The politicians had their fun today, officially opening stage one of Spring Farm Parkway.
Roads minister John Graham, along with senior local MP Greg Warren, cut the ribbon to signal the end of two years of construction.
Tomorrow though will be the turn of local motorists, with 10,000 vehicles a day expected to use the new road, saving them up to 15 minutes to and from the Hume Motorway.
Make no mistake, this is a critical piece of road infrastructure because it will cater to the anticipated population growth around the Menangle and Menangle Park areas.
Mr Warren has been lobbying for it pretty much since he entered parliament back in 2015
Stage one provides a new four-lane divided road connection between Menangle Road, the Hume Motorway and Menangle Park.
And while Spring Farm Parkway ($206 million) pales into insignificance when compared to central Sydney’s lauded Metro project ($22 billion), it does boast some impressive numbers of its own.
Construction involved laying more than 24 bridge girders, 4.5 kilometres of guard rails and 17,000 cubic metres of asphalt.
A shared path on the southern side of Spring Farm Parkway provides a safe route for pedestrians and bike riders, including students heading to and from Broughton Anglican College on Menangle Road.
More than 12,500 trees and shrubs have been planted along the roadside.
“Sydney’s Macarthur region is growing quickly, and families are moving in, which is why we’re building road connections with the future in mind. We want infrastructure that supports development not follows it,’’ said minister for roads John Graham.
“The opening of Spring Farm Parkway Stage 1 today unlocks a faster connection to the Hume Motorway and onto Greater Sydney for families and communities in south Campbelltown.
“As we welcome the first motorists on Stage 1, the NSW Government is continuing to work on Stage 2. Once complete, Spring Farm Parkway will give motorists a direct line from Campbelltown to Camden.”
Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren thanked all the workers involved in construction.
“Spring Farm Parkway will be a time-saving addition to the road network for our community now,’’ he said.
“It’s fantastic to cut the ribbon on Stage 1, which improves connections between the Hume Motorway, Menangle Road and Menangle Park.”
Member for Camden Sally Quinnell also attended today’s official opening.
