Sydney's iconic White Bay Power Station is enjoying a renaissance as the city's newest arts, cultural and community hub.
After welcoming 180,000 visitors through its doors for the Biennale of Sydney, the Power Station will open its doors again next month, when it hosts two Saturday nights of Ministry of Sound dance parties in the Boiler House and Turbine Hall.
To improve access to this cultural space, planning is underway to deliver more than $17 million in upgrades to surrounding footpaths, nearby traffic lights and public spaces.
The work will include an $11.9 million investment to install new signalised intersection at Roberts Street and Mullens Street, an additional pedestrian crossing on Roberts Street and new landscaping.
The popular shared path along Victoria Road that connects people walking and cycling to the Anzac Bridge will be widened as part of a $3.9 million investment. Bounded by Victoria Road to its West, and a sharp cliff face to its east, the widened path will cantilever toward the White Bay Power Station, giving people more room to walk or ride their bikes.
An additional $1 million will provided through the reVITALise Program to build a new walking and cycling link between the precinct, Rozelle Parklands and onto the Light Rail, which includes seating, lighting, signage and landscaping.
Work will also be done to reserve future walking connections to the White Bay Metro Station, which will open next door in 2032.
With a further $100,000 will be spent to improve shading, furniture and lighting throughout the White Bay Power Station precinct.
Design works are underway with works due to be complete at the end of next year.
Quotes attributable to Transport Minister Jo Haylen:
"The inner west is loving this incredible new arts space, but we've heard getting in and out is still a big challenge.
"We're getting in there and providing new safe routes for people to walk or ride their bikes, which will connect people to nearby public transport options."
"This is include small changes, like improvements to traffic lights, to dramatic interventions like the widening of the shared path on Victoria Road, which will cantilever over power station land to give people more space to walk or cycle."
Quotes attributable to Mayor Darcy Byrne:
"Our longstanding vision of White Bay Power Station as a great arts and cultural venue for Sydney is really coming to life.
"These pedestrian and active transport improvements are a vital step in making the Power Station accessible for concerts, exhibitions and events.
"The hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Biennale saw the incredible potential of the Power Station.
"Making the site more accessible will help bring hundreds of thousands more patrons through the doors of this unique asset."
