The M5 East is a 10 kilometre freeway connecting the M5 at King Georges Rd, Beverly Hills with General Holmes Drive and on to the Eastern Distributor.
The $794 million freeway has been funded by the State Government and operates toll free.
The M5 East provides quicker and safer journeys between Sydney's south-west and the city, Sydney Airport, Port Botany and surrounding areas. Cutting up to 20 minutes from a trip between Liverpool and Sydney Airport, the M5 East bypasses more than 20 sets of traffic lights. Local communities also benefit, with freight and other traffic removed from nearby residential streets.
For more information, including maps on the M5 East go to www.sydneymotorways.com.
Air quality improvement plan
On 16 June 2006 the Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal announced the NSW Government’s air quality improvement plan for the M5 East Tunnel.
The air quality improvement plan includes:
Video identification of pollution-causing heavy vehicles and the Clean Fleet Program.
Increased ventilation flows with an extra 12 fans.
A trial of filtration technology.
For details visit the link (above right).
M5 East tunnel filtration plant
Some of the projects improvements (or modifications) require approval from the Department of Planning. A modifications report was submitted to the department for consideration.
In July 2007 the Minister for Planning granted approval for the RTA to construct and operate a filtration plant to treat the air from the M5 East westbound tunnel.
The filtration plant will operate for an initial period of up to 18 months to determine the effectiveness of the filtration equipment and the reduction in haze in the tunnel from operating the equipment. After this initial period the RTA will notify the Department of Planning whether the operation of the filtration technology shall cease or continue as a permanent facility.
The RTA has withdrawn its request to the Department of Planning for a trial of portal emissions to reduce haze in tunnel, as part of this approval, and will seek separate planning approval following further investigations and monitoring.
For details visit the ‘M5 East filtration plant’ link (above right).
Freeway features
The M5 East is a four-lane freeway with two lanes in each direction.
Vehicles can enter and/or exit the freeway at seven locations - King Georges Road, Kingsgrove Road, Bexley Road, Princes Highway, West Botany Street, Marsh Street and General Holmes Drive.
Pedestrians can cross the freeway via underpasses at Beverly Grove Park, Karingal Street, Arinya Street, Lundy Street and at four crossing points at King Georges Road, Cooloongatta Road, Kingsgrove Road and Bexley Road.
The speed limit on the freeway is 90 km per hour between King Georges Road and the start of the main tunnel at Bexley Road, and 80 km per hour for the rest of the freeway.
A key feature of the M5 East is Australia's longest road tunnels - twin 4 km, two-lane tunnels between Bexley Road, Earlwood and Marsh Sreet, Arncliffe.
A 550 metre tunnel passes under the Cooks River.
Tunnel safety
Sydney's road tunnels are built to strict safety standards. To minimise the risk to motorists in the unlikely event of a serious incident, the M5 East includes safety features such as emergency passages and barriers, electronic message signs, radio broadcast facilities, deluge sprays, fire extinguishers and emergency phones.
The smart road
The M5 East is a 'smart' road with a range of hi-tech features.
- The freeway is managed from a state-of-the-art control centre located at the corner of West Botany and Marsh Streets, Arncliffe. The centre uses the latest technology to continually monitor and, where necessary, direct traffic along the freeway. The control centre is linked to the RTA's transport management centre at Eveleigh.
- Special sensors built into the roadway and 125 closed circuit television cameras enable 24 hour monitoring of traffic and feed data direct to the control centre.
- Intelligent lighting systems inside the tunnels automatically adjust to suit conditions.
- Ventilation systems automatically adjust to traffic conditions within the tunnels.
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