increase of traffic on these roads in 2023 and 2033 represents an increase of about two per cent.Peak hour analysisThe peak hour forecasts indicate traffic volume changes are similar to those in the average weekday traffic forecasts, with traffic shifting from surface roads onto the M4-M5 Link. However, road network capacity constraints limit the shifts in traffic in the peak hours, and hence reductions in traffic on surface roads crossing the screenline are not as high in the peak hours compared to across the day.
Cross-harbour screenline

Average weekday traffic analysis

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Minimal forecast changes to total daily traffic crossing Sydney Harbour on the Gladesville Bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Tunnel in the ‘with project’ scenario

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios are:

– Minimal forecast changes in two-way average weekday traffic volumes crossing the

screenline in the ‘with project’ scenario

Key observations comparing the 2023 ‘without project and ‘cumulative’ scenarios are:

Key observations comparing the 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios are:

– The forecast changes in two-way average weekday traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and on Gladesville Bridge are similar to that forecast in 2023.

Peak hour analysis

Heavy vehicle analysis

A decrease in the daily volume of heavy vehicles on surface roads is generally forecast across all screenlines, as heavy vehicles shift onto the M4-M5 Link
Daily heavy vehicle volumes on Parramatta Road and City West Link are forecast to drop by around 40–50 per cent
Daily heavy vehicle volumes on roads in the inner west, such as Stanmore Road, Sydenham Road, Marrickville Road and King Street, are forecast to drop by about 20–50 per cent
Forecast increases on Johnston Street and Ross Street as heavy vehicles move between the surface road network and the M4-M5 Link tunnels. However, in the peak hours, these increases are generally less than around 80 heavy vehicle movements per hour, and in some cases are directional, with an increase in one peak hour forecast changing to a decrease in the other peak hour.

Operational Performance – M4-M5 Link Motorway

Forecast traffic in the mainline tunnels Table 8-76 presents the two-way daily AWT volumes that are forecast on the mainline tunnel sections of the project.

Table 8-76 Two-way daily AWT forecast in the M4-M5 Link mainline tunnels

Scenario	Year	Location
Scenario	Year	Between Wattle Street interchange and Rozelle interchange	Between Rozelle interchange and St Peters interchange
With project	2023	89,000	61,500
Cumulative	2023	107,000	96,000
With project	2033	99,500	70,000
Cumulative	2033	126,000	119,500

Source: WRTM v2.3, 2017

Mid-block level of service

Table 8-77 M4-M5 Link motorway mid-block LoS – 2023 ‘with project’ scenario

Traffic crashes

Table 8-79 presents the crash analysis for the M4-M5 Link. The analysis has been carried out using crash rates from existing motorway tunnels in Sydney (Lane Cove, Eastern Distributor, Cross City and Sydney Harbour tunnels). These crashes would be balanced against the reduction in crashes forecast by the reduction in traffic volumes on the surface roads. Crash rates on motorways are much lower than on surface arterial roads and there would therefore be expected to be a reduction in the number of accidents.

Table 8-79 M4-M5 Link: Crash analysis for 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios

Operational performance – Wattle Street interchange

Changes to the road network in ‘with project’ scenario

Under the ‘with project’ scenario, traffic can travel between the M4 East and M4-M5 Link as well as use the M4-M5 Link entry and exit ramps to and from Wattle Street (between Parramatta Road and Ramsay Street).

Network performance

The performance of roads around the Wattle Street interchange in 2023 and 2033 with and without the project were modelled and the results are presented in Table 8-80.

The ‘with project’ scenario introduces more tunnelled motorway links, and while the forecast traffic demand significantly increases after the opening of the M4-M5 Link, the new links contribute to a substantial increase in the average vehicle speed. In 2023, a substantial increase in traffic is accommodated through the network in the ‘with project’ scenario, and overall average speeds increase due to the new M4-M5 Link reducing congestion on the surface road network. These improvements would be experienced during the AM and PM peak periods.

In the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario in the AM peak, congestion is forecast along Wattle Street northbound, with queues extending through the Ramsay Street intersection, as a result of increases in surface network traffic demand to City West Link between the two scenarios. Queueing is not forecast to prevent entry to or exit from the project.

In the 2023 PM peak for the ‘with project’ scenario, the introduction of the project Wattle Street exit ramp requires a change in layout at the Wattle Street approach to the Parramatta Road/Wattle Street intersection, which reduces the number of surface through lanes from two to one, with the second through lane used by the M4-M5 Link exit ramp. Westbound queues extending along Wattle Street/Dobroyd Parade are therefore forecast to increase in the ‘with project’ scenario, despite a slight reduction in surface demand from City West Link. This results in forecast queueing back and unreleased demand at the westbound City West Link network entry. The westbound queueing is also forecast to cause side road queueing at the Ramsay Street intersection with Wattle Street, resulting in unreleased demand on the Ramsay Street westbound approach. The westbound queueing is also forecast to inhibit access into the M4 East Wattle Street entry ramp.

