Western Distributor (Sydney)

Route

The freeway distributes traffic arriving from the north via the Sydney Harbour Bridge while collecting traffic from the CBD, distributing it through Pyrmont and Ultimo before crossing over the Anzac Bridge. In the citybound direction, traffic is collected from Victoria Road and the City West Link, as well as various on ramps in the Pyrmont and Ultimo areas. Traffic is distributed into the CBD through various off ramps in Pyrmont and the western edge of the CBD, as well as into the Cross City Tunnel. The remaining traffic is fed onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge

The Rozelle Interchange as part of WestConnex was completed in 2023 providing a freeway-standard route free of traffic lights from the Sydneys CBD to Emu Plains.

History

The Western Distributor came to be out of the realisation in the early 1960s that the existing roads that supported the Harbour Bridge would not cope with contemporary and projected traffic volumes. Due to existing infrastructure and buildings in the area, it was decided to build a viaduct to carry traffic above the city streets.

The southbound carriageway from the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Day Street opened 2 September 1972, the northbound carriageway on 30 September 1972, with the final stage connecting ramp from Pyrmont Bridge to the distributor’s northbound carriageway via Day Street opened 20 December 1972.

On 24 May 1980, the westbound Day Street to Harris Street section over the Darling Harbour Yard opened bypassing the Pyrmont Bridge. The eastbound section between Harris and Sussex streets opened on 7 August 19881 with the Pyrmont Bridge closed. On 8 November 1981 the interim westbound route via Sussex Street and Day Place was replaced by a ramp from Market Street The final stage opened in December 1995 with the Anzac Bridge replacing the Glebe Island Bridge.

The north-eastbound viaduct ramps leading towards Bradfield Highway, designed in 1967, was widened from 19 to to accommodate a deck with a variable width from 2.3 to and consists of a steel structure supported on reinforced concrete corbels.

The Roads & Traffic Authority re-aligned the eastern end of Main Road 165 from its old route from Pyrmont, to the southern toll plaza of the Sydney Harbour Bridge at Millers Point to the interchange with Pyrmont Bridge Road and Bank Street in Pyrmont (and continuing west across Bank Street and Glebe Island Bridge to Rozelle and along Victoria Road to Parramatta) on 22 January 1993, Despite its role as a grade-separated motorway, the road is not officially gazetted as one by Transport for NSW classification, and is still considered today to be a main road.

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993 updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Western Distributor retains its declaration as part of Main Road 165.

Western Distributor was signed State Route 40 in 1981, and followed the route's re-alignment when Anzac Bridge opened in 1995. Its eastern half was also declared part of National Route 1, when it was re-aligned from its old route through the CBD along York and Clarence streets to its new route along Western Distributor to Harris Street (and continuing south along Harris Street to meet Princes Highway at Chippendale) in 1986, and removed when the Sydney Harbour Tunnel opened in 1992. It was quickly replaced in 1993 by Metroad 2 along the same alignment (and continuing south along Harris and Wattle Streets to terminate at Ultimo) until the Lane Cove Tunnel opened in 2007 and Metroad 2 was truncated to meet Gore Hill Freeway in Lane Cove. The whole route was also designated part of Metroad 4 when its eastern end was re-aligned on the opening of City West Link in 2000. With the conversion to the newer alphanumeric system in 2013, State Route 40 was removed and Metroad 4 was replaced by route A4.

Western end

When it was built, it was described as the southern end of the F3 Freeway, as that was where the North West Freeway was intended to finish, however due to protests from inner city residents, this plan never came to fruition. Western Distributor ends west of the Anzac Bridge western ramp and east of the junction between Victoria Road and City West Link, with traffic fed onto either of these roads.

Abandoned section

Under the Western Distributor viaduct ramps at its northern end, between Sussex and Kent streets, there is an abandoned carriageway underneath the main roadway. It is a short section of elevated freeway; the top tier remains in constant use but the lower is suspended in the air; having been severed at each end.

Exits and interchanges

Continues north as Bradfield Highway York Street (one-way southbound) – Sydney CBD Kent Street – Sydney CBD King Street (one-way eastbound) – Sydney CBD Market Street (one-way westbound) – Sydney CBD Bathurst Street (one-way eastbound) – Sydney CBD Fig Street Bridge Road (west) Sydney Fish Market, Bank Street (north) Eastbound exit to Bridge Road via Bank Street |LGA-Co=Inner West Iron Cove Link - Ryde, Parramatta

In popular culture

The road is referenced in the song "Hay Plain" by Australian artist Julia Jacklin.

References

References

1. "Western Distributor".
2. [https://web.archive.org/web/20230504072535/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/231922836 State Roads Act] [[Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales]] issue 7 22 January 1993 pages 223–230
3. Western Distributor ''[[Main Roads (periodical). Main Roads]]'' December 1972 page 46
4. (1976). "The Roadmakers". [[Department of Main Roads (New South Wales).
5. Sydney's north western freeway a complex project ''[[Australian Transport]]'' January 1980 pages 12/13
6. City traffic changes you need to know about ''[[Sydney Morning Herald]]'' 23 May 1980
7. Opening of New Section of North Western Freeway ''Main Roads'' January 1981 page 14
8. Inward Section of F3 Opened ''[[Fleetline (periodical). Fleetline]]'' issue 74 September 1981 page 300
9. East Meets West ''Main Roads'' December 1981 pages 99-101
10. New Glebe Island Bridge ''[[Australian Bus Panorama]]'' issue 11/5 January 1996 page 27
11. (30 June 1996). "Annual Report". [[Roads & Traffic Authority]].
12. Assi, Sarah. "Widening of Western Distributor Viaduct in Sydney NSW". Convention Management New Zealand.
13. later amended to use the [[Anzac Bridge]] instead on 28 February 2003.[https://web.archive.org/web/20190331104526/https://gazette.legislation.nsw.gov.au/so/download.w3p?id=Gaz_Gazette%20Split%202003_2003-54.pdf Roads Act 1993] [[Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales]] issue 54 28 February 2003 pages 2949/2950
14. [https://web.archive.org/web/20220825104657/https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads] [[Transport for NSW]] August 2022
15. (November 2013). "NSW Metroad 4". Ozroads.
16. [https://web.archive.org/web/20160325194425/http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/key-build-programs/alpha-numeric/nsw-factsheet.pdf Road number and name changes in NSW] [[Roads & Maritime Services]]
17. (2015). "The Freeway to Nowhere". Phoenix Group Co..
18. Julia Jacklin. (7 Oct 2016). "Hay Plain". Genius Media Group Inc.