Sydney is a step closer to its first new road harbour crossing in almost three decades after a roadheader broke through to connect the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade today.
The two projects were joined for the first time since work started on the Warringah Freeway Upgrade in mid-2021. The upgrade will create the space on one of Australia’s busiest roads for the portal for the 6.5km-long Western Harbour Tunnel.
Western Harbour Tunnel Stage 2 is being undertaken by Acciona and the roadheaders have so far cut through around 1 million tonnes of rock. The John Holland and CPB (JHCPB) joint venture completed roadheader excavation on Stage 1 late last year.
Two TBMs will be delivered later this year to the Western Harbour Tunnel and assembled below Birchgrove. They will excavate twin, three-lane tunnels beneath Sydney Harbour, connecting tunnels at Birchgrove with those at Waverton.
Work on the Warringah Freeway Upgrade is now more than 70% complete and project completion is expected in late 2026.
The Western Harbour Tunnel will connect the Warringah Freeway to the WestConnex M4 and M8 at Rozelle Interchange, helping drivers bypass the CBD. It is designed to ease congestion on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Harbour Tunnel, Anzac Bridge and Western Distributor. It is due to open to traffic in 2028.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns said today’s breakthrough represented “light at this end of Western Harbour Tunnel – literally”.
“The breakthrough represents a significant moment for these two complex major projects and is the first time the twin mainline tunnels of the Western Harbour Tunnel have joined with Warringah Freeway,” he said. “The Warringah Freeway Upgrade and Western Harbour Tunnel will transform the way people move across our city.”
Roads minister Jenny Aitchison acknowledged everyone working on the two projects.
“The delivery of this tunnel portal right in the middle of one of Australia’s busiest roads is an incredible achievement and we applaud the hard work of everyone working on these projects,” she said.
