The government has blamed the"revised timeline"for the twin 4-kilometre road tunnels from Arncliffe to President Avenue at Kogarah on the need to allow time for community and sporting facilities to be built or upgraded before construction begins.
The first stage of the motorway project renamed the M6 will now open to motorists towards the end of 2025.NSW government
It has also decided to rename the as the M6 motorway to make it easier for motorists to easily comprehend Sydney's vast road network. The first stage of the M6 has been estimated to cost up to $2.6 billion.
Preliminary design work will begin next year once contracts are awarded,while tunnelling machines are expected to begin churning in 2022.
The Berejiklian government,which put out to tender work on the project on Tuesday,had originally planned to.
Motorists will be charged $2.44 for a one-way journey on the 4-kilometre stretch of the first stage of the motorway by 2025. However,they will end up paying $6.27 because they will have no choice but to connect at Arncliffe to the $16.8 billion WestConnex toll road.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian is flanked by Roads Minister Andrew Constance,right,and Miranda MP Eleni Petinos at an announcement on Tuesday for expressions of interest for construction of the motorway.AAP
Trucks will be charged three times the rate of cars for driving on the first stage.
The state government has yet to commit funding for stages two or three of the project,which will eventually extend the toll road to Loftus near the Royal National Park.
However,it has ditched plans to build a fourth stage further south,which would have required 60 hectares of the national park or the bulldozing of 460 homes.
Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance said planning work was still required for the second stage of the project."Our focus is stage one[and] getting the work under way. With this[first stage of the] project completed by the mid 2020s,you would look at that thereafter,"he said.
Labor's roads spokesman John Graham described the M6 project as a"great southern funnel onto WestConnex"and a"toll road leading to a toll road".
Meanwhile,the government is expected to release in coming weeks the environmental assessment for a new toll road under Sydney Harbour known as the
The environmental impact statement for a connecting road tunnel between Cammeray and Seaforth and Balgowlah known as the is likely to be released about six months later.