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Sydney Gateway (the new toll-free road to the Airport) will open this weekend

Here's what drivers can expect when the new 5-kilometre stretch of road officially opens

Winnie Stubbs
Written by
Winnie Stubbs
Lifestyle Writer
Sydney Gateway road
Photograph: Supplied | Transport for NSW
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Just over a week after the biggest improvement to Sydney’s transport system since the Harbour Bridge, the Harbour City is welcoming a major new infrastructure upgrade – with the new toll-free connection between Sydney Airport and the St Peters Interchange set to open this weekend. After launching driver animations of the route online back in July to help with driver training, Transport for NSW has confirmed that the new road will open as planned this coming Sunday, September 1 – just in time for spring.

The new five-kilometre stretch of motorway is predicted to save motorists an estimated 17 minutes between the Sydney Airport and the St Peters Interchange, which connects to the M8, the M5 and M4.

Although there have been fears about congestion issues on opening week similar to those experienced when the Rozelle Interchange opened, traffic management measures are in place to help traffic along Sydney Gateway run as smoothly as possible.

Sydney Gateway road
Photograph: Supplied | Transport for NSW

Sunday, September 1 will mark the first day of complete access on the $2.6 billion Sydney Gateway project, but the project has been opening in phases since November 2023 – with Sunday marking the final opening stage. 

“The opening of Gateway is now going to transform that familiar car trip to the airport, whether it is to depart on holidays, return on business or picking up the family,” says Minister for Roads John Graham.

As well as making airport access easier for Sydney’s air-fairing population, the new road is predicted to provide an alternative route for up to 10,000 trucks per day travelling to the airport and Port Botany.

If you’re keen to see the route ahead of opening day, you can check out the Sydney Gateway driver animations here (which are designed to help prepare you to use it), and you can learn more about the project here.

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