$390m Mt Ousley Interchange project progresses towards construction

The key scope of the $390 million Mount Ousley Interchange project in New South Wales has now been confirmed, which enables the detailed design to progress. 

This announcement follows the awarding of the contract to design and build a new interchange on the M1 Motorway at the base of Mount Ousley to Fulton Hogan. 

“Refinements have been made to the scope and design of the interchange to ensure it will improve safety and access to and from Wollongong, support freight growth and improve traffic flow whilst delivering value for money. 

“Changes to the design include traffic lights instead of a roundabout on the eastern side of the interchange to improve efficiency for traffic moving between the M1, Wollongong and the University of Wollongong. 

“The pedestrian bridge over Mount Ousley Road has been removed from the design. Instead, Transport for NSW will deliver other improvements to cycle and pedestrian connections along and across Mount Ousley Road. The design of these will be progressed as part of detailed design and shared with the community in the coming months,” Transport for NSW Regional Director South Cassandra Ffrench said. 

The initial key features of the project included: 

• A heavy vehicle only bypass lane for southbound travel, separating cars and heavy vehicles 
• Two heavy vehicle safety ramps 
• A commuter car park 
• Upgrades and widening of the existing pedestrian bridge over the motorway at Northfields Avenue 
• Signalised intersections and bridges over the motorway providing a northbound access to the Princes Motorway and improved access between Mount Ousley Road, Princes Motorway and University of Wollongong 
• A roundabout that provides access to the Princes Motorway and the University access road 
• A southbound access road between Mount Ousley Road and University Avenue 
• Improved pedestrian and cyclist connectivity 
• Five metre noise walls along the northern side of the motorway and the southern side of Dumfries Avenue; and along the southern side of the motorway and northern side of Falder Place 
• Three and a half metre noise walls along the southern side of Mount Ousley Road, between Gowan Brae Avenue and the cul-de-sac at the western end 

The project’s main contractor, Fulton Hogan, is carrying out early works including survey, vegetation removal, pavement and geotechnical investigations, which will be used to inform the detailed design for the Mount Ousley Interchange. 

Project construction is expected to take up to four years to complete, weather permitting. 

“We are on track to starting major work at the end of this year on this critical piece of infrastructure, that will not only improve travel times for motorists but also provide safer journeys and support growing freight movements to the south coast. 

“The new interchange will improve the efficiency and safety of freight movements by introducing a heavy vehicle only bypass lane for southbound travel separating cars and trucks, as well as two new heavy vehicle safety ramps. 

“The interchange will allow for better accessibility to and from the M1 Princes Motorway and the Wollongong CBD and will see travel times improved along this stretch of the M1 which is known for traffic queuing and delays during peak periods,” Ms Ffrench said. 

The Mount Ousley Interchange is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments, each contributing $240 million and $150 million respectively. 

Source: Transport for NSW (1, 2); Roads & Infrastructure Australia