The Eastern Distributor Motorway provides a high-quality road link between the Cahill Expressway at Woolloomooloo and Southern Cross Drive at Zetland.

The motorway has been funded and built by Airport Motorway Limited, which will operate, maintain and repair the motorway until 2048, when it will revert to the public sector. The motorway is operated on Airport Motorway's behalf by Leighton Contractors.

Local Area Improvement Program

The Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning granted approval for construction of the proposed Eastern Distributor on 26 June 1997. Construction of the Eastern Distributor has attracted significant volumes of traffic away from residential and commercial streets, providing an opportunity to improve the safety and amenity of areas of the inner eastern suburbs of Sydney. This has produced immediate benefits for both residents and visitors to the area. These benefits would be substantially reduced over time had appropriate traffic management measures not been put in place in conjunction with the opening of the Eastern Distributor.

The environmental impact assessment for the Eastern Distributor proposed a program of local area improvements to determine ways in which to take advantage of the opportunities arising from the Eastern Distributor. The primary objective of the Local Area Improvement Program was to take advantage of the opportunities presented by predicted changes in traffic volume on a number of key streets. Local environments on these streets have experienced improvements over pre-existing conditions by the introduction of measures that restrict or calm through traffic.

Treatments also ensure that potential alternative routes for motorists seeking to avoid the toll are not attractive. The challenge was to strike a balance between restraining the potential for toll avoidance and maintaining reasonable access for both residents and businesses within the area affected by the Eastern Distributor.

Summary of Contracts

This report summarises the main contracts, from a public sector perspective, for the Eastern Distributor motorway. It focuses on those contracts to which the Minister for Roads and/or Roads and Maritime Services (formerly Roads and Traffic Authority) are parties, or which otherwise have a potentially substantive impact on public sector risks or benefits.

Contact

To visit the website of the motorway operators, Leighton Contractors, follow the 'Related link' (above right). To contact the motorway operators call 8356 2200.