Eastern Distributor motorway

Eastern Distributor map

The Eastern Distributor is a six kilometre motorway which provides a high quality road link between the city and Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport and Port Botany. The centrepiece, is two 1.5 kilometre tunnels, extending from Woolloomooloo to Surry Hills. ‘The Parkway’ section of the motorway is sunk in a trench under South Dowling Street. Motorists can join the Cross City Tunnel from the Eastern Distributor, allowing a route under the city to the Western Distributor. The motorway has reduced traffic volumes on local streets and improved travel times between the Cahill Expressway and Southern Cross Drive.

The Eastern Distributor was funded and built by Airport Motorway Limited, which will operate, maintain and repair the motorway until 2048, when it is scheduled to revert to public ownership. For information on using the Eastern Distributor go to www.easterndistributor.com

RTA vision

The RTA identified the need for a fast, efficient motorway to reduce through traffic in the inner city and to reduce travel times between the city and Sydney’s Kingsford Smith Airport and Port Botany.

The RTA has a holistic approach to designing and planning its road projects. In addition to considering traffic flow, travel times and public transport, urban design concerns feature prominently. These include environmental and heritage considerations, connectivity, local community needs, supporting green travel and enhancing urban environments. The RTA strives to ensure that each road project adds value to local communities.

The Eastern Distributor project won two of the nation’s highest awards for engineering excellence:

The prestigious Bradfield Award and the Sir William Hudson Award.

Benefits of the Eastern Distributor include the following:

Road users

Road users benefit from:

Faster and more reliable travel to the airport.
Quicker journey times between the Cahill Expressway at Woolloomooloo and Southern Cross Drive at Zetland.
Full access to the CBD from Woolloomooloo, due to the reopening of Cathedral Street .

The Eastern Distributor

Public transport

Public transport users benefit from:

Faster and more efficient bus travel via new dedicated bus lanes on Oxford and Flinders streets.

Local community

Residents benefit from:

Reduced traffic on eastern Sydney streets.
Lessened traffic noise and air pollution.
Improved amenity on local streets due to traffic calming measures and landscaping.
Improved local access with the conversion of former one way streets back to two way streets (for example Crown Street and Bourke Street).

For more information regarding the benefits included in the RTA’s vision for the Eastern Distributor click here.

Eastern Distributor

Key features

RTA road projects aim to provide safe and efficient travel for all road users. Many road projects also include significant features which beautify our city and create a desirable and enjoyable urban landscape. For instance, installing cycleways provides people with green travel and leisure opportunities. Upgrades to parks and roadside landscaping enhance the amenity of urban environments. Preserving heritage sites protects the historical riches of our city and inspires civic pride.

Features of the Eastern Distributor include:

'The Parkway' - a landscaped sunken section of the motorway along South Dowling Street, Surry Hills.
The creation of new public space in Taylor Square with the closure of Bourke Street.
The Landbridge: close to one hectare of parkland has been created through the construction of a shelter arching over the the Cahill Expressway, uniting parts of the Domain.
A substantial upgrade of Moore Park.

Last Updated on Monday, 14 December 2009 05:08