Increased demand to Frederick Street is forecast to cause queueing back along Frederick Street and inhibit the Parramatta Road eastbound right turn movement into Frederick Street, which in turn is forecast to cause delay to the Parramatta Road left turn movement into Wattle Street and into the project Wattle Street entry ramp.

Forecast demand along Parramatta Road is reduced following the M4-M5 Link opening, with fewer vehicles resulting in improved performance of the ‘with project’ scenario along this corridor when compared to ‘without project’ conditions.

In the ‘with project’ scenario in 2033, total traffic demand would increase by around 43 per cent in the AM peak periods and about 37 per cent in the PM peak period compared to the 2033 ‘without project’ scenario. Average time travelled per vehicle in the network would decrease by around 46 per cent and 33 per cent and average speeds per vehicle would increase by around 47 per cent and 38 per cent respectively during the AM and PM peak periods.

In the AM peak, as per the 2023 scenario, forecast traffic demand to City West Link and Parramatta Road eastbound from the M4 East is lower than the ‘without project’ scenario, with much shorter queues on the M4 East exit ramp and on Wattle Street, due to the availability of the M4-M5 Link. This in turn accounts for the large increase in average speed within the network. Queueing is still observed to extend from the eastern end of the modelled road network; with queuing blocking through the Liverpool Road intersection. However, this is not forecast to extend beyond the Dalhousie Street intersection or to the M4 East Parramatta Road exit ramp. Queueing is not forecast to prevent entry to or exit from the project.

In the PM peak, the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario results show an increase in average speed as a result of significantly reduced delay on the M4 East Parramatta Road exit ramp. This exit ramp was heavily congested in the 2033 ‘without project’ scenario, with queueing back that extends to the M4 East mainline. The reduction in delay to this movement is greater than the increase in delay on the Wattle Street approach to Parramatta Road (caused by increased demand to Frederick Street), and therefore average speeds increase.

Increased demand to Frederick Street is forecast to cause queueing back along Frederick Street and inhibit the Parramatta Road eastbound right turn movement into Frederick Street. This is forecast to cause delay to the Parramatta Road left turn movement into Wattle Street and into the project Wattle Street entry ramp. Eastbound queueing is forecast from the City West Link/Timbrell Drive intersection back to the Parramatta Road/Wattle Street intersection.

Table 8-80 Wattle Street interchange network performance – AM and PM peak hours (2023 ‘without project’ scenario vs 2023 ‘with project’ scenario and 2033 ‘without project’ scenario vs 2033 ‘with project’ scenario)

Intersection performance

A summary of the modelled intersection performance on roads around the Wattle Street interchange in 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios is shown in Table 8-81.

During the 2023 and 2033 AM peak hour, the performance at the Parramatta Road/Wattle Street intersection is forecast to worsen in the ‘with project’ scenario, despite vehicle volumes using the surface road network reducing. The reduction in through lanes for surface traffic from Wattle Street to Frederick Street causes queuing on the southbound approach and increases the overall intersection delay. Elsewhere, intersection performance is forecast to be similar to the ‘without project’ scenario.

During the 2033 AM peak, the City West Link/Timbrell Drive intersection is forecast to improve in ‘with project’ scenario as a result of reduced demand for City West Link from the M4 East Wattle Street exit ramp (with corresponding increased demand for the M4-M5 Link Motorway). During the 2023 PM peak hour, the performance of the Parramatta Road/Liverpool Road intersection is forecast to improve in the ‘with project’ scenario, as a result of reduced demand for the intersection as traffic shifts to the M4-M5 Link. Elsewhere, performance remains similar to the ‘without project’ scenario.

Table 8-81 Wattle Street interchange: key intersection performance (LoS) – 2015 Base, 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios

Travel times

Figure 8-16 and Figure 8-17 provide a comparison of travel times through the network modelled around the Wattle Street interchange in 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios.

In the AM peak hour, Parramatta Road eastbound travel times reduce slightly as a result of forecast reductions in the surface road network traffic. Westbound travel times in the AM peak hour remain fairly constant due to forecast decreased congestion in that direction. While total demand for City West Link reduces or remains at a similar level with the project, the forecast increase in surface traffic demand to City West Link and northbound demand from Frederick Street causes congestion northbound/eastbound along Wattle Street and City West Link, resulting in increased travel times on the Frederick Street to City West Link movement. Large reductions in travel time are forecast between the M4 East and Parramatta Road (E), as fewer vehicles make this movement, with traffic shifting to the M4-M5 Link.

