The $84.1 million M1 Princes Motorway upgrade between Picton Road and Bulli Tops is one step closer to construction with the design contract awarded to GHD.
Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher said that this project will improve the road for the 37,000 vehicles that travel through this section of the motorway – which 14 per cent are heavy vehicles.
“The road is steep with tight turns, requiring heavy vehicles to travel slowly, which can lead to delays and congestion on this route in morning and afternoon peak hours.
“The improvements will tackle these issues by widening and realigning the road and adding a new lane in each direction to create a six-lane divided road,” Mr Fletcher said.
According to NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey, the additional lanes will improve road safety by increasing separation between slower and faster moving vehicles as well as improve traffic efficiency on the M1 Princes Motorway.
“The improvements will also increase reliability of access into and out of the Illawarra region and Port Kembla including for general freight, larger restricted access vehicles and high-performance freight vehicles.
“The contract awarded [today] will cover the design for the first stage of the M1 improvements between Picton Road and Bellambi Creek and the second stage of improvements between Bellambi Creek and Bulli Tops. Design works are expected to start in the coming weeks and be completed by late next year,” Mrs Pavey said.
This section of the M1 Pacific Motorway upgrade is going to be done in two stages. Stage One will involve the construction of an additional lane in each direction between Picton Road and Bellambi Creek. In addition, the tight curves on the existing M1 – north of Picton Road and south of Bellambi Creek – will also be upgraded to improve safety and efficiency on the road.
The second stage of the project, on the other hand, will include constructing an additional lane in each direction between Bellambi Creek and Bulli Tops.
This project is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales Governments, with each investing $42 million and $42.1 million respectively.
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Source: Minister for Urban Infrastructure, Roads and Maritime Services