Federal Member for Banks David Coleman visited the WestConnex site at Kingsgrove on Wednesday to check on the progress.
“Residents driving to and from the city will have noticed the M5 duplication is taking shape,” Mr Coleman said.
“The new M5 project will consist of tunnels which will link Kingsgrove and St Peters, and significantly reduce travel time between Beverly Hills and St Peters.
“The mainline tunnelling has now reached the halfway mark with more than 9 kilometres now excavated across the tunnelling sites.
“At the Kingsgrove site, excavation and construction for the New M5 entry and exit portals are underway.
“These provide the connection to the tunnel. Motorists travelling towards the city on the M5 East Motorway at Kingsgrove, in recent weeks, are now driving on the new road surface, marking the next construction milestone at the Kingsgrove site.”
The Federal Government has provided $1.5 billion in direct funding as well as a concessional loan of up to $2 billion to support the WestConnex project.
“The project will be beneficial to many commuters in the local area particularly in the electorate of Banks. It is anticipated that the average travel times on the M5 east will be halved during peak hour times,” Mr Coleman said.
“It is good to see work progressing on this important infrastructure project,” Mr Coleman said.
