The opening date needs to avoid major events and school holidays because of concerns about high traffic volumes converging on the airport terminals from the newly opened link to WestConnex.
After the Rozelle interchange’s opening caused traffic chaos, officials want to avoid a repeat when motorists start driving on the crucial part of the gateway.
The final stretch of the $2.6 billion gateway motorway will link Sydney Airport to the WestConnex toll network.Credit: NSW government
Officials have been focused on aspects such as ensuring adequate signage, and sufficient time for a campaign to inform the public of the motorway changes.
The opening of the Sydney Gateway, which was one of the original justifications for the 33-kilometre WestConnex, has already been staged to limit traffic disruption.
An 800-metre-long flyover bridge for motorists driving to the domestic terminals, as well as the first of the twin arch bridges, opened in November. New Airport Drive, north of the main runway followed suit in February, and is three lanes in each direction.
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Unlike with WestConnex, motorists will not have to pay tolls to use the Sydney Gateway motorway.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the opening date would be announced after network integration was completed, adding that the agency had tested signage and new road markings with a group of drivers from across Sydney and was satisfied they were easy to follow.
“Transport is working with Sydney Airport on the opening and also kerbside management measures,” he said. “A joint operations centre will be in place to monitor and adjust the network in real time when Sydney Gateway opens.”
The gateway was originally meant to be completed in 2023, but the previous Coalition government conceded several years ago that it would take about 12 months longer.
A NSW Audit Office report in 2021 criticised the then Coalition government for excluding the multibillion-dollar bill for building the Sydney Gateway and other works from the WestConnex project, warning that it understated the full cost of the latter. The previous government repeatedly put the cost of WestConnex at $16.8 billion.
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