Road Photos & Information: New South Wales: Western Distributor, The Crescent, City West Link, Dobroyd Parade, Wattle Street, Parramatta Road & Western Motorway (Metroad 4)

Road Photos & Information: New South Wales

Western Distributor, The Crescent, City West Link, Dobroyd Parade, Wattle Street, Parramatta Road & Western Motorway (Metroad 4) - Blacktown to Lapstone

Statistics:

Length: 60 km
Eastern Terminus: Western Distributor at Pyrmont / Darling Harbour *
Western Terminus: Great Western Highway at Lapstone
Miscellaneous: Continues as National Route 32 (Great Western Highway) from Lapstone
Suburbs, Towns & Localities along route: Pyrmont, Rozelle, Annandale, Lilyfield, Leichhardt, Haberfield, Five Dock, Croydon, Burwood, Concord, Strathfield, Homebush, Homebush West, Lidcombe, Homebush Bay, Newington, Silverwater, Auburn, Rosehill, Clyde, Granville, Harris Park, Parramata, Holroyd, Mays Hill, Merrylands, South Wentworthville, Greystanes, Pemulwuy, Prospect, Blacktown, Eastern Creek, Huntingwood, Minchinbury, Colyton, St Clair, St Marys, Claremont Meadows, Orchard Hills, South Penrith, Glenmore Park, Regentville, Jamistown, Leonay, Emu Plains and Lapstone.

Route Numbering:

Current:
Formerly:
Forthcoming Alphanumeric:
RTA Internal Classification: State Highway 5 (Parramatta Road (from Wattle Street Haberfield to Western Motorway at Strathfield), and also Western Motorway (from Russell Street interchange at Leonay to the junction with Governors Drive at Lapstone), Main Road 165 (Western Distributor & Anzac Bridge), Main Road 650 (City West Link, Dobroyd Parade, Wattle Street) *

General Information:

Metroad 4 is the main route between the Blue Mountains and Sydney's western suburbs and Sydney's CBD. Except within the inner western suburbs of Sydney, the route parellels and in some cases uses one Australia's earliest road routes, Parramatta Road / Great Western Highway.

Road conditions vary from freeway standard through to suburban arterial. With a minimum of 2 lanes in each direction.

The route is duplexed with State Route 40 from Rozelle to Pyrmont.

Western Motorway:

Planning began for the Western Expressway in 1947, as the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme (CCPS) was being drawn up, which included a corridor from the City of Sydney at Glebe to the Gt Western Hwy at Lapstone, passing through Glebe, Haberfield, and Five Dock before joining the current route at Concord. This corridor was reserved in 1951. *

The first section of the M4 Motorway was from Prospect to Penrith, completed by the NSW Government in the early 1970's. Various stages of the second section from Concord to Parramatta were completed during the 80's, with a missing link of approximately 10 km between Mays Hill, near Parramatta, and Prospect to connect these two sections. *

In 1989 the NSW Government invited proposals from private enterprise to fund and construct the missing section of roadway, and upgrading a further 11 km of the F4 Freeway. Statewide Roads Limited (SWR) won the right over a 20 year period to finance and build, and then operate and maintain the Motorway, after which the Motorway reverts back to Government control at no cost. **

The opening of the M4 Western Motorway in May 1992 included 21 major bridge structures, and the upgrade and widening of 11 kilometres of existing expressway at a cost of $245 million. The completion of this section provided uninterrupted motorway conditions between Concord and Lapstone on the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Between 1996 to 1998 an upgrade and widening of the M4 Western Motorway to 3 lanes each way from Parramatta to Penrith was completed. **

ANZAC Bridge:

The ANZAC Bridge opened in 1995 and was formerly the Glebe Island Bridge. (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). **

The bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Australia, with a main deck length of 805 metres, including a 345 metre span between the towers. The two 128 metre towers support 128 cables, and is eight lanes wide. **

On Remembrance Day, 11 November 1998, the New South Wales Government bestowed the bridge to the NSW Returned Serviceman’s League for re-naming as ‘The Anzac Bridge’ and unveiled a monument of a digger bowed in silent reflection. The monument is located at the western end of the bridge on the northern side. A second bronze statue, of a New Zealand digger, followed on the southern side in April 2008. **

A handful of sand from Gallipoli rests under the foot of the digger as a permanent connection with comrades who fell and remain at the Gallipoli Battlefield in Turkey. **

Click here for a full history on the bridge from the Roads and Traffic Authority.

