Western Sydney opens new bridge to the motoring public

Credit: Western Sydney International Airport

As part of the first phase of construction on the new Western Sydney International Airport (SWZ), a new bridge – which is as wide as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, has been opened for public use by motorists.

The bridge was built as part of the initial earthworks at the airport site, covering just six per cent of the total 1,780 hectare Western Sydney Airport, and involved moving 1.8 million cubic metres of earth.

Graham Millett, Western Sydney International Airport Chief Executive Officer, said: “This is an exciting milestone for Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, with initial earthworks almost complete and part of the site officially opening to road users. Technically, we’ve built two bridges, one north bound and one south bound, both 39m long and with a combined width of 49m – around the same width as Sydney’s Harbour Bridge.”

In order to complete construction of the new bridge – as well as a new shared footpath for cyclists and pedestrians and construction of a new intersection at Elizabeth Drive – workers were required to realign 1.6km of Badgerys Creek Road.

Millett added: “Constructing the bridge was no mean feat – it’s built on 21 mammoth 45-tonne girders manufactured with almost 900 tonnes of concrete. Around 20,000 tonnes of asphalt has been laid along the new road along with 116 new street lights installed. As with most road works, there have been traffic changes for motorists and we thank them for their ongoing patience while this work takes place.”

Major earthworks to continue the build of the main airport site will begin in early 2020, involving moving more than 23 million cubic metres of earth to make way for the construction of the airport terminal and runway.