The M7-M12 Integration Project will support the growth of Western Sydney by widening the M7 Motorway and delivering a seamless connection to the 16-kilometre M12 Motorway to provide direct access to the new Western Sydney International Airport.
The Project will deliver:
The M7 Motorway widening, by constructing one additional northbound lane and one additional southbound lane in the median to provide three lanes in each direction between the M5 Motorway and Richmond Road (excluding the Light Horse Interchange)
The M7-M12 Interchange, the connection between the M7 Motorway and the new M12 Motorway
Elizabeth Drive Connection that provides a connection to and from the new M12 Motorway and includes the widening of Elizabeth Drive and realigning Wallgrove and Cecil Roads.
The Concessionaire, WSO Co Pty Ltd (WSO Co) of the M7 Motorway put an unsolicited proposal to the NSW Government in September 2020 to deliver the M7-M12 Interchange as part of a proposed program to widen the M7 Motorway. The ultimate shareholders of WSO Co are:
Transurban
Queensland Investment Corporation
Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board
Construction commenced in August 2023 for the Elizabeth Drive Connection and M12 Interchange, and late 2023 for the M7 Motorway widening component, with work taking about three years to complete. The M7-M12 Integration Project will open in mid-2026.
The total cost of the M7-M12 Integration Project is $1.7 billion.
Additional toll revenue from increased usage of the wider and better flowing M7 Motorway
Additional toll revenue obtained by extending the concession over the M7 Motorway up to 3.2 years from the current end date in 2048
Funding from the NSW and Australian Governments for the EDC and M7-M12 Interchange.
Supports the growth of Western Sydney by meeting demand for road travel
Improves productivity by reducing journey time on a key freight route
Reduces stop-start traffic that will improve the safe flow of traffic
Reduces traffic in the local road network, enabling livable and safe urban communities
Provides a seamless connection to the 16-kilometre east-west M12 Motorway, and direct access to the Western Sydney International Airport and Western Parkland City growth area
Integrated delivery of the three portions of works will reduce the cost to the government and reduce disruption to the M7 Motorway traffic and local communities.
Drivers are expected to save over four million hours of travel time per year following the completion of the M7 Motorway widening, moving people and goods faster over long distances.
The M7 Motorway is a major road infrastructure corridor on Greater Sydney’s motorway network and has a key role in connecting communities.
Upgrading infrastructure, including roads, is vital to ensure that Greater Sydney’s transport system can cope with population growth and the need to travel between different areas of Greater Sydney.
Growth through the development of Western Parkland City, Western Sydney Airport, Western Sydney Aerotropolis and surrounding areas will place increased reliance on the M7 Motorway and other surrounding roads. The operation of the future Airport and growth in the region will increase traffic demand and volumes on the M7 Motorway, particularly around the intersection of the M7 Motorway and the future M12 Motorway which will connect to the new Airport, in both north and southbound directions. Journey times and freight productivity will be adversely impacted if additional capacity is not provided on the M7 Motorway.
Project delivery is expected to reduce travel times on this important freight and commuter route while helping to relieve congestion in Western Sydney, supporting the development of one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, and enhancing safety.
The M7-M12 Interchange forms a key link between the M12 and the M7 Motorways at Cecil Hills via a free-flow motorway-to-motorway interchange, including full connectivity between the M7 and M12 Motorways. Without the M7-M12 Interchange, road users will not have a motorway-to-motorway connection and will continue to rely on Elizabeth Drive to connect with the M7 Motorway.
Future projected and planned growth in the region is expected with the development of the Western Sydney International Airport. This will see an expansion of industrial and commercial precincts associated with the development of the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and related planned land releases for residential precincts and employment zones in the area leading to a need for increased capacity on Elizabeth Drive.
Widening of the M7 Motorway will utilise the existing median to create a new lane in each direction between the M5 interchange at Prestons, approximately 140 metres south of the Kurrajong Road overhead bridge (southern end), and the M7 bridge at Richmond Road in Oakhurst/Glendenning (northern end). Once complete, there will be three lanes of traffic in each direction. Widening will not occur through the Light Horse Interchange at the M4 Motorway.
