Western Sydney's $1.6B Northern Road upgrade completed

Western Sydney’s $1.6B Northern Road upgrade completed

The Northern Road Upgrade was delivered in six sections. Image courtesy of Transport for NSW.

The $1.6 billion Northern Road project in Western Sydney is now complete, almost a year ahead of schedule, providing a continuous 36-kilometre dual carriageway from Narellan to Penrith.

The completion of the final section of the upgrade between Glenmore Park and Littlefields Road marks a major milestone in what is one of the largest projects being delivered under the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan – a $4.4 billion, 10-year program of works delivering new and upgraded roads in Western Sydney.

The four-year project created over 2000 jobs, with works including the rerouting of the road for the future Western Sydney International Airport and major intersection upgrades, such as new bridgework across the M4 and improved access to communities such as Glenmore Park.

Works aimed to increase the capacity of the route to cater for future population growth, improve safety for motorists and cyclists, improve travel times and improve access for freight.

The upgrade used innovative ways to minimise environmental impacts, such as the use of crushed glass rather than sand in concrete, extensive use of recycled water and the use of excess earth in landscaped screening mounds.

Federal Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts Paul Fletcher said the upgrade would also provide a boost for economic growth in the area.

“The Northern Road is an important north-south spine through Western Sydney, linking key infrastructure and communities throughout the Western Parkland City,” the Minister said.

“This major upgrade will not only provide improved connectivity to local communities, it will be a critical transport connection to the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport when it opens at the end of 2026,” he added.

The Northern Road Upgrade was delivered in six sections, with CPB Contractors having delivered stage six of the project between Eaton Road and Littlefields Road. CPB Contractors was also responsible for delivering Stage five of the upgrade, between Luddenham and Glenmore Park. Other major contractors involved in the project included a Georgiou and Ertech joint venture, which was selected to deliver stage four of the project.

The project was jointly funded by the Federal Government and New South Wales Government, with the Federal Government committing $1.2 billion.