Figure 8-16 Wattle Street interchange: Average travel time (mins) – AM peak hour ‘with project’ scenarios

Figure 8-16 presents the travel times in the PM peak hour ‘with project’ scenarios, which demonstrates that the project would result in reduced travel times along Parramatta Road eastbound, as a result of the forecast reduction in traffic demand. Travel time benefits are also seen in travelling from Frederick Street to City West Link; however this is attributed more to traffic signal phasing changes, where this approach receives more green time in the ‘with project’ scenario.

Travel time benefits are also seen in the M4 East exit ramp movements to both City West Link and Parramatta Road, as a result of a forecast reduction in traffic as traffic shifts onto the M4-M5 Link.

Travel time increases are predicted along City West Link on the southbound approach to Parramatta Road, mainly as a result of the reduction in through lanes for surface traffic to Frederick Street.

Figure 8-17 Wattle Street interchange: Average travel time (mins) – PM peak hour ‘with project’ scenarios

Traffic crashes

Table 8-82 and Table 8-83 present the crash forecast under the 2023 and 2033 ‘with project’ scenarios compared to the ‘without project’ scenarios.

Daily traffic on Parramatta Road is forecast to decrease in the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario compared to the ‘without project’ scenario, resulting in a decrease in the total number and cost of crashes. Average annual crashes are forecast to decrease from 120 to 96, with the average annual cost of crashes falling from $12.9 million to $10.4 million.

Similarly, in 2033, forecasts indicate that a decrease in daily traffic on Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road in the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario compared to the ‘without project’ scenario would result in a decrease in the total number and cost of crashes. Average annual crashes decrease from 130 to 104 and the average annual cost of crashes decreases from $14.1 million to $11.2 million.

Table 8-82 Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road: Crash comparison between 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios

Table 8-83 Parramatta Road between Wattle Street and City Road: Crash comparison between 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘without project’ scenarios

Public transport services

Table 8-18 and Figure 8-19 shows the comparison in travel times for buses between the 2023 and 2033 ‘without project’ and ‘with project’ scenarios for the AM and PM peak.

Eastbound Parramatta Road bus travel times during the AM peak and PM peak hours are forecast to improve. This is primarily due to the reduction in general traffic demand along this same section. The westbound direction is less congested in the modelled scenarios, and so bus travel times remain relatively unchanged from the ‘without project’ scenario.

Figure 8-18 Wattle Street interchange: AM peak hour average travel time for buses – ‘with project’ comparison

Figure 8-19 Wattle Street interchange: PM peak hour average travel time for buses – ‘with project’ comparison

Active transport facilities

Details of planned walking and cycling facilities can be found in Annexure N (Technical working paper: Active transport).

Impact on local property access and on-street parking

There is no planned impact on local property access or on-street residential or business parking in the Wattle Street interchange area as part of the M4-M5 Link project. The southern end of Northcote Street is to remain closed during construction as per the existing arrangement for construction of the M4 East project. Once construction of the M4-M5 Link is completed, this would be permanently re- opened.

Operations under staged opening

The mainline tunnels between the M4 East at Haberfield and the New M5 at St Peters are planned for completion in 2022, while the Rozelle interchange is planned for completion in 2023.There is a period of around 12 months during which the mainline tunnels would be operational without the Rozelle interchange, although at a reduced lane capacity of only two lanes in each direction in the mainline. Constructing the project in two stages would allow the mainline tunnels to operate independently before the completion of the Rozelle interchange and the Iron Cove Link and allow the benefits to the Sydney metropolitan road network of linking the M4 East and the New M5 component projects to be realised as soon as possible.

8.3.4 Assessment of cumulative impacts

Cumulative projects

This section details the forecast traffic performance of the study area during the following ‘cumulative’ scenarios:

Operation ‘cumulative’ (2023): With the 2023 ‘do minimum’ projects completed, the M4-M5 Link complete and open to traffic, and in addition, the proposed future Sydney Gateway and Western Harbour Tunnel operational
Operation ‘cumulative’ (2033): With the 2033 ‘do minimum’ projects completed, the M4-M5 Link complete and open to traffic, and in addition, the proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and the F6 Extension operational.

The proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and them F6 Extension projects would be subject to separate assessment and do not form part of this project.

Sydney metropolitan road network

2023 ‘Cumulative’ scenario

General traffic

In the 2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario, the project enables the development of the future Sydney motorway network, connecting the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel to the M5 Motorway corridor, creating a western bypass of the Sydney CBD. With the inclusion of the proposed future Sydney Gateway and Western Harbour Tunnel, increases in traffic on the M4-M5 Link are forecast, particularly between the Rozelle and St Peters interchanges due to the extended motorway network. A decrease in daily traffic is forecast on the M4 exit ramp to Anzac Bridge, Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor and the Sydney Harbour Bridge due to the inclusion of the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel.

