Targeted toll relief that takes pressure off households, and roads connecting people to jobs and each other, are the focus of the 2024-25 NSW Budget for metropolitan roads investment.
The Budget includes a total $59 billion investment with a focus on projects that help people and families get where they need to go safely.
Tolls cost motorists around $2.5 billion each year, putting family budgets for motorists under significant pressure.
The NSW Labor Government has set about filling the gaps in the road network, especially for the rapidly growing communities of Western Sydney where infrastructure delivery has not kept pace with development.
$60 Toll Cap
The $60 toll cap began on 1 January, with 350,000 motorists eligible to claim cash back in the first three months.
Motorists in Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Marsden Park, Auburn and Merrylands have been among the biggest beneficiaries of the NSW Government's toll cap so far.
The scheme is expected to return cash back to 720,000 motorists.
Connecting Sydney
Rapid greenfield development by the former government has meant motorists spending more time in traffic and less time with family - and in many cases moving out of Sydney altogether.
This is against a backdrop of Western Sydney's population being forecast to swell from two million to three million people over the next two decades.
The NSW Government, in partnership with the Commonwealth Government, is investing $1.1 billion in essential road projects to directly address this.
These include:
- $129.1 million for Mulgoa Road Stage 1 (Blaikie Road to M4 Motorway)
- $225.0 million for Mulgoa Road Stage 2 (Glenmore Parkway to Jeanette Street)
- $151.3 million for The Horsley Drive, (M7 motorway to Cowpasture Road)
- $147.2 million for Appin Road upgrades
- $102.6 million for Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1.
Aerotropolis
Connecting Western Sydney International Airport, which is due to open in 2026, to its surrounding communities and the rest of Sydney is a key priority for the Minns Labor Government.
Major investments in Aerotropolis roads in this Budget, co-funded with the Commonwealth, include:
- $800 million Elizabeth Drive Stage 1 to connect the new airport and major arteries of Mamre and Northern Roads
- $1 billion Mamre Road Stage 2 between Erskine Park and Kemps Creek
- Mulgoa Road (including a $115 million State contribution for a separated four-lane dual carriageway between Glenmore Park and Jeanette Street)
- Appin Road (for an upgraded intersection at St Johns Road).
This Budget continues work on the M12, a critical link which is under construction. And we're getting on with planning for the Eastern Ring Road and Badgerys Creek South Road.
Planning for the Future of Western Sydney
A $95 million investment will enable the planning and development of road upgrades to support housing and jobs growth in the fast-developing Macarthur and south-west growth areas.
This includes planning the future needs of the Hume Highway between Narellan Road and Picton Road, as well as planning for Werrington Arterial Stage 2, for the upgrade of Menangle Road, and for the upgrade of Great Western Highway/ Parker Intersection (Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley flood evacuation route).
The Urban Roads Fund invests in building capacity on key road corridors in Sydney to support housing uplift and smaller projects to reduce congestion in local communities.
This funding also targets communities where flooding has wreaked havoc on State roads, and where climate change will put even more pressure on the roads network.
This includes:
- $118.2 million to upgrade the 1.8km section of Henry Lawson Drive between Auld Ave and the approach to the M5 Motorway, widening of Henry Lawson Drive from two lanes to four, intersection upgrades at Bullecourt Ave and Pozieres Ave, provision of new link roads between Auld Ave, Keys Parade, and Raleigh Road, and shared paths and footpaths.
- $50 million for the planning of Liverpool to Airport Transit Corridor
- $24 million for traffic lights at Elara Boulevard
- $15 million for Driftway Roundabout at Londonderry.
Newcastle and Wollongong
The NSW and Commonwealth Governments have committed $232.7 million to deliver the fifth section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass between Rankin Park and Jesmond to the west of John Hunter Hospital.
The project will provide traffic relief to the surrounding road network, in particular the existing route of Lookout Road, Croudace Street and Newcastle Road, which is being used by 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles each day.
The new bypass will remove up to 30,000 vehicles each day from this route.
Road Safety
The rising number of fatalities on roads across Australia is extremely concerning and remains a big focus for the NSW Government. Every life lost devastates a family and a friendship network.
This Budget invests $2.8 billion in partnership with the Commonwealth Government in road safety over four years to 2027-28, delivering on commitments in the 2026 Road Safety Action Plan.
Safety initiatives include:
- doubling roadside enforcement sites used for mobile speed cameras
- removing a loophole so that all motorists driving on a foreign licence must convert to a NSW licence within six months
- the introduction of seatbelt enforcement by existing mobile phone detection cameras.
The successful demerit point reward for maintaining a spotless driving record for 12 months, which was taken up by 1.2 million drivers during its initial 12-month period, will be extended for a further year.