By increasing capacity and easing congestion, widening the M7 Motorway will improve journey times for freight and motorists and alleviate pressure on some of our city’s most critical transport corridors. Increased capacity on the M7 Motorway also supports the future Western Sydney Aerotropolis and surrounding growth areas.
Widening options were assessed, including the option of widening the Westlink M7 Motorway along its entire length. Detailed traffic investigation and modelling determined that the capacity of the Westlink M7 Motorway from Richmond Road to the M2 Motorway is not the main cause of congestion in this area and that there would be minimal benefit to widening the Westlink M7 Motorway beyond Richmond Road.
The widening will not impact the way road users access the M7 Motorway as additional lanes will be constructed within the existing median.
Any traffic changes during construction including impacts to the shared user path will be communicated to motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and the community.
Elizabeth Drive Connection provides a connection from the M12 Motorway to Elizabeth Drive, including the upgrade of approximately two kilometres of Elizabeth Drive (between Duff Road and 300 metres east of the M7 Motorway) and realigning Wallgrove and Cecil Roads.
The construction of Elizabeth Drive Connection (EDC) will involve:
realigning Wallgrove Road to the existing Cecil Road and Elizabeth Drive intersection
realigning Cecil Road and connecting it to the new Wallgrove Road
realigning the M7 Motorway northbound entry and exit ramps
constructing the M12 Motorway eastbound exit ramp to Elizabeth Drive and M12 westbound entry ramp from Elizabeth Drive
upgrading, relocating and installing a total of five signalised intersections
widening Elizabeth Drive to three lanes in each direction
constructing active transport facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, and
installation and relocation of utilities.
For the safety of the road users and our workers, there will be changed traffic conditions during construction, including temporary speed limit reductions, lane and ramp closures and traffic lane realignment. Road users will be notified of temporary traffic changes.
M7-M12 Interchange is a new connection between the M7 Motorway and the M12 Motorway including seven new bridges.
The interchange will consist of:
a tie-in extending approximately four kilometres into the M7 Motorway
four new connections between the two motorways, including a:
connection from M7 southbound onto M12 westbound
connection from M7 northbound onto M12 westbound
connection from M12 eastbound onto M7 southbound
connection from M12 eastbound onto M7 northbound
There are lane width reductions associated with the barrier installation. Width reduction dictates speed limits.
The safety of motorists and workers is our first priority. To provide a safe working area traffic barriers need to be installed and the traffic lanes on the M7 Motorway are narrowed and realigned. Speed reductions are necessary in order to safely operate the motorway during construction with these changed conditions, for motorists and workers alike. We thank motorists in advance for their patience and understanding.
This safety-first approach is consistent with comments by the Minister for Roads’ on 2GB in September 2023.
There will be a slight travel time delay once speed restrictions of 80km/h are implemented. The travel time difference is about four minutes throughout the 26km.
John Holland provides an Incident Response Team (IRT) and Temporary Traffic Control Room (TTCR) to monitor and respond to incidents along the Core Road Network. The
TTCR will interface with the Westlink Service (M7) for any incidents with the potential to affect traffic flow along the M7.
When you break down, please follow the below instructions:switch on your hazard lights (and parking lights, if there’s poor visibility)
stay in your vehicle with your seatbelt on and if you have access to a mobile, please call our Temporary Traffic Control Room (TTCR) on 02 9834 9261. This line is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
CCTV will be in place along the alignment to monitor traffic including tracking vehicle break downs
our TCRC will monitor the motorway via CCTV 24/7 and will provide assistance as required
for your safety, remain in your car until help arrives.
No, the 80km/h speed limit will be in place for the duration of the project’s construction phase due to the temporary lane width reductions and continued barrier installation.
