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Eastern Distributor

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Template:Australian motorway

M1 motorway marker
Southbound Eastern Distributor tunnel entrance at Woolloomooloo

The Eastern Distributor is a six-kilometre long motorway in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Part of Metroad 1, it links the Sydney central business district (CBD) with the Airport. The centre-piece is a 1.7km tunnel running from Woolloomooloo to Surry Hills.

The motorway is tolled in one direction (northbound) with the toll plazas at Woolloomooloo and at the William Street exit. Currently the toll is $4.50 for a car or motorbike and $9.50 for other vehicles.

This motorway is part of the 110 kilometre Sydney Orbital Motorway. There are also connection to the Cross City Tunnel, giving motorists direct connections under the city to the Western Distributor. There are also northbound/southbound entry/exits to Moore Park Road and ANZAC Parade.

History

The need for an Eastern Distributor was first talked about in 1951. It was not until the Bob Carr, state Labor Government in the 1990's that the project was initiated.

The motorway was opened in two stages with stage 1 opened to the traffic in December 1999 with stage 2 following in July 2000.

The term of private ownership is 48 years after which the road will revert to government ownership.

Construction

The project's centrepiece is the 1.7 km 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.

The tunnel's claim to fame at the time it was built was that at 24.5 m 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.

See also


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