Sydney’s huge new international airport is approaching completion. The architecturally striking terminal is officially complete, the proposed flight paths have been released (along with an interactive noise mapping tool that will help you find out how the new routes will impact you), and the nearby city (the first major city to be built in Australia for 100 years) is taking shape. To access all of this, we’ll need some new transport links – and plans for a key road have just been released.
This morning, the NSW Government announced a $1-billion upgrade plan for Fifteenth Avenue in Sydney’s growing south-west – a key route to the airport which is set to see daily car count rise from 22,000 in 2023 to 42,000 in 2036. Engineering consultancy firm WSP has been tasked with the concept design for the project, which will be an essential link to the Western Sydney International Airport precinct and a major congestion-easer in the area.
“We know the local community is experiencing congestion and delays along Fifteenth Avenue and the surrounding roads, with typical average speeds in the peak times around 30 kilometres per hour,” explained Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison, describing how the Government aims to begin “phasing our delivery to focus on the worst pinch points first.”
Although the specific designs are yet to be finalised, the project will include a four-lane carriageway, with two traffic lanes in each direction, new active transport connections and pedestrian paths and new signalised intersections, including one at Second Avenue (with dedicated turning lanes making it safer for locals) and land reservation for future expansion (including for a dedicated bus lane to support future bus services from Liverpool to Bradfield City Centre and the new airport).
While the plans are finalised, Transport for NSW will start engaging with local landowners to assess the potential for future expansion, with any future rezoning promising that buildings can no longer be built on the future corridor for the route.
To get things moving quickly, the plans are due to be carried out in a staged approach, with major construction on Stage One (involving duplication between Second Avenue and Cowpasture Road) due to begin in 2027.
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