Eastern Distributor

The Eastern Distributor is a 6-kilometre-long (4 mi) motorway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Part of the M1, the motorway links the Sydney central business district with Sydney Airport. The centre-piece is a 1.7 km (1.1 mi) tunnel running from Woolloomooloo to Surry Hills. Built as a build-own-operate-transfer project, it is 75.1% owned by Transurban.

Eastern Distributor

Tunnel entrance at Woolloomooloo
North end
South end
Location in greater Sydney
Coordinates
  • 33°51′57″S 151°12′50″E (North end)
  • 33°54′28″S 151°12′48″E (South end)
General information
TypeMotorway
Length6 km (3.7 mi)
Opened19 December 1999 (Completed in July 2000)
Route number(s)
  • M1 (2013–present)
  • Entire Route
Former
route number
  • Metroad 1 (1999–2013)
  • Entire Route
Major junctions
North end Cahill Expressway
Woolloomooloo
 William Street
Anzac Parade
Cross City Tunnel
South end Southern Cross Drive
Kensington
Location(s)
LGA(s)City of Sydney
Highway system

The motorway is tolled in the northbound direction with no toll applied southbound. As of 1 July 2020, the toll for cars/motorbikes is $8.00 and $16.00 for other vehicles.[1]

This motorway is part of the 110-kilometre (68 mi) Sydney Orbital Network. For about half its length, it is in a trench inside South Dowling Street. The motorway provides a southbound exit for Lachlan Street/Dacey Avenue, a northbound exit to South Dowling Street (south of Cleveland Street), a northbound entrance ramp from South Dowling Street (north of Cleveland Street), connections from William Street (heading south), and to William Street (heading north). There are also connection to the Cross City Tunnel, giving motorists direct connections under the city to the Western Distributor. There are also northbound/southbound entry/exits to Moore Park Road and Anzac Parade. Southbound motorists were later found to be entering the Eastern Distributor from the Cross City Tunnel access point and immediately attempting to cross three lanes for the Anzac Parade off-ramp. Permanent traffic obstacles have subsequently been installed and users are now referred to the Lachlan Street/Dacey Avenue exit, or as through traffic towards Sydney Airport.

History

The need for an Eastern Distributor was first discussed in 1950.[2] It was not until August 1996 that the Government of New South Wales announced it would be built.[3]

At 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) in length, the Eastern Distributor was built to link the Sydney central business district with Sydney Airport via the already existing Southern Cross Drive (freeway).[4] It was designed to ease congestion and to reduce the time to travel from the city to the airport.[4] Construction involved 5,000 workers was undertaken by Leighton Contractors for Airport Motorway Limited under as a build-own-operate-transfer arrangement.[4] The Eastern Distributor is owned and operated by Transurban,[5] with state government planning, support and management during construction.[4] At a cost of $730 million,[4] the motorway was opened on 19 December 1999, except for the William Street on and off ramps which were opened on 23 July 2000, just in time for the 2000 Summer Olympics.[6] The road will revert to government ownership on 23 July 2048.[7]

Eastern Distributor trench section within South Dowling Street at Moore Park, just after the main tunnel.

Two separate tunnel subcontractors began excavating the northbound tunnel in January 1996, working at either of the tunnel—that is, Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo.[8] Seven roadheaders were utilised for the tunnel boring, with the rock ceiling then reinforced with rock bolts and shotcrete.[8] On 4 December 1998 the two teams were shaking hands in the middle–30 metres (100 ft) beneath Taylor Square. Actual construction started in August 1997 and by March 1999 all digging was complete, after 400,000 cubic metres (520,000 cu yd) of soil, largely Sydney sandstone was removed–equal to 40,000 truckloads.

The project's centrepiece is the 1.7-kilometre (1.1 mi) piggyback tunnel under one of Australia's most densely populated urban areas, necessitated due to the requirement of three lanes in each direction within the existing roadway corridor.[9] The unique double-deck, three lanes per direction design comprises a large, single tunnel excavation.[8] At mid-height through the excavation, a precast concrete ledge forms the base of the northbound tunnel, with the southbound tunnel slotting below.[8] As a result, only one tunnel roof was created with the lower southbound carriageway built in a slot.[8] According to the Australasian Tunnelling Society, no records are available of any piggyback tunnel (rail or road) where the upper carriageway has been carried on prestressed concrete planks resting on sidewall ledges.[8] In the main tunnel there is a central length of 0.5 kilometres (0.3 mi) where the span is typically greater than 17 metres (56 ft), and of note, there is no record of any road tunnel with spans greater than this where permanent roof support comprises rockbolts and shotcrete only and with vertical unsupported sidewalls of rock.[8] The tunnel's claim to fame at the time it was built was that at 24.5 metres (80 ft) across at its widest point, it was the widest tunnel in the world. This point occurs where the William Street on ramp tunnel merges with the main tunnel.[8] At 14 metres (46 ft), the tunnel is also notably large from the ceiling to the floor.[4]

The tunnels of the Eastern Distributor are fully equipped with lighting, ventilation, drainage, CCTV surveillance, fire fighting and emergency control systems.[8]

When opened, tollbooths operated at the Woolloomooloo end. With the introduction of electronic tolls, these were replaced by readers on a gantry and demolished.