An Overarching Noise and Vibration Management Plan has been prepared to help mitigate and manage impacts throughout construction.
The Project and its contractors are subject to strict noise and vibration guidelines and criteria as part of the conditions of approval and environmental protection licenses.
Guidelines limit the level of vibration to reduce the risk of cosmetic damage to buildings. Construction activities generate varying degrees of vibration depending on the type of machinery, method used and the distance from the activity.
We look at various noise reduction measures including applying appropriate respite during noisy activities (e.g. scheduling these activities to occur during standard construction hours where possible), limiting the duration of high noise-intensive work, limiting the use of multiple plant and equipment at the same time and location, turning off plant and equipment when not in use, installing noise blankets at the source of stationary activities, where possible, using non-tonal reversing beepers on plant, equipment and heavy vehicles, monitoring noise and vibration levels and providing advance notification of noisy activities.
In certain circumstances where the noise assessment indicates that the scheduled work activities may potentially exceed the predicted noise level, additional mitigation measures will be carried out, such as respite offers and/or alternative accommodation may be offered to eligible residents living nearby high-impact construction work activities.
We will undertake regular noise and vibration monitoring from our work at different times of the day and night to ensure noise and vibration are within predicted levels.
The monitoring will let us know if we need to change our construction methodologies to reduce levels and /or offer additional mitigation measures.
We will undertake daily site inspections to assess construction activities and potential air
quality issues, such as dust. Unattended (fixed location) and attended (activity-based) air quality monitoring will be undertaken using appropriately calibrated monitoring devices at various locations along the project alignment, within the construction sites and near.
In accordance with standard construction practices, weather forecasts will be used to guide work activities undertaken on-site. Weather forecasts will be reviewed at the start of each day and before undertaking new work activities that may be affected by rainfall, wind or adverse weather.
We will be using water carts, water sprays, street sweepers, chemical land organic ground cover, hard stands and where possible limiting activities on windy days. Additional mitigation measures will be implemented where possible and feasible, if the monitoring outcome shows an exceedance of the requirement.
A number of communication tools will be used to consult and communicate with the community, stakeholders, customers and businesses to ensure they are aware of upcoming work activities, understand associated impacts, what mitigation measures will be implemented and how they can provide feedback or get involved.
These communication tools include 24/7 community information line and email address, monthly work notifications, specific out-of-hours work notifications will be distributed to the community where the noise assessment indicates that the scheduled work activities may potentially exceed the predicted noise level, quarterly construction updates, Email updates, fact sheets, community information sessions and briefings, project website, interactive map, face to face meetings, doorknock, site visit, signage and variable message signs, advertisement and media releases.
Where night work is required, impacted residents will be notified ahead of work and appropriate mitigation measures will be proposed to reduce disturbances, where possible.
We have identified some residents near the Project who may experience increased noise levels during operation. To manage operational noise, we will carry out further noise assessments during detailed design to determine mitigation measures which may include at-property treatments and potential new and modified noise walls.
The Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan will manage the construction impacts. An Operational Noise Compliance Report will be prepared for operational noise and will also detail properties that will be subject to eligibility for at-property treatments
Any disruptions to the shared path will be communicated in advance, and appropriate detours will be developed in consultation with impacted cycle groups.
The John Holland project team can be contacted via our website www.m7m12integrationproject.com.au email at info@M7M12integrationproject.com.au or call 1800 712 712.
No. Tolls will not increase to widen the M7 Motorway or fund the Project. M7 motorists pay distance-based tolls that are capped at 20-kilometre. Toll rates will continue to increase or decrease in line with the consumer price index (CPI) each quarter in accordance with the existing concession for the motorway.
During the construction phase of the M7-M12 Integration Project, tolls will continue to be in effect to help cover the costs of ongoing operations and maintenance. The M7 was originally built with the potential for widening, and this approach allows us to minimise disruptions to current traffic by utilising the existing median.
