Nathan Hagarty, the member for Leppington and former Liverpool councillor says the $1 billion upgrade of Fifteenth Avenue will unlock local opportunities for jobs, housing, and education.
“This is a transformational investment for Leppington and our wider region,’’ he said yesterday after the Prime Minister and the NSW Premier announced the joint funding of the project.
“Upgrading Fifteenth Avenue will slash travel times for local residents and businesses, making daily commutes faster and safer while paving the way for future growth in our region,’’ Mr Hagarty said.
“The connection from Liverpool to the new Western Sydney Airport is about more than just travel – it’s about unlocking local opportunities for jobs, housing, and education for our growing community.
“I committed to upgrading Fifteenth Avenue when I was elected, and today’s announcement is a huge win for our community,’’ Mr Hagarty said.
Anne Stanley, the federal member for Werriwa, also attended the announcement on site yesterday.
“I have been advocating for an upgrade of 15th Avenue for more than 15 years from the time that Austral housing developments were approved by Liverpool Council and the NSW government,’’ Ms Stanley said.
“Now with the opening of the Western Sydney Airport less than two years away, it has taken a Federal and State Labor Government working together to deliver the much needed upgrade.
“More than 10 years of Liberal governments did not recognise how important this upgrade was, and it has meant that residents have been putting up with long delays in traffic jams because development has far outstripped the road network upgrades.’’
Australian and NSW governments are each committing $500 million to this project.
The five year project will upgrade Fifteenth Avenue to create a critical transit corridor from Liverpool to the new Western Sydney International Airport.
More than 22,000 vehicles per day travel along the congested, semi rural, two-lane Fifteenth Avenue, with around eight per cent of those being trucks.
Liverpool City Council predicts a significant increase in housing in the areas immediately around Fifteenth Avenue, which could see as many as 63,000 additional people living there by 2041.
Fifteenth Avenue will connect the new Bradfield city centre, the new Metro, and the airport, enabling multi-modal travel including fast and easy public transport along the route.
“My government wants Western Sydney to be a gateway to the rest of the world,’’ said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at yesterday’s announcement.
“We want it to thrive as the engine room for jobs, economic growth and opportunity.
“This half a billion dollars’ worth of new funding from the Australian Government is part of our commitment to delivering more resilient infrastructure for all Australians.”
