History | Eastern DistributorAirport Motorway Road Toll Expressway traffic electronic tolling ETC Freeway Distributor tunnel

The need for an Eastern Distributor was first talked about in 1951. It was the Carr Government that delivered the project at the start of the new millennium in time for the Sydney Olympics.

A 1997 study commissioned by the State Chamber of Commerce found that the Eastern Distributor would prevent 330 accidents a year and cut fuel consumption by 1.2 million litres annually.

Significant community consultation took place, after which the Carr Government made more than 100 changes to the design of the Eastern Distributor before construction began, including the Parkway along South Dowling Street, the rejuvenation of Centennial Parklands and measures to reduce the motorway’s impact on local neighborhoods. Before final approval was granted environmental improvements worth about $140 million were added to the original proposal. This was to satisfy demands of the community and the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning. To cover the increased bill the term of private ownership was stretched from 38 years to 48 years.

It took two years, more than 5000 workers and the expertise of Leighton Contractors and Airport Motorway to deliver the motorway eight months ahead of schedule. The project’s centerpiece was the 1.7km piggyback tunnel under one of Australia’s most densely populated urban areas. Two separate contractors began digging from either end at Surry Hills and Woolloomooloo in January 1998. On December 4th of that year the two teams were shaking hands in the middle – 30m beneath Taylor Square. And by March 1999 all digging was complete. In all some 400,000 cubic metres of spoil, largely Sydney Hawkesbury Sandstone was removed – equal to 40,000 truckloads. Most was taken to the Boral quarry at Greystanes where it was recycled for new building products, mostly crushed into sand. What was created was a 1.7km long underground box. The tunnel’s claim to notoriety at the time it was built was that at 24.5m across at its widest point, it was the widest tunnel in the world. At 14m high, the tunnel is also notably large from the ceiling to the floor. A concrete ledge in the middle was added after the original construction phase to separate the northern and southern roadways – with northbound cars using the three top lanes and southbound traffic using three lanes directly beneath. The requirement for three lanes each way within the existing roadway corridor meant a piggyback tunnel was the only choice. The problems inherent in the piggyback construction style means the tunnel was one of only three of its type in the world at the time it was built. Excavation of the Eastern Distributor

The long–awaited $700 million motorway Stage 1 opened to the traffic in December 1999 with Stage 2 following in July 2000.

The opening made a noticeable difference to traffic conditions for motorists in Eastern, Northern and Southern Sydney, unblocking some of Sydney’s most congested traffic arteries.

The six-kilometre motorway slashed city-to-airport travel times by at least ten minutes and made journeys faster and safer for motorists, commuters, cyclists and pedestrians alike. Motorists using the motorway bypass 19 sets of Traffic Lights.

The Eastern Distributor is an important link in Sydney’s orbital road network. It joins the Southern Cross Drive, the M5 East, The Harbour Bridge, the Harbour Tunnel and the proposed Cross City Tunnel, giving motorists direct connections across the city.