Delivered by the Acciona Bouygues Samsung Joint Venture, the new extensions of the M4 and M8 are now officially open. NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King and NSW Metro Roads Minister The Hon Natalie Ward MLC celebrating the milestone together with members of the project delivery team. 
 
Linking the M4 at Haberfield and the M8 at St Peters in Sydney's inner west, the two 7.5 kilometre mega underground tunnels opened to traffic in the early hours of Friday 20th January.

These new tunnels allow the full benefits of WestConnex to be realised and will completely transform Western Sydney, saving motorists up to 40 minutes between Parramatta and Sydney Airport and helping people to get home sooner and safer.

WestConnex is one of the NSW Government’s mega-projects and it has set the bar high in terms of achieving sustainable outcomes, creating local jobs and enhancing communities. This critical stage of WestConnex created 12,000 jobs, secured a “Leading” rating from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia, and by taking traffic underground it is freeing up space that is being turned into parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities.

Finished two months ahead of schedule and on budget, the joint venture team led by Emmanuel Clech and Andrew Marsonet has delivered the project with the highest degree of safety, quality, program delivery and professionalism. 

Huge congratulations to our BYCA team members for delivering this incredible legacy for Sydney!
 

Key construction milestones:

•    October 2018: Site establishment on M4-M8 starts 
•    May 2019: Tunneling begins 
•    May 2020: Peak of excavation 
•    January 2021: First breakthrough 
•    January 2022: The last roadheader leaves
 

Construction achievements:

•    More than 14.3 million hours have been worked on the project to date, and more than 55 million hours on WestConnex overall.
•    At the peak of tunnelling, 28 roadheaders were in operation—the largest number of roadheaders used on a single infrastructure project in the country.
•    8.7 million tonnes of spoil has been excavated and beneficially reused, including helping build the new Western Sydney International Airport.
•    At the deepest point, the tunnels are around 55 metres underground, with the average tunnel depth being 35 metres.
•    There are four lanes in each direction finished with diamond grinding to reduce wear and tear and offer a smoother trip for motorists.
•    The tunnels have a 100-year design life, future-proofed with world class traffic management systems, designed to talk to the next phase of electric, connected and automated vehicles.
•    Drivers will save up to 40 minutes off an average peak journey between Parramatta and Sydney Airport, bypassing 52 sets of traffic lights. A trip will take an average of eight minutes, at 80km/h
•    Travel times, safety and traffic volumes will improve as cars and trucks use the tunnel instead of using busy streets such as Parramatta Road, King Street and Sydenham Road