Minister for Roads & Ports Duncan Gay MLC and Sydney Ports CEO Grant Gilfillan.
Road traffic to and from Port Botany is moving unhindered by trains with the recent opening of Sydney Ports’ $72 million dollar grade separation.
The elevated roundabout had been opened by Roads and Ports Minister Duncan Gay, MLC during a ceremony at the site.
The two-lane roundabout bypasses the old level crossing on Penrhyn Road, ending the need for trucks and other road traffic to wait for container trains to pass before they can enter or leave the port.
Mr Gay said the project is a significant element of the billion-dollar program of works improving infrastructure and streamlining the processing and movement of containers at Port Botany.
“This is the best bit of kit I’ve had the pleasure of opening,” Mr Gay told guests at the plaque unveiling ceremony.
“With around 4,000 vehicle movements a day, this roundabout will provide a more efficient and safer operational environment for Port Botany. It will also eliminate additional congestion that would have developed at the crossing with the opening, in 2013, of the rail line to the new T3 terminal.”
Work on the project began in early 2011 and comprised eight major elements including the roundabout itself, three access ramps and four bridge spans linking the ramps to the roundabout.
At its most critical point, more than 6,300 tonnes of concrete were poured continuously in a single operation lasting 18 hours, the largest of its type in NSW.
The minister said the project was completed without any major impact on the local environment, passing a series of environmental audits as it progressed. It is also said to have exceeded all compliance requirements and gained unqualified endorsement for its environmental management activities. (136)
