M5 Motorway (Sydney)

Motorway in Sydney, Australia

The M5 Motorway is a

After years of proposals and political promises, a privately constructed and operated motorway – the M5 South West Motorway – was built under a "Build Operate Transfer" agreement, which was awarded to Interlink Roads. The motorway was constructed on a publicly owned freeway reservation, between the existing road at Heathcote Road, Moorebank, to King Georges Road, Beverly Hills. It was constructed in two stages: South West Motorway, from Beverly Hills to Moorebank and Crossroads to Campbelltown, along with Hume Highway, from Moorebank to Crossroads, were allocated Metroad 5. The Casula Bypass opened in June 1994, and the Hume Highway section of Metroad 5 was realigned to the bypass and the entire South West Motorway therefore had the route allocation of Metroad 5. As part of the Casula Bypass works, the toll concession was extended from August 2014 to June 2022. through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). With the subsequent passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929 to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, the Department of Main Roads (having succeeded the MRB in 1932) declared South West Motorway as a motorway (under plan number 6005), on 28 June 1993,

As part of the construction of the M5 East, the eastern two lane, single carriageway section of South West Motorway was widened to a full 4 lane, dual carriageway road between June 1997 and August 1999, finally bringing most of the motorway up to complete freeway standard. This also included the opening of east facing ramps and toll plazas at The River Road and Fairford Road. As part of widening works, the toll concession was extended for the third time to 10 December 2026.

The ownership of M5 South West Motorway is split between the state government and Interlink Roads, 100% owned by Transurban. The state government owns the section between Hume Highway and Heathcote Road, with Interlink Roads owning the remainder of the motorway including the Casula Bypass. Transurban first acquired ownership of Interlink Roads in April 2007 when it acquired Sydney Roads Group. By 2012, the shareholders of Interlink Roads were: Transurban acquired the remaining 34.62% stake from IFM and Utilities Trust of Australia on 30 October 2019. The motorway east of Heathcote Road is tolled by Interlink Roads at a single price, with toll gantries located at Hammondville and at east facing ramps at Henry Lawson Drive, The River Road, Fairford Road and Belmore Road. The motorway is tolled separately to the M5 East. Regular users of the motorway can claim a rebate from the state government for the cost of the toll, excluding GST, as part of a 1995 election commitment by Bob Carr, who eventually won the election and became Premier of New South Wales. On 1 July 2013, the M5 South West became the last motorway in Australia to convert to cashless tolling. The current toll concession held by Interlink Roads is due to expire on 10 December 2026, after it was extended for three times since opening. As part of the acquisition of WestConnex by a Transurban led consortium, the M5 South West Motorway will be transferred to WestConnex ownership when the Interlink Roads concession ends in 2026,

In 2009, the government released the M5 Transport Corridor Feasibility Study, which investigated strategic options for improving the M5 Motorway corridor. The study identified a preliminary preferred option, being the M5 East Duplication, consisted of duplicating the M5 East and construction of a new connection from the M5 East at Arncliffe to Euston Road, Qantas Drive and Gardeners Road. The strategic concept for the M5 East Duplication was placed on public exhibition between November 2009 and March 2010 for community and stakeholder feedback. Feedback received was used to further develop and refine the scheme. In 2012, the scheme become the King Georges Road Interchange Upgrade and New M5 projects, the second stage of WestConnex. The New M5 would consist of separate tunnels parallel to the M5 East tunnels and would later become known as M8 Motorway. The M8 tunnels were completed in July 2020. The tunnels connect to the existing M5 East at Kingsgrove and run roughly parallel to M5 East to Rozelle Interchange, forming an inner CBD bypass.