Sydney motorists face return of tolls on M4 in middle of this year   

Sydney Morning Herald
January 28, 2017

The middle of this year has been confirmed as the date for the reintroduction of tolls on Sydney's M4 motorway as part of the first stage of the $16.8 billion WestConnex project.

Distance-based tolls of between $1.63 and $4.21 will begin once widening of the M4 to four lanes in each direction on a 7.5-kilometre stretch between Parramatta and Homebush is completed.   

Before the hip-pocket pain begins, however, motorists face some reprieve from chronic congestion on Homebush Bay Drive near Olympic Park from this Saturday when the so-called G-Loop ramp to west-bound lanes on the M4 opens to traffic, allowing them to bypass traffic lights.

The intersection of Homebush Bay Drive and the M4 last year claimed top spot on the list of merge locations on NSW roads where vehicle collisions most frequently occur, NRMA insurance data showed.

Adding to the frustration for motorists navigating the area, it is only several hundred metres from what has been dubbed Sydney's worst roundabout.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the full benefits of the G-Loop would be realised when the widened M4 was opened to traffic in the middle of the year.

That will also coincide with the reintroduction of tolls on the M4, which will go towards paying for the $500 million widening. Tolls were removed from the M4 in 2010.

Traffic authorities have urged motorists driving south on Homebush Bay Drive to use the far left-hand lane in order to access the G-Loop.

Sydney Motorway Corporation chief executive Dennis Cliche said one of the most significant steps before the M4 widening was completed would be a major switching of traffic on the motorway's viaduct in the coming weeks.

A new lane on each side of the viaduct would be opened, allowing traffic to be moved off the existing roadway in order to lay asphalt.

"We are down to that sort of thing of grinding off the old stuff ... and putting down new pavement," he said. "It's a lot of logistics but we are on the home straight."

The WestConnex project has been highly controversial in Sydney's inner west, where a large number of homes have been acquired to make way for the motorway.

In a sign of how her government will handle the project, Ms Berejiklian said people needed to be "treated compassionately" during the construction of the motorway.

"I give a commitment that we will treat them as compassionately and fairly as possible," she said.

stunspore wrote on Jan 29^th, 2017 at 6:09am:



I thought they did have tolls in Melb?..

They do have tolls in melbourne - but luckily no dodgy lib government toll road they signed during caretaker period.

As for who pays what - government should obtain and allocate resources appropriately - maybe spend less on travel allowances?

All these are costs that must be added to commuting for any contemplating buying a home in the empty spaces to Penrith's south... first you have to drive to the station or drive all the way to the city... if you work there..... you need to look very carefully at where you buy, since additional commuting costs can cost more than a larger mortgage.

I bet Hammer blames the muslims

Transurban ready to pounce on WestConnex as Sydney toll roads power profits   

Sydney Morning Herald
February 7, 2017

Sydney's motorways have become an even bigger money spinner for Australian toll road king Transurban, which is eagerly awaiting the chance to swoop on WestConnex if the Berejiklian government opts to sell.   

"Everyone is talking to everyone," Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton said of the large investor interest in buying in to Australia's largest motorway project.

Mr Charlton said WestConnex would be like a mini-network, making it cheaper to operate than a single toll road.

"It's more like a business in its own right as opposed to maybe just one single standalone asset," he said on Tuesday.

"And obviously it's got good demographics – I mean Sydney and NSW ... have some of the best demographics in the world when you look at developed countries."

Sydney's surging population and ensuing transport pressures led to Transurban's pre-tax profits from its six toll roads in the city surging by more than 10 per cent to $351 million in the six months to December.

Toll revenue from the M7 in western Sydney soared by more than 17 per cent to $196 million in the first half, while for the M5 in the south west and the M2 in the north it rose by 9 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.   

The tolls for trucks on the M5, M7 and Lane Cove Tunnel are now three times those for cars.

While Penrith MP Stuart Ayres was last month appointed the state's first minister for WestConnex, the Berejiklian government has yet to articulate the shape of a likely sale of the motorway which is being built in three stages.

Mr Charlton said it would be a competitive process if the government did push ahead with a sale.

"WestConnex is obviously a transformational project. If we look at the long-term population growth, or even the medium-term population growth for Sydney, it needs this tremendous investment in infrastructure," he said.

"I am sure there will be lots of interest but we believe we have the opportunity to put the most value on the table."

WestConnex has been highly controversial in Sydney's inner west, partly due to the acquisition of hundreds of homes to allow for its construction.

Labor transport spokesman Jodi McKay said there needed to be transparency in any negotiations over WestConnex between the government and toll road operators.

"Transurban is almost salivating over what's coming its way," she said. "Yet for the community there is no transparency on these negotiations, and there should be." 

Transurban will also operate NorthConnex – a $3 billion tunnel linking the M1 and the M2 in northern Sydney – once finished in 2019.

About 2.5 kilometres of the twin 9km tunnels have been completed so far, and 15 roads headers are now working on the project.

However, widening works to allow NorthConnex to link to the M2 has disrupted traffic on the latter, and Transurban wants to fast-tract the construction by several months by carrying out more construction at night.

Transurban earns more than 40 per cent of its total toll revenue from roads in Sydney where it also operates the Cross City Tunnel and the Eastern Distributor.

The company's pre-tax profits surged almost 14 per cent to $769 million in the first half, giving it enough confidence to raise its annual dividend forecasts.

Amadd wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 2:23am:


The Sydney Harbour Bridge has had a toll on it since the day it was opened.

Amadd wrote on Feb 27^th, 2017 at 2:23am:



which ones were previously freee and now aren't?