The opening of the new tunnels that form a stretch of Sydney’s M8 motorway is reducing journey times for drivers in the city. A massive rise in vehicle use in Sydney over the years has seen existing routes suffering heavy congestion, resulting in a need for additional road connections. The 9km twin tube tunnels connect the south side of the city of Sydney, with the western suburb of Liverpool.
With the twin tunnel tubes being opened, this helps cut journey times by as much as 30 minutes. The tunnels cost S$6.95 to use and run parallel with the existing M5 East route, which links Sydney’s central business district with the international airport as well as Port Botany and the south-western suburbs. The new tunnels connect Kingsgrove with the newly constructed interchange at St Peters.
The new tunnels form the second phase of the massive WestConnex project, which is costing some A$16.8 billion in all. The first stage of the WestConnex project included the opening of the M4 tunnels and a widened stretch of motorway. Future stages of the project will see the M8 linked with the M4 by further tunnel sections as well as to other new routes still being planned.
