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Is M5 motorway plan a sham?

09 Feb, 2010 08:55 AM
AS THE close of public submissions to State Government plans for the expansion of the M5 motorway approaches, the NSW Opposition says the project may never go ahead.

Submissions on the proposal, to widen the M5 East motorway east of King Georges Road to four lanes each way, close on February 19.

The proposal would also involve a new four-lane M5 East tunnel between Bexley Road, Earlwood to Marsh Street, Arncliffe; a new arterial road from the M5 East motorway to the airport and inner southern Sydney; and widening the existing M5 South West motorway.

The Government said the proposal would improve travel times, access to Port Botany and Sydney Airport, and reduce congestion in the corridor and surrounding arterial network.

However, shadow roads minister Andrew Stoner said people in southern Sydney could be sure the proposal would never get off the ground.

Mr Stoner said the Government had announced or reannounced several projects, including the M5 widening, the F6, and south-west rail link, all affecting the south and west of the city, but they had all been delayed or scrapped.

He said a NSW Coaltion government would scrap the Rozelle metro to build the south-west and north-west rail links.

"The original M5 wasn't built very long ago but is already operating well above capacity,'' Mr Stoner said.

"The budget is also in a perilous state in NSW, thanks to 15 years of a broken Labor Government, so it's unclear where the money would ever come from to upgrade this road.'' But NRMA president Wendy Machin said the expansion was "welcome news'' for one of the most congested roads in Sydney.

The NRMA would monitor progress to ensure it met the deadline.

"It is critical that the Government now begins steps to secure funding for the project,'' Ms Machin said.

What do you think about the M5 expansion plan? Click on the comment link below to have your say.

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Date: Newest first | Oldest first
I live at Caringbah and feel betrayed by the scrapping of the F6 extension whenever I travel to the airport via the goat track stacked with red lights and vehicles idling away burning fuel needlessly in yet another traffic jam.
Posted by Paul, 9/02/2010 10:19:47 AM
Even if the M5 is expanded the reality is that it will solve little as this is part of a grand plan to allow freight from Port Botany to be shafted to the South West of Sydney. There are plans to build an Intermodal Freight Terminal at Moorebank and a huge amount of traffic consisting of freight trucks and semi trailers travelling to and from Botany along the M5 from this Freight Terminal at Moorebank will bring the M5 to a grinding halt anyway, just as it is now.
Posted by Peter L, 9/02/2010 6:34:42 PM
expanding the m5 is only an expensive band aid solution whilst the will be drastic increase in C02 emissions, which will also contradict N.S.W's and australia's committment to tackling climate change. If the m5 expansion occurs , it will only alleviate the problems on the m5 for a couple of years then it will get to be in its current state again. At the same time not only will communities closeby be breathing more C02 fumes but some communities such as Tempe and St Peters will forever be destroyed. The solutions aren't expanding the motorways but to build more rail that go to many areas around Sydney including the southwest of sydney and in the shires and Wollongong areas well as more reliance and greater expansion of freight rail. This is important as developers are determined to increase the urban sprawl out in the campbelltown/leppington areas.
Posted by schott68, 11/02/2010 3:05:20 PM
This plan is not a sham! Its desperately needed! What is a sham is how the RTA's engineers & state government didnt get it right from the beginning! What a bunch of bozos! I went down to Melbourne for Christmas & saw with my own eyeballs how you really build proper freeways! I felt embarrassed Sydney couldnt do the same or even better! 2 lanes each way is just a joke! Now it'll cost triple the cost to fix it than it wouldve cost to do it right the first time! That extra money couldve been spent on other projects like a light rail line through the Carlingford area! Its just gross economic mismanagement & ludicrous town planning practices by the RTA & state government! They couldnt host a community BBQ or chook raffle! God I hope they dont do this to the F6 as well! We despertely need that too! You simply cant build rail for every single thing! Some are freight lines only, some others are commuter lines only!
Posted by Dennis, 18/02/2010 12:04:26 PM
This plan isn't a sham at all! We desperately need it, along with the F6 freeway extension. The two roads complement each other! Greater Sydney needs a proper, modern freeway system so you can get from one end to the other in a couple of hours, not a whole week, 1906-style! Needless to say!!!
Posted by John, 22/02/2010 11:21:29 PM

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Above capacity: A proposal to expand the M5 East motorway east of King Georges Road to four lanes in each direction would improve travel times and reduce congestion in the corridor and surrounding arterial network, the State Government has said.
Above capacity: A proposal to expand the M5 East motorway east of King Georges Road to four lanes in each direction would improve travel times and reduce congestion in the corridor and surrounding arterial network, the State Government has said.
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