Once speed restrictions of 80km/h are implemented, the travel time difference is about four minutes throughout the 26kms. Even with a temporary reduction in the speed limit, the M7 Motorway continues to provide a safer, more reliable, faster journey for motorists and freight operators.
Concession adjustments, such as changes to toll prices, escalation rates or concession extensions, have been used by the NSW Government to help fund the development of new roads and tunnels and to upgrade existing road transport infrastructure.
The funding mix of a concession extension, revenue from additional users of the widened M7 Motorway, and a Government funding contribution, means that projects can be fast-tracked to meet demand and also means the government doesn’t have to use taxpayers money to fund these projects. This frees up government budgets to spend on other public priorities such as public transport, health and education.
The government has historically funded new road and widening projects, through extending the original toll concession deed. This has enabled two major road enhancements, the M2 Motorway Upgrade and M5 Motorway Southwest Widening, which deliver significant value to customers.
A section of the poles (also referred to as markers) to the north and south of the interchange are being removed to accommodate work to widen the M7 Motorway. The widening of the M7 is occurring in the median and the poles are being removed and stored to protect them while construction takes place.
Work to remove the trees and poles on the southern side will commence in late-May 2024 and will take a few weeks to complete. Work on the northern side is scheduled to start in late 2024.
The poles to the east and west will remain in place during this work.
Yes, the poles will be returned to the LHI on completion of work in 2026. The area has been surveyed and every attempt will be made to return each pole to as close to its original location as possible. On completion of work, the median will be narrowed, therefore the configuration of the poles may change slightly.
Approximately 360 poles will be temporarily removed from the LHI – approximately 180 from the northern and 180 from the southern interchange – approximately half from each interchange. In total there are 720 poles, 360 each side.
The removal of trees and poles will commence from late-May 2024. Work in this area will take up to two years to complete with our target completion date for landscaping and return of the red sculpture poles in 2026.
Although the LHI under the M4 Motorway does not get widened, there are widening works on the northern and southern approaches to the LHI and the connection to the M4 Motorway including the on and off ramps.
The decision not to widen through the Light Horse Interchange is based on a thorough analysis of traffic demands and operational modelling. It was found that providing three lanes through the interchange would be unnecessary and retaining two lanes in each direction ensures sufficient capacity for the road network and seamless integration with the new M12 Motorway. Additionally, this approach avoids the need to widen the M4 Motorway bridges, which reduces disruptions for road users and improves traffic flow.
The poles will be removed and stored in a container at the project site compound (AF9) for the duration of construction. For consistency of the wider interchange, the same poles will be re-used when rehabilitation and landscaping of this area commences.
If the poles are damaged, the damage will be assessed and either repaired or a like for like replacement will be sourced to replace any damaged poles.
No, the Central Mast (light beacon) will remain in place, this falls outside of our work area, as do the poles to the east and west of the interchange.
There are approximately 40 trees in total, and we need to remove about half (20 fig trees). Ten on the north of the interchange and ten on the south.
The existing fig trees are approximately 20 years old.
The fig trees need to be removed to allow for the widening of the M7. The Project had hoped to transplant these trees, however following investigations, and assessments from independent experts, it has been determined the trees cannot be retained.
The independent assessment by a qualified arborist found that the root balls are approximately 8 metres in width. These trees are too wide to transport in their current condition. To allow for successful relocation of the root ball they will need to be halved (cut into). This process reduces their likelihood of survival. The current size of the trees will not fit into the narrowed median on completion of works. John Holland is working with local organisations such as Sydney Zoo, to re-purpose these trees where possible.
The area will be landscaped on completion of work in 2026. Planting will be assessed as part of the Stage 2 Design and Landscape Plan which is scheduled to go on public exhibition in late 2024.
The poles will be re-instated on completion of work, the target date for this is 2026.
The John Holland project team can be contacted via:
E: info@m7m12integrationproject.com.au or call
P:1800 712 712
Project Website: www.m7m12integrationproject.com.au
By mail: PO Box 98, Kemps Creek NSW 2178
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