Tunnelling of Australia’s longest and deepest road tunnels, NorthConnex is now complete.

Federal Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said completion of NorthConnex means drivers can now travel between Newcastle and Melbourne without stopping at a single set of traffic lights. 

Mr Tudge said NorthConnex will “bust congestion and provide more reliable and efficient journeys for freight” and “deliver vital infrastructure to improve the quality of life for hard working Australians, getting them home faster and safer”.

The NorthConnext tunnel involved construction of twin 9km tunnels joining the M1 Pacific Motorway and the Hills M2 Motorway. More than half the tunnel is more than 60 metres deep, with the deepest part of the tunnel being around 90 metres. 

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NorthConnex will ease Pennant Hills Road congestion, which had been “a headache” for locals and a bottleneck for trucks delivering goods around the NSW State. 

“NorthConnex will remove 5,000 trucks a day from Pennant Hills Road, bypass 21 sets of traffic lights and save drivers up to 15 minutes in travel time,” Ms Berejiklian said.

NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Andrew Constance said tunnelling started back in mid-2016 when the project’s first road header entered the ground at West Pennant Hills.

“Fast forward two years, 14 breakthroughs, 2.4 million cubic metres of spoil and the twin nine-kilometre tunnels are ready to be paved,” Mr Constance said.

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