M7 Motorway

The project

The M7 Motorway is a 40 kilometre four lane motorway serving Sydney’s west. It links the M2 at Baulkham Hills, the M4 at Eastern Creek and the M5/Hume Highway at Prestons. The motorway bypasses 48 sets of traffic lights, allowing a journey from south of Liverpool to West Pennant Hills in less than 30 minutes. In addition to improved travel times for motorists in Sydney’s west, the M7 has taken an estimated 60,000 vehicles per day off the existing western Sydney road network. The Westlink consortium built, operates and maintains the M7 Motorway until February 2037 when it will be transferred to public ownership.

RTA vision

The RTA initiated the M7 Motorway project in response to a need to connect Sydney’s existing motorways (the M2, M4 and M5 motorways) and complete a substantial part of the NSW Government’s Sydney Orbital Strategy.The M7 Motorway was designed to dramatically reduce travel times across western Sydney and to provide a significant part of the expanding Sydney Orbital Road network. It was built in conjunction with major upgrades to local roads, delivering significant benefits to local communities.

The RTA has a holistic approach to designing and planning its road projects. In addition to considering traffic flow, travel times and public transport, urban design concerns feature prominently. These include environmental and heritage considerations, connectivity, local community needs, supporting green travel and enhancing urban environments. The RTA strives to ensure that each road project adds value to local communities.

M7 photo credit: Brett Boardman Photography

Road users

Road users now benefit from the following enhancements:

Safer and more efficient road transport for both passenger vehicles and freight in western Sydney.
Faster travel times between key western Sydney suburbs.
Improved access to other growing cities and regions, including the Central Coast, Newcastle, Canberra and the Illawarra

Public transport

The M7 Motorway has inbuilt opportunities for improving or extending existing or future bus services. This is achieved by the addition of transitways which enable faster travel times to key regional destinations.

Local community

Local residents benefit from the following:

Reduced heavy vehicle traffic on local roads.
Improved air quality due to the decrease in traffic on local roads.
Reduced noise in key residential areas.

For more information regarding the benefits included in the RTA’s vision for the M7 Motorway project click here

Key features

RTA road projects aim to provide safe and efficient travel for all road users. Many road projects also include significant features which beautify our city and create a desirable, enjoyable urban landscape. For instance, installing cycleways provides people with green travel and leisure opportunities. Upgrades to parks and roadside landscaping enhance the amenity of urban environments. Preserving heritage sites protects the historical riches of our city and inspires civic pride.

Interesting features of the M7 Motorway project include the following. M7 pedestrian and cycleway: Australia’s longest.

The M7 cycleway

Accessible to cyclists and pedestrians, Australia’s longest cycleway stretches almost 40 kilometres between Prestons and West Baulkham Hills, providing a healthy and environmentally beneficial option for riders and pedestrians. The cycleway is separated from traffic and includes safe crossings at all intersections. The cycleway links to other regional cycle networks, including Western Sydney Regional Park, the Fairfield to Homebush Bay Cycleway and bicycle lanes on the M2, improving the ability of cyclists to commute between regional areas.

Extensive landscaping

Approximately 800,000 plants have been cultivated as part of the M7 Motorway project, including a mixture of native and exotic species. Local native plants have been selected for much of the M7 Motorway in order to maintain ecology and biodiversity and to provide suitable habitat for native animals. The Light Horse Interchange

The Light Horse Interchange

A 55 metre illuminated mast at the M4/M7 Light Horse Interchange at Eastern Creek honours members of Australia’s famous Light Horse Brigades. Two thousand commemorative red batons ‘sprout’ from native grasses on the median strips of both the M4 and M7 Motorway interchange approaches, signifying the predominant regimental colours of red and green and helping approaching motorists to easily identify the Light Horse Interchange.

For more information regarding the key features of the M7 Motorway Project, click here.

For information about using the M7 click here.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 December 2009 00:46