Sports Fans the Big Winners as Government Announces Improved Transport Access

See NSW Government release from Planning Minister Rob Stokes and Roads Minister Duncan Gay here.

 

Arthur Stanley

SPORTS fans travelling to future events at Stadium Australia will benefit enormously from a NSW Government decision to include a westbound off-ramp from the M4 – providing easy access to the major parking stations and reduced travel times for Major Event Buses.

The WestConnex motorway project promises to revolutionise the travelling experience to Stadium Australia – and the latest addition of a westbound off-ramp at Hill Road will give motorists vastly improved road options into the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.

Not only will the WestConnex motorway whisk sports fans to Stadium Australia in vastly reduced travel times, but they will soon be able to access and depart from the Stadium’s major carparks via the M4 off-ramp at Hill Road.

Daryl Kerry, Managing Director of Stadium Australia and President of the Sydney Olympic Park Business Association, congratulated the NSW Government for providing the missing link to a game-changing roads transport solution for Sydney’s biggest sporting venue and Sydney Olympic Park.

Mr Kerry said the transport improvements would benefit the 1.6 million fans who visit Stadium Australia each year, as well as businesses in Sydney Olympic Park and the fast-developing communities along the Olympic Corridor.

“The WestConnex Motorway will be a game-changing piece of infrastructure for Sydney, connecting east and west, and road access to Stadium Australia and the Sydney Olympic Park precinct will be greatly improved for all Sydneysiders,” Mr Kerry said.

“The announcement by Roads Minister Duncan Gay that a westbound off-ramp will be built from the M4 at Hill Road will enable fans travelling from the east to access Sydney Olympic Park toward the back of the precinct and close to the major parking stations, bypassing busy Homebush Bay Drive and Australia Avenue.

“Fans will soon have significantly better road access to and from the Stadium, connecting with the four-lane M4 via access ramps heading both east and west.

“WestConnex is a world-class roads plan to connect the CBD with the rapidly-growing Western Sydney region and the 1.6-million-plus fans who pack in to Stadium Australia each year to watch Sydney’s major events will be among those who benefit most.”

Stadium Redevelopment

The NSW Government announcement of improved access to Sydney Olympic Park follows a recent Government commitment to the redevelopment of Stadium Australia – Sydney’s Olympic stadium – as part of a $1.5 billion funding allocation for the improvement of Sydney’s major sporting venues.

It also follows the announcement of a $20 million Centre of Excellence for the NSWRL next to Stadium Australia, with the NSW Blues to benefit from a full-size training field and unprecedented access to their home ground via the same athletes tunnel used during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

In his official Media Release, Minister for Roads Duncan Gay said the westbound off-ramp would further complement travel time savings to Sydney Olympic Park provided by the M4 Widening and would be fast-tracked to open at the same time as Stage One of WestConnex in 2019.

“Directly connecting (the Urban Activation Precincts) Carter Street and Wentworth Point to the M4 provides an alternative route taking pressure off the notoriously congested Australia Avenue and Homebush Bay Drive interchange,” he said.

“Along with the G-Loop and the eastbound M4 on-ramp, being delivered under WestConnex, the westbound off-ramp completes a trifecta of road upgrades for the Sydney Olympic Park area.”

An east bound on-ramp to the M4 was included in original plans for the WestConnex motorway. Significant improvements are also planned for Homebush Bay Drive and the access to Sydney Olympic Park on the eastern side of the precinct.

Member for Drummoyne, John Sidoti, hailed news of the westbound off-ramp at Hill Road as a major win for sports fans and communities in Greater Sydney.

“The road upgrades are a huge win for new and existing residents as well as sports fans heading to Sydney Olympic Park,” Mr Sidoti said.

A WestConnex briefing paper has predicted that travelling time from the city to Stadium Australia will be cut significantly, with fans travelling on four lanes to Sydney Olympic Park, bypassing more than 30 sets of traffic lights and removing the need to use Parramatta Road at any stage.

Lively Stadium Precinct

Sydney Olympic Park is poised to experience monumental growth over the next 10 years.

The NSW Government has already approved new Urban Activation Precincts at Carter St (just behind the western gates of Stadium Australia) and at Wentworth Point (near the Sydney Olympic Park ferry wharf), which will bring thousands of new residents and new commercial and retail developments. The plans for Carter Street can be found here.

The Sydney Olympic Park Authority is currently reviewing its masterplan with a view to significantly increase commercial, retail and residential development in Sydney Olympic Park. This will include shops, cafes, bars, eateries and restaurants, which will reinvigorate the Sydney Olympic Park town centre and help create a lively Stadium precinct.

The Government is also currently considering a proposal for a Light Rail route that aims to bring trams to the front gates of Stadium Australia and connect Greater Western Sydney.

Businesses aligned to the WestLine Partnership are prepared to largely fund a light rail route through the Olympic Corridor, which begins at Westmead and connects the burgeoning Parramatta area with Rosehill, Camellia, Sydney Olympic Park, Rhodes and Strathfield.

Stadium Australia already features a heavy rail service that can move as many as 27,600 fans per hour.

Transport research shows that up to 76 per cent of all fans who attend major events at Stadium Australia use public transport, with 62 per cent using the train service to Olympic Park.

More than 92,000 fans of the estimated 150,000 who packed Sydney Olympic Park for the Taylor Swift concert and three other major events on Saturday 28 November travelled by train to and from Olympic Park Station. 

Head here for all the news on the Stadium Australia Redevelopment Project.