Decreased traffic is forecast on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Southern Cross Drive and the existing M5 East due to the introduction of the proposed future Sydney Gateway and Western Harbour Tunnel.

With the inclusion of the proposed future Sydney Gateway, decreases in daily traffic on surface roads between the St Peters interchange and Sydney Airport and the Princes Highway are forecast. Further reductions in peak period travel times compared to the ‘with project’ scenario are also forecast between the M4 corridor and the Sydney Airport/Port Botany.

Road network productivity is forecast to improve in the 2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario compared to the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario with the inclusion of the proposed future Sydney Gateway and Western Harbour Tunnel. There is a drop in the VKT and VHT on the arterial (non-motorway) network with an increase in kilometres and hours travelled along the motorway routes, as shown in Table 8-94. Therefore, greater distance could be travelled on the road network in a shorter time.

Table 8-94 Comparison of daily 2023 VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios

Scenario	Daily VKT (‘000 km)			Daily VHT (‘000 hours)
Scenario	Motorway	Other	Total	Motorway	Other	Total
With project	27,730	86,050	113,780	480	3,120	3,600
Cumulative	27,980	85,970	113,950	470	3,110	3,570

On-road freight

Forecast changes in daily road-based freight or heavy vehicle movements generally follow the same pattern as the general traffic movements. There are significant reductions in daily heavy vehicle traffic focused on the new M4 East exit ramp to Anzac Bridge, Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor and the Sydney Harbour Bridge (especially northbound), and on Southern Cross Drive and Sydney Harbour Tunnel (especially southbound). Decreases in daily heavy vehicle traffic on surface roads between the St Peters interchange and Sydney Airport are also forecast due to the proposed future Sydney Gateway.

On-road public transport

Reductions in forecast traffic volume changes as a result of the inclusion of the proposed future Sydney Gateway and the Western Harbour Tunnel would be expected to improve the reliability and trip times for public transport bus services on those roads. The decrease in daily traffic forecast for Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor could improve reliability and trip times for bus services travelling between the north-west and the Sydney CBD via Victoria Road. Forecast decreases in traffic for the Sydney Harbour Bridge could improve trip times and reliability for bus services travelling between the north and the Sydney CBD on the Warringah Freeway and Pacific Highway.

2033 ‘Cumulative’ scenario

Analysis was undertaken of the impact of the project under the cumulative 2033 scenario.

General traffic

In a 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario, the project enables the further development of the future Sydney motorway network, connecting the proposed future Beaches Link (a component of the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link) and the F6 Extension, creating a north–south motorway link. The pattern of change highlighted in 2023 is generally the same for 2033, with the scale of increases or decreases larger due to the growth in forecast traffic. However, with the inclusion of the F6 Extension, decreases in daily traffic on the Princes Highway (especially south of the M5 East) are forecast due to traffic switching to use the motorway links.

With the inclusion of the proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and the F6 Extension, reductions in peak period travel times are forecast between the M4 corridor and the Sydney Airport/Port Botany precinct in 2033.

Road network productivity is forecast to improve in the 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario with the inclusion of the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel, Sydney Gateway, Beaches Link and the F6 Extension. There is a forecast drop in VKT and VHT on the arterial (non-motorway) network, and an increase in kilometres travelled along the motorway routes, as shown in Table 8-95. Overall, a greater distance could be travelled on the road network in a shorter time.

Table 8-95 Comparison of daily 2033 VKT and VHT for metropolitan Sydney in 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios

Scenario	Daily VKT (‘000 km)			Daily VHT (‘000 hours)
Scenario	Motorway	Other	Total	Motorway	Other	Total
With project	32,010	101,410	133,430	600	4,610	5,220
Cumulative	33,780	100,650	134,420	600	4,500	5,100

On-road freight

Forecast changes in daily road-based freight or heavy vehicle movements would generally follow the same pattern as 2023 cumulative scenarios, with a larger decrease on General Holmes Drive (south of the M5 East) forecast due to the inclusion of the F6 Extension.

On-road public transport

The impacts for on-road public transport in 2033 are similar to those forecast in 2023. Reductions in traffic on Anzac Bridge/Western Distributor would be expected to improve the reliability and trip times of bus services that travel between the north-west and the Sydney CBD via Victoria Road. Reductions in forecast traffic volumes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge would be expected to improve the reliability and trip times of buses travelling between the north and the Sydney CBD via the Pacific Highway and Warringah Freeway.

Operational performance – M4-M5 Link Motorway

Mid-block level of service

The mid-block levels of service on the M4-M5 Link motorway under the 2023 ‘cumulative’ and 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenarios in peak hours are provided in Table 8-96 and Table 8-97 respectively. Compared to the 2023 ‘with project’ scenario, the 2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario analysis indicates traffic flows on the motorway would generally be denser with a corresponding reduction in level of service in the peak hours. However, it is still forecast to generally operate at an acceptable level of service.

