Work begins on WestConnex tunnels

Ground was broken last week in preparation for the first WestConnex twin tunnels linking Homebush and Haberfield, as part of the major motorway project.

Last Friday a rig began foundation work at Cintra Park in Concord, the first of four tunnelling sites for the NSW project.

The twin M4 East tunnels – each 5.5 kilometres in length – will be among the widest constructed in the southern hemisphere, measuring up to 30 metres wide, allowing for three lanes of traffic in each direction.

Paul Fletcher, Federal Minister for Major Projects said in a statement that WestConnex will deliver more than $20 billion in benefits to NSW and create 10,000 jobs during its construction.

Construction of the M4 East tunnels follows widening work already underway on the M4 from Parramatta to Homebush.

When complete, WestConnex will link the M4 and M5 through a free-flowing motorway allowing motorists to avoid up to 52 sets of traffic lights. The M4 East tunnels are scheduled to open in 2019, with the entire WestConnex motorway finished in 2023.