A key milestone for the upgrade of the M5 – King Georges Road Interchange has been reached, with local Members of Parliament calling for expressions of interest to build the project.
Federal Member for Banks, David Coleman MP, said the upgrade will boost the capacity of the interchange and provide much needed relief for motorists.
“The M5 – King Georges Road Interchange will create more than 100 new jobs during construction and increase capacity on the eastbound on-ramp and westbound off-ramp between King Georges Rd and the M5 East,” Mr Coleman said.
“This will slash travel times for motorists and will drive new economic activity in our area by unlocking new opportunities for local businesses to compete and prosper”.
The upgrade will be the first part of WestConnex Stage 2 to get under construction.
“The Federal Government’s $2 billion concessional loan to accelerate WestConnex Stage Two by more than 18 months means major construction will be brought forward to 2015,” Craig Kelly, Federal Member for Hughes, said.
“We are getting on with building both WestConnex Stages One and Two at the same time to ensure we create thousands of new jobs, grow the economy more quickly and bust congestion in our cities which is costing the economy billions”.
State Member for Oatley, Mark Coure MP, said this milestone is great news for the 100,000 motorists who rely on the M5 corridor each day.
“I know many local residents have had enough of the congestion on King Georges Road and the M5. This project is all about getting people out of traffic and to allow them to use their time better – whether it be with family, or at work,” Mr Coure said.
“Expressions of interest are being called for a construct-only contract to carry out the realignment and extension work needed at the interchange ahead of major work due to take place on the Stage 2 corridor later this year.
“An environmental impact statement for the interchange is being prepared and will go on exhibition later this year”.
The NSW Government is providing $1.8 billion worth of funding and the Australian Government, $1.5 billion, in addition to its concessional loan.