The 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario analysis indicates forecast traffic flows on the motorway would be denser compared to the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario, with a corresponding reduction in level of service in the peak hours. This is due to the additional motorway links in the ‘cumulative’ scenario (the proposed future Sydney Gateway, Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and the F6 Extension), resulting in more traffic on the M4-M5 Link. There are sections of the motorway forecast to operate at LoS E in the peak hours, particularly around the merge and diverge locations on the M4-M5 Link, such as where the Wattle Street interchange ramps and the mainline connect. Even with this increased density, average motorway speeds are still forecast to be 60 km/h or above.

Provision has been made for ramp signalling and Smart (or Managed) Motorway infrastructure in the M4-M5 Link design. A Smart Motorway uses technology to monitor, provide intelligence and control the motorway to ease congestion and keep traffic flowing more effectively. Technology, including lane use management signs, vehicle detection equipment, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras and on-ramp signals, allows road operators to manage, in real-time, traffic entering, exiting and traversing the motorway. A comprehensive network-wide strategy could have significant benefits in maintaining acceptable operating conditions on the motorway in the future.

Table 8-96 M4-M5 Link motorway LOS – 2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario

Note: The reported speed has been capped at the posted 80 kilometres per hour. The microsimulation models allow vehicle speeds slightly higher than the posted speed, which models reality, especially in uncongested, free flow conditions.

Table 8-97 M4-M5 Link motorway LOS – 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario

Traffic crashes

A comparison between the crash forecast under the 2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario was undertaken against the ‘with project’ scenario and is shown in Table 8-98. The increase in forecast traffic in the cumulative scenario is reflected in an increase in forecast crashes, especially on the section between the Rozelle and St Peters interchanges. Once again, these crashes would be balanced against the reduction in crashes forecast by the reduction in traffic volumes on the surface roads. With crash rates on motorways much lower than on surface arterial roads, a general reduction in accidents would be expected.

Table 8-98 M4-M5 Link: Crash comparison between 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios

A comparison between the crash forecast under the 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario was undertaken against the ‘with project’ scenario and is shown in Table 8-99. The comparison is similar to the 2023 comparison. The increase in forecast traffic in the cumulative scenario, especially on the section between the Rozelle and St Peters interchanges, is reflected in an increase in forecast crashes.

Table 8-99 M4-M5 Link: Crash comparison between 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios

Operational performance – Wattle Street Interchange

Changes to road network in ‘cumulative’ scenarios

There are no road network differences between ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios at the Wattle Street interchange.

Network performance

2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario

A comparison of the performance of the modelled road network between the 2023 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios for the AM and PM peak hours was undertaken.

AM peak hour

The 2023 AM peak hour ‘cumulative’ scenario network performance are similar to the ‘with project’ scenario performance, with the main cause of congestion being excess demand for City West Link which is forecast to occasionally block back beyond the Ramsay Street intersection. This impacts Ramsay Street (W), Waratah Street and Timbrell Drive, which are forecast to all experience heavy queueing. Queuing at the eastbound M4 East Parramatta Road ramps merge is minimal, however the models forecast extensive queuing at Liverpool Road. There is an increase in average speed due to the higher proportion of vehicles using the M4-M5 Link in the ‘cumulative’ scenario.

PM peak hour

The 2023 PM peak hour ‘cumulative’ scenario network performance is similar to the ‘with project’ scenario performance, with the main cause of congestion remaining the increased forecast demand to Frederick Street. This traffic cannot be accommodated because of downstream congestion blocking back from south west of the modelled network extents. As with the ‘with project’ scenario, significant queues are predicted to occur on the Parramatta Road eastbound approach to Wattle Street and on Wattle Street. The forecast increase in total demand in the ‘cumulative’ scenario results in an increase in average speed, as much of this additional demand is along the M4-M5 Link, which is free flowing at relatively high speeds.

2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario

A comparison of the network performance of the modelled road network between the 2033 ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios for the AM and PM peak hours was undertaken.

AM peak hour

The 2033 AM peak hour ‘cumulative’ scenario forecasts a minor increase in overall average speed due to an increase in forecast demand for the M4-M5 Link mainline when compared to the ‘with project’; similar to the 2023 comparisons. The same issues as in the ‘with project’ scenario remain, with there still being significant Wattle Street/Dobroyd Parade congestion impacting side road approaches. One notable difference is that forecast demand from the M4 Motorway to City West Link reduces in the ‘cumulative’ scenario and thus blocking from the Wattle Street merge does not extend as far back along Wattle Street to Parramatta Road, as it does in the 2033 ‘with project’ scenario.

