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A new toll-free motorway that will connect to Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) is set to open to traffic this weekend.
The 16-kilometre section of the M12, which will link Elizabeth Drive to The Northern Road via WSI, will officially open on 14 March after four years of construction. It comes as the airport prepares to open in late 2026.
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“Sydney’s new airport will connect Western Sydney to the world, and the M12 will play a critical role getting passengers to the terminal, and freight to the tarmac,” said Federal Transport Minister Catherine King.
“More than 8,000 people have worked on this project, more than 5,000 of them have been from here in Western Sydney. This road is their legacy, and I have no doubt many of them will use it, to get their families to the airport ahead of a big holiday in the years to come.
“This project is part of the Albanese and Minns Government’s unprecedented investment in the future of Western Sydney, building the infrastructure this community needs to deliver jobs and connect it to the world.”
The $2.1 billion toll-free motorway will initially have four lanes, with a speed limit of 100km/h, and was funded by a joint investment of $1.63 billion from the federal government and $408 million from the NSW government.
NSW Minister for Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said it is a “game-changing addition” to the Sydney road network, and is expected to divert traffic from nearby local roads.
“Around 25,000 vehicles a day are expected to use this road – that’s traffic we can take off local streets by providing a high-quality, free alternative,” she said.
“And we’ve learnt from other new corridors: signage, line-marking and lane guidance have been tested at key connections, and drivers can preview the route using online driver animations so they can hit the M12 with confidence from day one.”
WSI is slated to open later this year, with its connecting metro service now not expected until 2027. A free interim bus service will connect the airport to St Marys in the meantime, running every 30 minutes between 4:30am to midnight Sunday to Thursday and 4:30am to 1am Friday and Saturday.
The interchange between the M12 and M7 at Cecil Hills will open mid-year.
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