F3 TO M2/M7 MISSING LINK - JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
Pennant Hills Road residents and all motorists using the Sydney orbital will benefit from a Coalition commitment of more than $1.5 billion to build the “missing link” between the F3 and the M2/M7.
The completion of the recent Pearlman Review confirmed that the preferred route follow the Purple Option, a tunnel that will broadly follow the alignment of Pennant Hills Road to connect the F3 to the M2/M7.
The Coalition will work closely with the NSW Government and the private sector to build the link.
The initial commitment of $1.5 billion to 2014, under the Coalition’s 2020 Plan for Sydney’s Transport Future, will have more to follow.
The 2020 plan aims to take one million trucks off Sydney’s roads to ease congestion, make the city’s roads safer, and improve productivity through major road and rail works.
Other key elements in the total $3 billion election commitments under the plan include widening the F5 in the southwest, preliminary work for the F6 extension, big improvements to the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains, and upgrading Sydney’s rail freight system.
Member for Berowa, Philip Ruddock MP said filling the “missing link” was a crucial aspect in delivering a viable road system for Sydney given projected population growth of over a million by 2031.
Commonwealth approvals are conditional upon installation of state-of-the-art filtration and no break in the tunnel.
“These are issues are safety, amenity, and productivity,” Mr Ruddock said.
“We have to ensure our system can keep pace with population growth if we’re going to have a safe road system for motorists, and an economically efficient system for the movement of goods.
“The state Labor government neglects these imperatives. The Coalition will not, and our commitments under the plan demonstrates that.”
Alex Hawke, the Coalition candidate for Mitchell, said the people of Pennant Hills Road would especially benefit from the “missing link” project.
“They have suffered more than motorists from the great intensity of traffic and this is a commitment that will give them heart that the cavalry is coming.
“But for all of Sydney, this is great news.
“A great city must have a great road network, and that is what the Coalition is delivering - a plan for the future.”