It wasn’t all that long ago that another crossing over the Hume Highway connecting Camden and Campbelltown was seen as a pipedream.
Indeed some local wags labelled the Spring Farm Parkway proposal as a “tricentennial project’’ – as in 2088.
And yet here we were today, along with Roads Minister John Graham, to see first hand the bridge that will connect this vital piece of road infrastructure between south Camden and Campbelltown.
As you can see from the photo below work on the bridge is quite advanced and certainly motorists on the Hume would be well acquainted with it by now as it starts to arc over them.
Alongside the minister was Campbelltown MP Greg Warren, a strong proponent of the project for many years, and newly elected Camden MP Sally Quinnell.
Asked how important this new road will be for her electorate, Ms Quinnell didn’t hesitate to declare that it would make a huge difference.
“The people of south Camden have been crying out for another access to the Hume Highway,’’ she said.
“It will bring relief to both Narellan Road and Camden Valley Way, two arterial roads that at the moment are really struggling.
“I think it will be life changing for a lot of people in Camden,’’ Ms Quinnell said.
Stage one of the project, which includes the new bridge over the Hume Highway opposite Broughton Anglican College at Menangle Road, is 65 percent complete and is scheduled to be open to traffic late next year.
The $206 million project – currently on time and on budget, media were told today – will feature northbound on and off ramps to link into new and existing communities south of Campbelltown and Narellan.
Spring Farm Parkway is a key east-west link that will service existing and future residential land releases, including Spring Farm, Elderslie and Menangle Park.
“It will redirect congestion away from Narellan Road and reduce travel times for motorists in Macarthur, which is great,’’ Greg Warren said.
“Connectivity is also very important within a region like ours, and this road does that, while reducing congestion at the same time.
“This is a really great holistic solution to an urban growth plan,’’ Mr Warren said.
Minister Graham said he wanted to acknowledge the local input on the project from both the local MPs.
“I know what an important project this is and it’s fantastic to see it in the flesh,’’ he said.
The reason for the minister’s visit was to mark a major milestone reached on the Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1, with two-thirds of construction complete and the main bridge being prepared to be placed across the Hume Motorway later this year.
More than 1250 cubic metres of concrete has been poured, along with 290,000 cubic metres of soil imported in the process.
The bridge will eventually be a dual lane carriageway road and provide access from the Hume Motorway and into communities around Menangle Park, south of Campbelltown.
Twenty-four girders are anticipated to be laid over the bridge abutments later this year.
It’s worth noting that the NSW Budget for 2023-24 – handed down last week – allocated $4 million for planning Stage 2 of Spring Farm Parkway.
Stage two will see a three-kilometre stretch of a new four lane divided road to link Liz Kernohan Drive, Spring Farm in the west with Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1, Menangle Park in the east.
“By investing in Spring Farm Parkway Stage 2 out of the NSW Budget 2023-24, we are giving the community confidence that we’re planning for the future to deliver the roads we need in the region,’’ Mr Graham said.
“We’re working hard to ensure that we minimise the impacts to motorists, and I thank the community for their patience as we look to get this project right every step of the way.”
Mr Warren said that the NSW Government, elected just six months ago, has made a real statement with its first budget in Government that investment in roads in South West Sydney is a priority.
“I welcome the commitment of $4 million of funding for Spring Farm Parkway Stage 2 as we look to the build the roads we need for our growing community in Campbelltown and South West Sydney in the future,” he said.
More information about the project can be found at nswroads.work/sfp2.
