State Member for Ku-ring-gai, Alister Henskens SC MP, is pleased to announce work on the NorthConnex project has reached another milestone with the first tunnel breakthrough having taken place on Wednesday, 13 December.

“NorthConnex is a transformative project which will ease congestion on Pennant Hills Road and the Pacific Highway and return local roads to local communities,” Mr Henskens said.

“Twenty roadheaders are tunnelling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to take traffic from the surface and move it underground.

“In a little more than 18 months, NorthConnex has carved out an impressive 15 of 21 kilometres of rock beneath northern Sydney.

“This major milestone is a wonderful reminder of what residents in Ku-ring-gai have to look forward to when the project is completed in December 2019.

“Pennant Hills Road has six lanes of traffic, which currently carries around 80,000 vehicles each day including 10,000 heavy vehicles – more than double the average proportion of heavy vehicles on NSW roads

“NorthConnex is the missing link between the M1 and M2 motorways which will save motorists up to 15 minutes travel time on each journey as they bypass 21 sets of traffic lights on Pennant Hills Road and more than 30 sets of traffic lights on the Pacific Highway.

“The next significant phase of work, the tunnel fit out, gets under way next year when we will also see the start of work on the tunnel’s permanent aboveground facilities.”

The completed NorthConnex project will include twin nine-kilometre tunnels under Pennant Hills Road, allowing motorists to travel between Hornsby and Melbourne without a single set of traffic lights and from North Sydney to Newcastle with only one set.

For more information visit www.northconnex.com.au.