In the ‘cumulative’ scenario, the modelling forecasts a significant increase in demand to and from the surface road network from M4-M5 Link ramps, and reduced demand to and from the M4 East ramps.

PM peak hour

The 2033 PM peak hour ‘cumulative’ network performance are similar to the 2023 ‘with project’ conditions, with the forecast demand for Frederick Street remaining the main cause of congestion. As in the ‘with project’ scenario, with the capacity constraints at the Wattle Street intersection and the increase in westbound demand, queuing on the Parramatta Road westbound approach to Wattle Street extends through the Bland Street intersection. Minor road approaches within the network are seen to have large queues as a result of congestion on Parramatta Road and Wattle Street. This occurs at Bland Street, Great North Road, Croydon Road, Liverpool Road and Sloane Street.

Intersection performance

Performance across the majority of the network is consistent between ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios, with intersections performing at the same or better levels of service. Performance improvements are noted in the 2033 PM peak hour ‘cumulative’ scenario when compared to the ‘with project’ scenario, as a result of reduced demand to and from Parramatta Road to the east.

Travel times

The difference in network travel times between ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios was assessed for the AM and PM peak hours.

In the AM peak hour, delay of vehicles destined for City West Link is reduced in the ‘cumulative’ scenario as a result of reduced forecast demand, particularly from the M4 East Wattle Street exit ramp Elsewhere, travel times remain relatively consistent between ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios.

Travel times in the PM peak hour also remain similar to the ‘with project’ scenario outputs, highlighting the relatively minor difference in traffic flow patterns within the network between the two scenarios. The impact of Frederick Street blocking back is again prevalent, with significant travel times on the City West Link to Frederick Street and M4-M5 Link to Wattle Street sections.

Traffic crashes

Daily traffic on Parramatta Road is forecast to increase slightly in the 2023 ‘cumulative’ scenario compared to the ‘with project’ scenario, resulting in no change to the total number of crashes, and a minimal increase in the cost of crashes of less than one per cent.

Similar to the 2023 comparison, daily traffic on Parramatta Road in the 2033 ‘cumulative’ scenario is forecast to increase slightly, resulting in no change to the total number of crashes, and a minimal increase in cost of crashes of less than one per cent.

Public transport services

There is no change to public transport provision in the ‘cumulative’ scenario compared to the ‘with project’ scenario in 2033. A comparison in bus journey times between ‘with project’ and ‘cumulative’ scenarios indicates that the travel times are similar between the two scenarios.

8.4 Road network optimisation

Management of network assets is a key function of Roads and Maritime, which uses network and corridor planning strategies to best manage and enhance these assets to maximise community benefits.

The process to prepare network and corridor planning strategies includes:

Setting network and corridor objectives in line with NSW and Australian Government strategies and community expectations
Analysing anticipated performance against appropriate safety, traffic and asset measures
Identifying strategic priorities to achieve appropriate safety, traffic and asset performance over thelonger term within the context of limited funding.Together with the ongoing delivery of the Pinch Point Program through Roads and Maritime’s Easing Sydney’s Congestion office, which targets peak hour traffic hotspots, network optimisation facilitates the management of impacts identified to ensure travel time savings are maintained to the greatest possible extent by minimising congestion.
In addition to an optimisation strategy and potential infrastructure provision, the maintenance of the existing traffic control system is a key ingredient in providing Roads and Maritime with the tools to appropriately manage congestion on the network. A review of existing Sydney coordinated adaptive traffic system (SCATS) infrastructure at key intersections in the study area, including detectors, would be undertaken and upgrades implemented where appropriate.

8.5 Management of impacts

8.5.1 Project design features that would manage impacts

Changes to the surface road network are proposed within the M4-M5 Link project design to complement and/or mitigate the impacts of the project. These include:

Minor physical integration works with the surface road network at the Wattle Street interchange including road pavement and line marking
Minor physical integration works with the surface road network at the St Peters interchange including road pavement and line marking
The Rozelle interchange surface works, including:

– Widening and realignment of City West Link, The Crescent and Victoria Road at Lilyfield and Rozelle

– Realigning The Crescent at Annandale, including a new bridge for The Crescent to pass over Whites Creek and modifications to the intersections with City West Link and Johnston Street

– Reconstructing the intersection of The Crescent and Victoria Road at Rozelle, including construction of a new bridge at Victoria Road. The eastbound through movement along City West Link/The Crescent to Anzac Bridge would also be maintained

– New active transport network infrastructure connecting the Rozelle Rail Yards with the wider pedestrian and cyclist network, including two north–south pedestrian and cycle bridges over City West Link, and an east – west underpass below Victoria Road

The Iron Cove Link surface works, including:

– Realignment of the westbound (southern) carriageway of Victoria Road between Springside

Street and the eastern abutment of Iron Cove Bridge

– Permanent closure of Clubb Street south of Victoria Road at the start of construction

– Minor modifications to other intersections along the southern side of Victoria Road including Toelle Street, Callan Street and Springside Street. These streets would generally remain open during construction and would provide the same turning movements as the existing arrangement once works are complete

8.5.2 Cumulative scenario mitigation

Minor changes to the right hand turn movement from Victoria Road into Terry Street in line with the permanent design

Upgrades and modifications to the shared pedestrian and cycle paths along the westbound (southern) carriageway of Victoria Road.

