The shovels were in the ground today along The Northern Road, with the first sod turned for the fourth stage of The Northern Road upgrade between Mersey Road at Bringelly and Eaton Road at Luddenham.

Federal Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population Alan Tudge said the upgrade was part of the Australian and NSW governments’ $3.6 billion Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.

“The Australian and NSW governments are pushing ahead to deliver the $1.6 billion 35 - kilometre upgrade,” Mr Tudge said.

“The upgrade includes widening The Northern Road between Narellan and Penrith, which will improve safety and increase road capacity while reducing travel times and congestion.

“With work already powering ahead along The Northern Road from Glenmore Parkway to Jamison Road and from Peter Brock Drive to Mersey Road, this project is powering towards the finish line.”

NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey said the fourth stage of the upgrade included building 5.5 kilometres of new road.

“Around 5.5 kilometres of new road will be built to realign a section of The Northern Road that currently runs through the Western Sydney Airport site,” Mrs Pavey said.

“More than 15,000 vehicles currently use this section of The Northern Road daily but this number is expected to significantly increase once the new Western Sydney Airport opens in 2026.

“The upgrade will help meet those new demands and is another piece of critical infrastructure that will support the Western Sydney community for years to come.”

Senator Marise Payne said work would be carried out to build a southern service entry to the Western Sydney Airport.

“The southern service entry will include traffic lights and a dedicated u-turn bay,” Senator Payne said.

“A western entry to Western Sydney Airport will be built to serve residents living in Greendale, Luddenham and Oran Park.”

“This stage of the upgrade will also include access to Luddenham town centre from the realigned Northern Road via a set of traffic lights.”

Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor said Stage 4 of The Northern Road upgrade between Mersey Road and Eaton Road was expected to open to traffic in 2021, weather permitting.

“Once complete, The Northern Road upgrade will provide improved transport connections between Penrith, the M4 Motorway, Western Sydney Airport and surrounding developments,” Mr Taylor said.

“A new pedestrian and cycling path will also be built on the western side of The Northern Road and pedestrian paths on the eastern side of The Northern Road where required.

“We thank the community and motorists for their patience and will continue to keep the public informed as the project progresses.”

The Australian Government has committed $1.2 billion towards the $1.6 billion Northern Road Upgrade, in partnership with the New South Wales Government.

For more information about the upgrade, visit http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-west/the-northern-road/stage-3/index.html.