Air quality improvement plan

On 16 June 2006 the NSW Government announced an air quality improvement plan for the M5 East Tunnel. The air quality improvement plan includes:

• Video identification of pollution-causing heavy vehicles.
• Improved air ventilation management with an extra 12 jet fans installed in December 2006.
• A trial of air filtration technology to improve haze levels in the westbound 
  tunnel.

The objectives of the air quality improvement plan are to:

• Assess how effective the air filtration technology is in improving haze levels in
  the westbound tunnel.
• Improve the amenity of tunnel users by improving haze levels in the tunnel.
• Ensure the amenity of residents at the tunnel entrances and exits (portals) and
  around the stack, by meeting air quality goals and improving haze levels.
• Improve the availability of the M5 East tunnel by reducing the number of tunnel
  closures.

An 18 month trial of the M5 East air filtration equipment is commencing.

This trial of the use of air filtration equipment in a road tunnel is an Australian first.  The trial will provide data on air quality and visibility in the tunnel as it becomes available.  It will take a period of time for testing and configuration of air quality equipment  before accurate and reliable data is produced.   

The plant will not run 24 hours a day.  The RTA will be testing the equipment at different times of day and in in different environmental and traffic conditions, which will provide information about the best times to operate the filtration plant to achieve best results.   

To view a video about the air filtration equipment in the plant at Earlwood and the 18 month filtration trial, click here. 

Fact sheets about the air quality improvement can be downloaded below. 

Tunnel air and truck emissions

The M5 East Motorway was opened to traffic in December 2001. Since then, traffic in the tunnel has increased to levels that exceed the volumes predicted in the environmental impact assessment. Air quality levels in the tunnel and around the stack have remained within the strict goals set by the Minister for Planning. 

The M5 East is an essential transport link in the Sydney region. However, current traffic levels and a high percentage of smoky heavy vehicles using the tunnel contributed to increased levels of ‘haze’ within the tunnel.  Motorists noted this as being particularly evident at the western end of the westbound tunnel.

Graphs of truck emissions  show the number of heavy vehicles travelling through the M5 East Tunnel and the levels of haze in the tunnel, particularly in the westbound tunnel.

Graph: Weekday haze and truck levels, February 2006.

Download files

File	Description	File size
Air filtration in the M5 East tunnel		89 Kb
Discharging air from the M5 East Tunnel		1566 Kb
Overview of air quality improvements		1047 Kb