Cumulative scenario mitigation

While specific mitigation measures for the cumulative scenarios assessed in this report are beyond the scope of this EIS, the issues identified would be examined as part of the design development for the proposed future Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link and the proposed future Sydney Gateway projects, and as part of Roads and Maritime network mitigation strategies.

On-going consultation with the design teams for these projects is occurring with the objective of minimising cumulative traffic impacts.

8.5.3 Environmental management measures

Where possible, the project has planned to avoid and minimise traffic and transport impacts during the construction (includes detailed design and pre-construction) and operational phases. Despite this, the project will result in impacts on the road network during construction and operation. Mitigation and management measures will be implemented to avoid, minimise and/or manage these impacts on the road network. These environmental management measures are outlined in Table 8-100.

Table 8-100 Environmental management measures – traffic and transport

Impact	No.	Environmental management measure	Timing
Construction
Delays and disruptions to the road network during construction	TT01	A CTAMP will be prepared as part of the CEMP. The CTAMP will include the guidelines, general requirements and principles of traffic management to be implemented during construction. It will be prepared in accordance with Austroads Guide to Road Design (with appropriate Roads and Maritime supplements), the RTA Traffic Control at Work Sites manual and AS1742.3: Manual of uniform traffic control devices – Part 3: Traffic control for works on roads, and any other relevant standard, guide or manual. The overarching strategy of the CTAMP will be to: Ensureallstakeholdersareconsidered during all stages of the project Providesaferoutesforpedestriansand cyclists during construction Designthepermanentworksanddevelop construction methodologies so that interaction with existing road users is minimised thereby creating a safer work and road user environment Planandstageworkstominimisetheneed for road occupancy, where possible Developprojectstagingplansinconsultation with relevant traffic and transport stakeholders Minimisethenumberofchangestotheroad users’ travel paths and, where changes are required, implement a high standard of traffic controls which effectively warn, inform and	Construction

Impact	No.	Environmental management measure	Timing
		guide. This would minimise confusion by providing clear and concise traffic management schemes Comprehensivelycommunicatechangesto roads or paths to emergency services, public transport operators, other road user groups and any other affected stakeholders Identifymeasurestomanagethemovements of construction-related traffic to minimise traffic and access disruptions in the public road network Proposeacarparkingstrategyfor construction staff at the various worksites, in consultation with local councils and stakeholders associated with any facilities adjacent to the project site. This would include the promotion of public transport and carpooling to reduce worksite-related vehicle movements. The strategy will be developed to limit impacts on the surrounding communities and would include the parking management measures that would be implemented on adjacent local streets. The strategy will also be developed in consultation with the M4 East and New M5 contractors to identify opportunities to use existing parking arrangements associated with those projects during their respective construction periods and once those periods are completed.
Delays and disruptions to the road network during construction	TT02	Identify potential road user delays during the planning and consultation phases.	Construction
Impacts on road network performance (delays) and safety	TT03	Develop construction staging and temporary works that minimises conflicts with the existing road network and maximises spatial separation between work areas and travel lanes.	Construction
Parking on local streets around construction sites	TT04	Investigate potential offsite areas that could be used for construction workforce parking, including government owned land and other potential areas near to the construction ancillary facilities, and secure them for use during construction where required and possible.	Construction
Impacts on road network performance (delays) and safety	TT05	Isolate work areas from general traffic.	Construction
Impacts on road network performance (delays) and safety	TT06	Develop alternative work methods to minimise delays and road user impacts, for example utilising more efficient plant and equipment, and applying different design solutions.	Construction
Impacts on road network performance	TT07	Provide temporary CCTV and Variable Message Signs (VMS) to link with the existing Transport Management Centre network to	Construction