Western Distributor:

The Western Distributor is a network of motorway feeder roads linking the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney CBD, Cross City Tunnel to the main arterial roads to the Western suburbs of Sydney, such as Parramatta Road (via City West Link) and Victoria Road (SR40).

When it was built, it was intended to be the southern end of the F3 Freeway, as it was where the North West Freeway was planned to finish, however due to protests from inner city residents, this plan never came to fruition. The Western Distributor was opened in stages starting in September 1972 *

Click here for an artist's impression of the Western Distributor before construction, from the City of Sydney archives.

History:

11 October 1971: The first section of the Western Motorway, a small three mile section near the Nepean River at Regentville, opened. This included Regentville Bridge across Nepean River. **
20 December 1972: A further nine-mile section of the Western Motorway opened. It was also the first state road to have the new maximum speed limit of 110 km per hour. **
2 September 1972: The Western Distributor was opened in stages from this date, until February 1973. *
August 7 1981: The 'Pyrmont Flyover' section of the Western Distributor opened.
December 1982: Westernn Motorway from Concord to Melton Street Auburn was opened, it included a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge across the road at Pomeroy Street, Homebush, the first such bridge built by the DMR. **
May 1992: The opening of the missing link in the Western Motorway between Mays Hill and Blacktown. This included 21 major bridge structures, and the upgrade and widening of 11 kilometres of existing expressway at a cost of $245 million. The completion of this section provided uninterrupted motorway conditions between Concord and Lapstone on the foothills of the Blue Mountains.
3 December 1995: The ANZAC Bridge, originally named Glebe Island Bridge was opened by the Premier of New South Wales, The Hon. Bob Carr MP. **
1996: Commencement of an upgrade and widening of the M4 Western Motorway to 3 lanes each way from Parramatta to Penrith. This was completed in 1998.
11 November 1998: On Remembrance Day, the New South Wales Government bestowed the bridge to the NSW Returned Serviceman’s League for re-naming as ‘The ANZAC Bridge’ and unveiled a monument of a digger bowed in silent reflection. The monument is located at the western end of the bridge on the northern side. A second bronze statue, of a New Zealand digger, followed on the southern side in April 2008. **

