After five years, motorist misery from Sydney motorway project set to end

November 2, 2026 — 5:00pm

A multibillion-dollar upgrade to one of Australia’s busiest motorways will be completed within weeks, ending almost five years of disruption for residents along the corridor and motorists who have had to navigate repeated changes to lanes during construction.

The final two major traffic changes over the coming weeks will mark the end of construction on the Warringah Freeway, which is up to 16 lanes wide.

A reversible lane on the freeway between Lavender Street and Ernest Street will become a permanent northbound lane by early December, followed about a week later by the opening of a new northbound on-ramp from High Street.

Until now, the reversible lane has been used by motorists travelling southbound on weekdays during the morning peak, and northbound for other days and times.

Turning it into a permanent northbound lane will clear the way for the opening of the 96-metre on-ramp from High Street, which will provide a link from North Sydney, Kirribilli and Neutral Bay to the freeway.

NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said the finish line was finally in sight for the complex freeway upgrade after almost five years of construction.

“Five years, 300 switches, and we’re now down to the last two. It’s been very difficult to get done, and we really appreciate the patience of people through this disruption,” she said.

“These final two changes will make a real difference for the 400,000 people who use this key corridor daily, simplifying the way traffic moves through the freeway and making journeys safer, smoother and more reliable.”

The upgrade was necessitated by construction of the $7.4 billion Western Harbour Tunnel, which will allow motorists to bypass the CBD when it opens in late 2028. The 6.5-kilometre tunnels will link the WestConnex motorway under the inner west to the Warringah Freeway in the north.

Completion of the Warringah Freeway upgrade is about six to eight months later than originally planned but includes extra scope in the form of the High Street on-ramp, which is opening about 18 months early. The on-ramp was initially part of the Western Harbour Tunnel project.

Budget papers show $2.346 billion had been spent on the Warringah Freeway upgrade up until June this year, while a further $18 million was allocated for the new financial year. That is up from a total estimated cost of $2 billion in last year’s budget.

Aitchison said the final costings had yet to be confirmed due to the scope changes.

“We’ve been trying to work to keep those costs down as much as possible, but we’ll have more to say about the final cost,” she said. “Since we came to government, this has been probably one of the most challenging projects.”

Construction teams have had to work while up to 220,000 vehicles a day used the four-kilometre freeway, funnelled on and off it via the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Harbour Tunnel.

The upgrade will prevent motorists from weaving between lanes, forcing them to make an early decision on the lane they need to be in to get to their destination.

After passing Miller Street in Cammeray, southbound motorists will need to take lanes on the left for the Harbour Bridge, or right lanes for the Harbour Tunnel.

Aitchison said the new “channelised” work on the freeway would smooth traffic flows and reduce the risk of crashes caused by motorists weaving between lanes.

“People will pick a lane [and] stay in the lane. That’ll be a much smoother, much safer and much more relaxing view for motorists,” she said.

Transport for NSW project director Tony Sheppard said including the High Street on-ramp in the Warringah Freeway upgrade fast-tracked its benefits by 18 months.

“It also de-risks the opening of Western Harbour Tunnel,” he said. “This simplifies the whole configuration, channelises traffic, which minimises incidents … [and] traffic delays.”

Sheppard said the project had been “extremely complex” and the final two traffic changes, which will simplify the freeway, were the “icing on the cake”.

“It just makes it much more simple. It means that when there’s a slight bingle, the traffic isn’t stuffed for two hours,” he said.

Workers have notched up a combined 10 million hours on the project, laying more than 74,000 tonnes of asphalt and pouring more than 165,000 cubic metres of concrete. Landscaping and finishing works will continue into early next year.

Apart from new and improved ramps and bridges, a dedicated southbound bus lane has been created and about 2.5 kilometres of new and upgraded pedestrian and cycling paths built.

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