The end of the deed of concession held for the past 30 years by Transfield and several other major companies will mean that all toll revenue from the 2.7 kilometer port tunnel will begin flowing into government coffers from September 1
The change comes as the government undertakes a wide-ranging review of Sydney’s motorway toll patchwork, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
The first stage of the Western Harbor Tunnel will extend from Rozelle to Birchgrove in inner Sydney. Credit: Rhett Wyman
Labor roads spokesman John Graham said the opposition wanted toll revenue from both the harbor tunnel and the bridge to go into financial relief for toll-paying motorists.
“We do not want the government to announce any new tolls or toll contracts before the review has been completed,” he said.
While the new Western Harbor Tunnel will be tolled, Ward said the amount motorists would be charged has not yet been determined. “We have a comprehensive toll review underway led by Treasury, supported by Transport for NSW, and that will inform our views on this,” he said.
The third Harbor Road crossing will extend from North Sydney to Rozelle, where it will link with the $16.8 billion WestConnex Freeway.
Transport for NSW project manager Tarnjit Chahal said the agency was considering “various options” for the harbor crossing, including a deeper tunnel dug using large boring machines. “The reference design has a submerged tube option, but several options are currently being considered,” he said.
The government has received three bids from the private sector to build the second stage. The first stage costs $722 million, but the second stage, which will bear the lion’s share of the expense, has yet to be priced.
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The combined cost of the Western Harbor Tunnel and the seven-kilometre Beaches Link planned to connect to it was estimated at $14 billion in government documents leaked in 2017.
The government recently delayed work on the Beaches Link between North Sydney and Balgowlah, as well as several other megaprojects, amid rising construction costs and global labor shortages.
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