Green light given to upgrades on Appin Road NSW

With approval from Transpor for NSW, widening of Appin Road in New South Wales will push ahead and, weather permitting, construction is due to commence later this year. 

Appin Road is a vital route between Sydney’s south-west and Wollongong. About 12,000 motorists use this road each day, and traffic volume is estimated to increase by 40 per cent over the next three decades as the population grows. 

“At a time when housing is a major issue, this upgrade will allow for a new development to be realised around Mount Gilead while also supporting traffic using Appin Road as a corridor between Sydney’s south-west and Wollongong. 

“While the section between Rosemeadow and Gilead is an important part of this, further works along Appin Road will help traffic flow and improve safety,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson said. 

Project map (source: Lendlease)

Key features and benefits of the Appin Road project include: 

• Widening part of the road from two to four lanes to cater to the expected traffic increase 
• Installing safety barriers to improve safety 
• Construction of two new intersections to access the new Figtree Hill development 
• Special koala exclusion fencing along the road corridor to stop koalas from crossing the road and to minimise vehicle strikes 
• A 3-metre-wide by 2.4-metre-high and a 2.4-metre-wide by 1.5-metre-high box culvert underpasses at two locations to provide connectivity for the local koala population and other fauna along with koala refuge and escape poles 
• A rope crossing to provide connectivity and movement to arboreal fauna such as possums and gliders 

The first stage of works will include widening Appin Road between Noorumba Reserve and Gilead and the construction of a new intersection from Appin Road into the Figtree Hill development area. 

In addition, Transport for NSW will also build two other intersections at Copperfield Drive and Fitzgibbon Lane at a later stage. 

To consider biodiversity and wildlife, the project design includes initiatives to help preserve one of the few recovering koala populations in the State. 

As a response to community feedback, the project will now deliver box culvert koala underpasses that are larger than the original plan. The bigger box culverts were designed in consultation with koala experts with experience locally and throughout the east coast. 

The underpass at Glen Lorne will be built under the widened road and the Browns Bush underpass is going to be built under the existing two-lane road as an interim safety measure while approvals progress for a permanent underpass at Beula – which will be delivered as part of the second stage of works. 

Construction of the Appin Road project is expected to take up to 18 months to complete. 

“This upgrade is extremely important for managing general traffic and assisting freight movement through the region, so Transport for NSW has taken steps to maintain a wildlife corridor that links the Georges and Nepean Rivers. 

“It has taken time to get this right, but there is confidence these designs will significantly reduce koala vehicle strike at this location and improve the function of this important koala habitat corridor. 

“Determining an underpass design that koalas are likely to use combined with a fencing strategy to stop koalas crossing Appin Road has been a complex undertaking – right down to the shape of the culverts themselves, the design of the fencing, and support structures like koala escape structures and refuge poles,” a Transport for NSW spokesperson said. 

Lendlease will be building and funding the $170 million Appin Road widening project under a Voluntary Planning Agreement with the Department of Planning and Environment, as part of the approval conditions for the development of the Figtree Hill masterplanned community in Campbelltown. 

Over the life of the Figtree Hill project, it will deliver significant economic benefits including $1.2 billion in civil construction works while supporting approximately $1.5 billion in residential construction. The project is also estimated to create 2,200 full-time jobs annually. 

“The community has been calling for koala underpasses and safety upgrades to Appin Road for years, and today’s announcement gives us the green light to finally deliver urgently needed road upgrades and infrastructure to improve safety for motorists and koalas. 

“Our investment into upgrading this vital infrastructure for the local community will also help new homebuyers get started on building their new home at Figtree Hill, which is located 10 minutes from Campbelltown and is meeting pent-up demand for housing in this area,” Lendlease Head of NSW Communities Brendan O’Brien said. 

Source: Transport for NSW (1, 2); Lendlease (1, 2); ABC News