The Sydney Gateway is an under-construction major road interchange between the

WestConnex WestConnex is a predominantly underground motorway scheme in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. As of 2022, it is partially completed and partially still under construction. A joint project of the New South Wales and Australian governments, t ...

and the airport terminals of

Sydney Airport Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (colloquially Mascot Airport, Kingsford Smith Airport, or Sydney Airport; ; ) is an international airport in Sydney, Australia, located 8 km (5 mi) south of the Sydney central business district, in the ...

. Construction began in early 2021 and is expected to open in December 2024. It was originally planned to open in late 2023 in conjunction with the M4–M5 Link. The Sydney Gateway will also be constructed in conjunction with the duplication of the nearby Port Botany freight rail line, which is managed by the

Australian Rail Track Corporation The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is an Australian Government-owned statutory corporation. It operates one of the largest rail networks in the nation spanning 8,500km across five states, 39 worksites and more than 50 First Nations. ...

. Upon completion, the Sydney Gateway will connect the Sydney Motorway Network with the Sydney Airport and

Port Botany Port Botany is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Port Botany is located 12 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Port Bot ...

precincts via

St Peters Interchange The M8 Motorway is a motorway in Sydney, Australia. The first and only stage of the M8 open to traffic is the WestConnex M8, previously known as the New M5 during planning and construction. The WestConnex M8 is a tolled motorway that links ...

. The completed project is expected to provide improved road links between the airport and Port Botany and reduce congestion.

Alignment

The Sydney Gateway starts at the

, the junction of the M8 Motorway and M4–M5 Link, all of which are being built as part of

. Viaducts will be built over Canal Road, the Port Botany freight rail line and Tempe Lands. Further southwest, the Sydney Gateway splits into two, leading to Airport Drive and Qantas Drive towards the west and east respectively. A section of Airport Drive will be closed permanently and traffic will have to use Sydney Gateway to access between the

international International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

and

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terminals. A one-way elevated viaduct will also be built linking Qantas Drive towards the Sir Reginald Ansett Drive and the

terminals precinct, bypassing two signalised intersections with Seventh Street and O'Riordan Street. This will enable travel from Sydney's motorway network to the international and domestic terminals without stopping at a single traffic light. A single traffic light will be located along the Sydney Gateway for access to and from Link Road. The rest of the Sydney Gateway will be free-flowing traffic.

Tolls

The completed roadway will be toll-free. However, this only applies to traffic between Airport Drive and Qantas Drive, as any traffic using St Peters Interchange to/from Sydney Gateway must also use the WestConnex tunnels and pay WestConnex tolls.

History

Planning

In November 2017, the project was in the design and planning phase that includes developing connections to the St Peters interchange, to Sydney Airport Terminals 1, 2 and 3,

grade separation In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...

of Robey Street and O’Riordan Street in , the duplication of a section of the Port Botany Rail Line, within a complex stakeholder environment, with significant utility assets impacted and a heavily congested area. A 2017 proposal by

Lendlease Lendlease is a globally integrated real estate company that creates and invests in communities, workplaces, retail, and infrastructure projects, headquartered in Barangaroo, New South Wales, Australia. History Founding The company was establ ...

was not accepted. The rail line duplication was originally Stage 2 of the Sydney Gateway and is separately managed by the

. Stages 1 and 3 then formed the remainder of the project managed by the state government. The proposed alignment passes over

land, which is leased from the

Commonwealth government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

. As such, the project must undergo both state and Commonwealth (federal) planning processes. In addition to an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required by state planning process, a Major Development Plan (MDP) is also required before major development at a leased airport can occur. Planning approvals from both the

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

and state planning ministers are also required. A combined EIS and MDP was released for exhibition on 20 November 2019. The project was approved by the state planning minister on 27 August 2020. The project was approved by the federal planning minister on 23 September 2020.

Construction

Expressions of interest to construct the Sydney Gateway commenced in July 2019. In October 2019, three shortlists were announced: *AirPortConnex led by

Salini Impregilo Webuild SpA (formerly Salini Impregilo SpA) () is an Italian industrial group specialised in the construction and civil engineering business headquartered in Milan. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporat ...

* John Holland and

Seymour Whyte Seymour may refer to: Places Australia *Seymour, Victoria, a township *Electoral district of Seymour, a former electoral district in Victoria *Rural City of Seymour, a former local government area in Victoria *Seymour, Tasmania, a locality ...

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...

CPB Contractors CIMIC Group Limited (formerly Leighton Holdings) is an Australian construction contractor. It is active in the telecommunications, engineering and infrastructure, building and property, mining and resources, and environmental services industries ...

In November 2020, the John Holland Seymour Whyte joint venture (JHSWJV) was awarded the design and construction contract. Construction began in early 2021 and the motorway is expected to open in December 2024. It was originally planned to open in late 2023, together with the M4–M5 Link. In August 2021, the project's Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) was approved by the state

Department of Planning, Industry and Environment The New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) is a department of the New South Wales Government, responsible for effective and sustainable planning to support the growth in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It makes plan ...

, allowing construction work to be started on state land.Sydney Gateway - August 2021
Transport for NSW. Retrieved 30 August 2021

Future

The South East Sydney Transport Strategy, released by

Transport for NSW Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...

in August 2020, proposed a potential extension of Sydney Gateway to Port Botany by 2056, with grade separation at

General Holmes Drive General Holmes Drive is a major divided road located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The road forms part of the M1, the A1, the Sydney Orbital Network, and the Australian Highway 1 network. Initially built in 1919 as a two-lane road ...

, as well as ramps connecting to Canal Road.

References

External links

Sydney Gateway project information

Sydney Gateway project overview & map
Transport for NSW. Autumn 2019 {{Road infrastructure in Sydney Road interchanges in Australia Highways in Sydney