Blacktown to Lapstone (Westbound)		Lapstone to Blacktown (Eastbound)
Preview:	Description:	Preview:	Description:
	Advance Directional Sign: Advance directional sign located near the Eastern Creek service centres for the Wallgrove Road and Westlink M7 interchange. September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Advance Directional Sign: AD sign on Governors Drive at Lapstone as you approach the interchange with the Western Motorway, December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Eastern Creek for the Light Horse Interchange, which connects the Western Motorway with Wallgrove Road and Westlink M7. September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Start Metroad 4 / End National Route 32: Reassurance sign indicating the start of Metroad 4 at Lapstone, December 2005. Image © Paul Rands
	Supplemental Advance Directional Sign: Signage for the Wallgrove Road segment of the Light Horse Interchange at Eastern Creek. September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		AD Sign: Advance directional sign for the Russell Street interchange as you pass through the Governors Drive interchange area at Lapstone. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: Large ID sign for the Westlink M7 ramp of the Light Horse Interchange at Eastern Creek, September 2007.. Image © Paul Rands		Main Western Railway Line: Bridge of the main western railway over the Western Motorway at Lapstone. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Light Horse Interchange: Entering the Lighthorse Interchange at Eastern Creek, September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Sydney Welcome Sign: Found on most approaches of major routes into Sydney this is the welcome sign citybound on the Westen Mwy at Lapstone. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Light Horse Interchange: Westbound view of the multi-level Light Horse Interchange at Eastern Creek from April 2006. Image © Paul Rands		Penrith Valley Bridge: View over the Nepean River and Penrith Valley Bridge at Regentville. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Wallgrove Road Exit: ID signage for the Wallgrove Road ramp in the Light Horse Interchange at Eastern Creek, September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		AD Sign: Advance directional sign on Mamre Rd at St Clair approaching the Western Mwy interchange. June 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	RD Sign with Alphanumeric Numbering: Distance sign at the Westlink M7 / Wallgrove Road (Light Horse) Interchange at Eastern Creek. . Image © Michael Mak		Mamre Road Interchange: Looking northbound on Mamre Road at St Clair at the Western Motorway interchange. June 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Minchinbury for the Roper Road / Erskine Park Road interchange, September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		Mamre Road Interchange: Northbound on Mamre Road as you cross the Western Motorway at St Marys, June 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign at Minchinbury for the Roper Road / Erskine Park Road interchange, September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		ID Sign: Intersection directional sign on the citybound ramps of the Mamre Road interchange at St Marys, June 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Roper Road / Erskine Park Road Interchange: ID signage as you enter the interchange with Roper Road and Erskine Park Road at Erskine Park, September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		AD Sign: Advance directional sign at Minchinbury for the Wallgrove Road and Westlink M7 interchange. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	AD Sign: Advance directional sign on the ramp from the Western Motorway to Roper Road and Erskine Park Road at Erskine Park, September 2007. Image © Paul Rands		AD Sign: Advance directional sign at Minchinbury for the Wallgrove Road and Westlink M7 interchange. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	AD Sign: Southbound advance directional sign on Mamre Road near Hall Street, as you approaching the Metroad 4 interchange in St Marys, June 2006. Image © Paul Rands		Supplemental AD Sign: Eastbound at Eastern Creek as you approach the Light Horse Interchange with the Westlink M7 & Wallgrove Road. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Alphanumeric Advance Directional Sign: AD sign Mamre Rd / Western Mwy interchange, with alphanumeric shields, southbound at St Marys. June 2006. Image © Paul Rands		ID Sign: Intersection directional sign as you approach the Wallgrove Road / Westlink M7 interchange at Eastern Creek, April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	ID Sign: Southbound on Mamre Road on the Western Motorway interchange at St Marys, June 2006. Image © Paul Rands		Wallgrove Road and Westlink M7 Interchange: Wallgrove Road overpass is in the foreground, built in the mid 1970s and the Westlink M7 interchange is behind it, which was opened December 2005 ***. For information on the interchange, click here and also here. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Northern Road Interchange AD Signage: Diagrammatic AD sign for The Northern Road (Metroad 9) interchange. Westbound at Orchard Hills, December 2004. Image © Paul Rands		Light Horse Interchange: Looking east immediately before the Westlink M7 interchange. Note the memorial poles down the central reservation. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Northern Road Interchange: The Northern Road exit at Orchard Hills. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands		Light Horse Interchange: Eastbound as you pass under the bridges for the M7 and associated ramps. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: Westbound AD sign at Glenmore Park, approaching the Mulgoa Road interchange. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands		Light Horse Interchange: Eastbound as you pass under the bridges for the M7 and associated ramps. April 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Penrith Valley Bridge over the Nepean River: Crossing Penrith Valley Bridge over the Nepean River at Regentville. The bridge was renamed sometime after 2002, from the Regentville Bridge. Before the motorway was extended up the side of the mountain at Lapstone, this bridge was treated as single carriageway, 1 lane in each direction. The Eastbound side was built and paved, but blocked off. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Intersection Directional Sign: ID sign for the Russell Street interchange, at Emu Plains. Russell Street was once the terminus of the freeway (F4) before it was extended to join the Great Western Highway directly. In the 80s traffic would travel along Russell Street then to signals on the corner of Russell Street and Great Western Highway before climbing past historical ruins and over the heritage listed Knapsack Bridge and onto where the motorway now joins the highway. December 2004. Image © Paul Rands
	Reassurance Sign: Taken Westbound at the Russell Street interchange on the Western Motorway at Leonay, December 2004, this sign warns drivers that Metroad 4 turns into National Route 32 in 2 km time. Image © Paul Rands
	Leonay Parade / Russell Street interchange: ID sign assembly, looking southbound at Emu Plains, July 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Leonay Parade / Russell Street interchange: Looking southbound at Leonay as you approach the westbound ramps to and from the Western Motorway, July 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	Advance Directional Sign: AD sign showing the lane setup and Governors Drive interchange at Lapstone, July 2006. Image © Paul Rands
	End Metoad 4 / Start National Route 32: Western terminus of Metroad 4 as you travel into the Blue Mountains at Lapstone. July 2006. Image © Paul Rands
Click here for the continuation of Metroad4 between Blacktown and Concord

* Information courtesy of Sam Laybutt (ozroads.com.au)
** Information courtesy of the Roads & Traffic Authority
*** Information courtesy of Westlink M7 web site

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