Tolls

Toll prices as of 1 January 2021[10]
Toll roadToll typeClass A flagfall[lower-alpha 1]Class A charge per km[lower-alpha 1]Class A maximum toll or cap[lower-alpha 1]Class B toll prices[lower-alpha 1]Toll increase[12]Toll concessionaireExpiry of toll concession[13]
Eastern Distributor (northbound) Fixed $8.21 2 x of Class A prices Quarterly on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July, and 1 October, by the greater of the weighted sum of quarterly AWE and quarterly CPI or 1% Transurban (75.1%) December 2048
  1. Class A vehicles are typically cars and motorcycles; Class B vehicles are all other vehicles including trucks and heavy vehicles[11]


Exits and interchanges

LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
SydneySydney CBD00.0 Cahill Expressway (M1)  North Sydney, NewcastleNorthern terminus: continues as Cahill Expressway
Woolloomooloo0.260.16Cathedral Street / to William Street, Paddington, Sydney CBDSouthbound exit only
0.40.25Northern end of tunnel
Darlinghurst1.20.75Anzac Parade / Moore Park Road  Randwick, La PerouseSouthbound exit only
1.30.81Cross City Tunnel / Bourke Street – no exitSouthbound entrance only
1.60.99Anzac Parade / Moore Park Road – no exitNorthbound entrance only
1.651.03William Street / Cross City Tunnel  Paddington, Sydney CBDNorthbound exit only; toll plaza at William Street exit
Surry HillsMoore Park boundary2.11.3Southern end of tunnel
2.21.4South Dowling Street northbound – no exitNorthbound entrance only
Moore Park2.5–
2.8
1.6–
1.7
Tunnel (under Cleveland Street)
Moore Park–Redfern boundary3.01.9South Dowling Street northbound to Cleveland Street - Redfern, Bondi JunctionNorthbound exit only; 24 hour closure of exit currently trialled
3.22.0South Dowling Street southbound to Dacey Avenue & Lachlan Street  Randwick, Alexandria, RoseberySouthbound exit only
Waterloo3.5–
4.1
2.2–
2.5
Tunnel
Sydney–Randwick boundaryZetlandKensington boundary4.22.6South Dowling Street northbound to Todman Avenue  Randwick, KensingtonNorthbound exit only
4.32.7Cooper PlaceNorthbound exit only
4.42.7South Dowling Street – no exitSouthbound entrance only
4.72.9Link Road  RoseberyNorthbound exit and entrance only
4.93.0 Southern Cross Drive (M1) Wollongong, Canberra, Sydney AirportSouthern terminus: continues as Southern Cross Drive
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. Toll Pricing Linkt
  2. £10 mil road plan to speed Sydney traffic The Sun 19 July 1950 page 12
  3. City Tollway Fleetline issue 244 September 1996 page 163
  4. Jewell, Chris; Merrick, Noel (2003). "Modelling of the groundwater impact of a sunken urban motorway in Sydney, Australia" (PDF). RMZ – Materials and Geoenvironment. 50 (1): 229. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.
  5. "Transurban turnover rises as traffic grows". The Sydney Morning Herald. 12 January 2012. Archived from the original on 13 January 2012.
  6. "Eastern Distributor Construction Homes Damage". Parliament of New South Wales. 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
  7. "Eastern Distributor". Roads and Maritime Services. 11 September 2001. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012.
  8. "Eastern Distributor, Sydney". Australasian Tunnelling Society. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015.
  9. Lai, Steven; Wong, Dee; Wu, Dicken (9 April 2009). "Fire and life safety designs for road tunnels in Asia" (PDF). Fire Division, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. pp. 23–24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2016.
  10. "Toll charges – costs by toll road". Transport for NSW - Roads and Maritime. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  11. "What is my vehicle class?". Linkt. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  12. "When and how do toll prices increase". Linkt. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  13. "Road tolling in New South Wales" (PDF). New South Wales Parliament. Portfolio Committee No.2 – Health and Community Services. October 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
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