RA member ACCIONA has been awarded a $4.24bn contract by the NSW Government to deliver Stage Two of the new Western Harbour Tunnel.
Providing a western bypass of the CBD, the new tunnel is expected to significantly reduce traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and Anzac Bridge and will take 20 minutes off journey times between Olympic Park and North Sydney.
The new tunnel will connect to WestConnex at the Rozelle Interchange, cross underneath Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton, and connect with the Warringah Freeway near North Sydney via a 6.5 kilometre tunnel, with three lanes provided in each direction.
Enhanced sustainability outcomes are a key focus of the project, with the new tunnel set to be constructed by TBMs that will tunnel underneath the harbour seabed, rather than constructing the tunnel on top of the seabed. This will reduce the amount of space taken up by construction and provide the community with earlier access to 1.9 hectares of open parkland and public space.
Construction on Stage Two is expected to begin in late 2023.
