In November 2009, the NSW Government announced a proposal to expand the M5 corridor. The proposal would increase capacity on the M5 Motorway, improve travel times and reduce traffic congestion.

The proposed M5 corridor expansion is identified in two sections:

The M5 West widening project which includes widening the existing M5 South West Motorway from two to three lanes in each direction. Following approval of the project in November, 2011, the NSW Government announced on Wednesday 21 December that an 'in-principle' agreement with the operator of the M5 South West Motorway, Interlink Roads, has been reached.

The M5 East expansion project which includes:

• Widening the M5 East Freeway east of King Georges Road to four lanes in each direction.
• Providing four new lanes in a tunnel(s) next to the existing the M5 East tunnel.
• Providing a new four lane arterial road from the M5 East tunnels to the airport, the port and the industrial land uses north of the airport.

Click map to view a larger version.

Planning Sydney's transport

The NSW Government has released a number of plans and strategies in recent years to guide the growth and development of Sydney. The M5 corridor expansion proposal supports the objectives of the following plans:

The Metropolitan Strategy, City of Cities, A plan for Sydney's Future identifies the need to enhance the capacity of the South West Motorway - connecting regions and economic gateways within the Greater Metropolitan Region.

The Metropolitan Transport Plan - Connecting the City of Cities identifies the need for an extra lane in each direction on the M5 motorway - providing great capacity to meet growing travel demands and link Sydney's land use planning with its transport network.

The NSW State Plan, Investing in a Better Future 2010 explains how an M5 corridor expansion would contribute to four of the NSW Government's priority result areas.