Western Harbour Tunnel gets the green light

27 January 2021


Planning approval has been granted by the Government of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, for the construction of a new tunnel under Sydney Harbour as part of a major transport infrastructure programme.

The 6.5km Western Harbour Tunnel (WHT) will provide a third harbour crossing and stretch from Rozelle to the Warringah Freeway in North Sydney, bypassing the central business district and taking pressure off Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Anzac Bridge. Connecting to the 7km-long Beaches Link Tunnel, the WHT is expected to reduce congestion and increase reliability of cross-harbour journeys.

As part of its decision, the NSW Government requires investigation of alternative construction methods to immersed tube in order to avoid disturbing contaminated material on the harbour bed.

Engineering services provider WSP, in joint venture, acted as technical advisor to Transport for NSW for the project. Its work included preliminary environmental assessment reference design, project GIS services and traffic modelling.

Tunnel construction is expected to start before April 2021 and last for four years.