The M4 overpass at The Northern Road will be demolished to make way for the construction of a brand new 10 lane bridge.
It’s the single biggest road infrastructure project that’s ever happened in Penrith, according to Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres, and it’s going to increase traffic flow for years to come.
“This is a game changer for traffic movements on and off the M4 at Penrith,” he told the Weekender.
Currently, the overpass has just five north-south lanes, plus two turning lanes, and its eastern M4 off-ramp is just 350 metres long.
The new design will widen the deck of the bridge to increase the number of north-south lanes to include three lanes, a bus lane and two right-hand turning lanes in each direction.
The design will be based around one central intersection, which means only one set of lights, potentially halving the time commuters sit at its lights.
Both M4 off-ramps will be increased in length to over a kilometre and will comprise of six lanes, holding more cars to reduce queuing on the motorway, which has become a significant issue.
Turning onto the M4 city-bound, there will be no lights to stop traffic and cause lengthy morning peak-hour queues, which will be made safer with a long merge lane.
“All of these things add capacity. If you’ve got a bigger ramp here you take pressure off other intersections,” Mr Ayres said.
“This is about massively enhancing the capacity to get on and off the M4 for residents right across the Penrith region.”
Demolition and construction will begin from mid next year, to give the NSW and Federal Governments a clean canvas to shift the bridge slightly east, which will realign it with the rest of the road.
The overpass upgrade is part of The Northern Road upgrade between Glenmore Parkway and South Penrith, and is Penrith’s share in the government’s $3.6 billion Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.
Mr Ayres said Mulgoa Road has not been forgotten about, and will still receive its $100 million for works at its M4 interchange.
You can provide feedback at www.rms.nsw.gov.au/wsip until November 4.