Impact No. Environmental management measure	Timing
(delays) and safety facilitate monitoring and management of impacts and traffic safety.
Impacts on road TT08 network performance (delays) and safety During construction, work with the TMC to observe traffic flows and incidents from CCTV footage and modify sites and activities where possible to address any identified issues.	Construction
Impacts on road TT09 network performance (delays) and safety Provide a mechanism for the community to report incidents and delays, for example a project phone number. Advertise details along the construction site’s interface with the road network.	Construction
Impacts on road TT10 network performance (delays) and safety Schedule construction-related transport movements to avoid peak traffic periods and adversely affecting congestion, where possible.	Construction
Impacts on road TT11 network performance (delays) and safety Develop and adopt robust community and stakeholder communication protocols regarding altered traffic conditions.	Construction
Impacts on pedestrian and cycle paths TT12 Minimise impacts on the pedestrian paths and cycle lanes, and provide timely alternatives during construction where practical and safe to do so.	Construction
Impacts on public TT13 Identify impacts on bus stops and provide transport alternative locations and access in consultation with Transport for NSW.	Construction
Impact on property TT14 access Manage local road closures and maintain adequate property access. This will be undertaken in consultation with Roads and Maritime, local councils and property owners likely to be impacted.	Construction
Impacts on road TT15 network from spoil transport Identify haulage routes and communicate, along with site access requirements and restrictions, to all relevant drivers.	Construction
Impacts on road TT16 network from spoil transport Identify potential truck marshalling areas and use where possible, to minimise potential queueing and traffic and access disruptions in the local area.	Construction
Impacts on TT17 receivers from spoil transport during night time periods Monitor heavy vehicle movements to and from sites to ensure compliance with road traffic noise criteria at night.	Construction
Impacts on road TT18 infrastructure Prepare a road dilapidation report, in consultation with relevant councils and road owners, identifying existing conditions of local roads and mechanisms to repair damage to the road network caused by heavy vehicle movements associated with the project.	Construction

Impact	No.	Environmental management measure	Timing
Operation
Confirmation of assessed impacts	OTT1	A review of operational network performance will be undertaken 12 months and five years from the opening of the project to confirm the operational impacts of the project on surrounding arterial roads and major intersections in proximity to the Wattle Street interchange, Rozelle interchange and St Peters interchange. The assessment will be based on updated traffic surveys at the time and the methodology used will be comparable with that used in this assessment.	Operation
Road network performance constraints	OTT2	To manage potential performance constraints at the Wattle Street interchange, Roads and Maritime will investigate the implementation of the following in consultation with local councils: Queuingandcapacitymonitoringand management on the Frederick Street/Milton Street corridor Managinglaneuseandutilisationtoimprove the operation of the corridor.	Operation
Road network performance constraints	OTT3	Roads and Maritime will develop a strategy to ensure appropriate network integration in the areas surrounding the Rozelle interchange. The strategy will include a review of: Capacityimprovementmeasures Projectstagingoptions Demandmanagementmeasures.	Operation

8.1 Assessment methodology

8.1.1 Strategic transport context

8.1.2 Traffic forecasting and modelling process

8.1.3 Relevant guidelines and policies

8.1.4 Study area

8.1.2 Wattle Street interchange and surrounds

Modes of travel

Public transport services

Rail services

Bus services

Walking and cycling facilities

Existing traffic volumes and patterns

Existing road network performance

Network performance

Intersection performance

Traffic crashes

8.2.3 Wattle Street interchange to Rozelle interchange corridor

Existing traffic volumes and patterns

Mid-block traffic volumes

Existing road network performance

8.2.7 Wattle Street interchange to St Peters interchange corridor

Existing traffic volumes and patterns

Existing road network performance

8.3 Assessment of potential impacts

8.3.1 Construction

Overview of construction traffic and vehicle routes

Construction traffic management and access

Construction traffic generation and distribution

Construction workforce parking

Access routes

Construction ancillary facilities

Haberfield Option A – Wattle Street civil and tunnel site (C1a)

Location and construction activities

Entry and exit

Local road impacts

Haberfield Option A – Haberfield civil and tunnel site (C2a)

Location and construction activities

Local road impacts

Haberfield Option A – Northcote Street civil site (C3a)

Location and construction activities

Entry and exit

Local road impacts

Haberfield and Ashfield Option B – Parramatta Road West civil and tunnel site (C1b)

Location and construction activities

Entry and exit

Local road impacts

Haberfield and Ashfield Option B – Haberfield civil site (C2b)

Location and construction activities

Entry and exit

Local road impacts

Haberfield and Ashfield Option B – Parramatta Road East civil site (C3b)

Location and construction activities

Local road impacts

Intersection level of service

Cluster 1: Parramatta Road and Wattle Street corridors at Haberfield

Traffic crashes

Public transport services

Buses:

Rail services

Light rail

Walking and cycling

Wattle Street interchange construction ancillary facilities (C1a, C2a and C3a)

8.3.2 Operational impacts without the project

Operational performance – Wattle Street interchange

8.3.3 Assessment of operational impacts of the project

8.3.4 Assessment of cumulative impacts

8.4 Road network optimisation

8.5 Management of impacts

8.5.1 Project design features that would manage impacts

8.5.2 Cumulative scenario mitigation

8.5.3 Environmental management measures

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