M4 Widening opens on 15 July, tolls to begin 1 month later

[Brendan Terrett]

The M4 westbound is now 4 lanes in each direction between Homebush and Parramatta, but it looks like the eastbound lanes will open on 15 July with tolls to begin a month later. 

https://www.westconnex.com.au/NewM4tolls

WestConnex M4 tolls

Motorists will have a one month toll-free period when the WestConnex M4 opens on 15 July 2017. This gives motorists a grace period to adjust to the changes and to ‘test drive’ the upgraded section.

Following the toll-free period, motorists on the WestConnex M4 (between Church St and Homebush Bay Dr) will pay a distance-based toll. This means you pay for what you use. Tolls range from $1.77 to $4.56 for cars and motorbikes, or $5.30 to $13.67 for heavy vehicles. To calculate the toll from different entries and exits on the motorway you can use the toll calculator widget below, or the tolling feature on our interactive map. 

It’s important to remember that more than 80% of the M4, west of Parramatta, will remain toll-free. 

[Henry Ung]

It must feel weird to pay a toll again on the M4 again. It will be interesting to see how much traffic would switch to using Parramatta Rd after the toll-free period ends. The shortest tolled section will be between Silverwater Rd and Hill Rd at $1.77, you would have to be pretty silly to use the motorway between those 2 interchanges.

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[DrazPhlaz]

Aren't they planning to strip Parra Rd down to one lane each way with bus lanes? That will force main traffic to use the motorway

[Brendan Terrett]

Not just yet. They're actually doing a few changes to improve traffic flow on the parallel section of Parramatta Rd. I think the bus lanes will be coming when they open the M4 East to Haberfield.

On 29 Jun. 2017 22:47, "DrazPhlaz" <harrison...@gmail.com> wrote:

Aren't they planning to strip Parra Rd down to one lane each way with bus lanes? That will force main traffic to use the motorway

[Brendan Terrett]

So after the upgrade, the permanent speed limit for the M4 is now 80km/h, down from 90km/h. 

Funny how that happens.

[Michael Mak]

Happened to the M5 too, down to 100km/h from 110km/h after the ‘upgrade’ 

Sent from my iPhone

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[Conrad Zalewski]

Conflicting info. Westconnex website has:

For surface road sections of the motorway, including the widened M4, the speed limit will generally be 90km/h. In tunnels, the speed limit will be 80km/h, the same as for other tunnels in Sydney. A small section connecting to Sydney Airport may have a lower speed limit. 

But then in a document I also found this. Not sure if it's just during construction or indefinite though.

The implementation of an 80 kilometres per hour roadwork speed limit between Pitt Street, Parramatta and Homebush Bay Drive, Homebush would increase travel times on the motorway by up to one minute in free-flow conditions. 

Regards,

Conrad

[Sam Laybutt]

The 110km/h speed limit on the M5 was an aberration and I'm not sure why it wasn't reduced earlier (contractual perhaps?)

It didn't comply with any of the current speed zoning guidance on traffic volumes, exit spacing etc.

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From: aussie-...@googlegroups.com <aussie-...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Michael Mak <scanor...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, 26 July 2017 9:11 AM
To: aussie-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [Aussie Highways] Re: M4 Widening opens on 15 July, tolls to begin 1 month later

 

[Nihat]

It surely can't be 80km on the m4 above ground section. does not make sense at all. 

On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 12:22 PM, Conrad Zalewski <f1f...@gmail.com> wrote:

Conflicting info. Westconnex website has:

For surface road sections of the motorway, including the widened M4, the speed limit will generally be 90km/h. In tunnels, the speed limit will be 80km/h, the same as for other tunnels in Sydney. A small section connecting to Sydney Airport may have a lower speed limit. 

But then in a document I also found this. Not sure if it's just during construction or indefinite though.

The implementation of an 80 kilometres per hour roadwork speed limit between Pitt Street, Parramatta and Homebush Bay Drive, Homebush would increase travel times on the motorway by up to one minute in free-flow conditions. 

Regards,

Conrad

On 26 Jul. 2017, at 11:11, Michael Mak <scanor...@gmail.com> wrote:

Happened to the M5 too, down to 100km/h from 110km/h after the ‘upgrade’ 

Sent from my iPhone

On 26 Jul 2017, at 02:31, Brendan Terrett <mubd...@gmail.com> wrote:

So after the upgrade, the permanent speed limit for the M4 is now 80km/h, down from 90km/h. 

Funny how that happens.

On Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 7:06:29 AM UTC+10, Brendan Terrett wrote:

The M4 westbound is now 4 lanes in each direction between Homebush and Parramatta, but it looks like the eastbound lanes will open on 15 July with tolls to begin a month later. 

https://www.westconnex.com.au/NewM4tolls

WestConnex M4 tolls

Motorists will have a one month toll-free period when the WestConnex M4 opens on 15 July 2017. This gives motorists a grace period to adjust to the changes and to ‘test drive’ the upgraded section.

Following the toll-free period, motorists on the WestConnex M4 (between Church St and Homebush Bay Dr) will pay a distance-based toll. This means you pay for what you use. Tolls range from $1.77 to $4.56 for cars and motorbikes, or $5.30 to $13.67 for heavy vehicles. To calculate the toll from different entries and exits on the motorway you can use the toll calculator widget below, or the tolling feature on our interactive map. 

It’s important to remember that more than 80% of the M4, west of Parramatta, will remain toll-free. 

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[Hubert Lam]

The reason for the 80 km/h section has been given:

[Brendan Terrett]

Oh good. The new "if variable speed limit sign is blacked out" signs indicated a default limit of 80km/h, which made me think the change was permanent.

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[Hubert Lam]

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[Richard Ho]

On Friday, 30 June 2017 00:31:11 UTC+10, Brendan Terrett wrote:

Not just yet. They're actually doing a few changes to improve traffic flow on the parallel section of Parramatta Rd. I think the bus lanes will be coming when they open the M4 East to Haberfield.

On 29 Jun. 2017 22:47, "DrazPhlaz" <harrison...@gmail.com> wrote:

Aren't they planning to strip Parra Rd down to one lane each way with bus lanes? That will force main traffic to use the motorway

Parramatta Road between John Street, Lidcombe and Alfred Street, Granville are only currently used by Transdev's M92 and 909 bus routes. The section between John Street and Burwood Road, Concord aren't used by a lot of bus traffic, save for the section between Leicester Ave and Underwood Rd which is utilised by routes 525 and 526. 

[Brendan Terrett]

So today's the first day of tolls. It went just about as expected. Victoria and Parramatta Roads were gridlocked, but the M4 was refreshingly free flowing citybound during peak hour. The Church Street offramp was hopelessly overloaded, with long queues in the left lanes going back beyond Coleman Street.

On Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 7:06:29 AM UTC+10, Brendan Terrett wrote:

[Conrad Zalewski]

I've been checking the traffic on GM all day and Parra Rd has been red or orange all day!

Regards,

Conrad

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[Brendan Terrett]

A comparison vid from the morning before the toll began, and the morning it started:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7QUmUETafI

On Thursday, June 29, 2017 at 7:06:29 AM UTC+10, Brendan Terrett wrote:

[Jason Kumar]

Drove the M4 eastbound this morning just after 8:30am for the first time since the widening opened (as I don't live out that way anymore!) and loved the lack of traffic in that section, though as noted above the off-ramp to Church St was shockers. The queue of cars was all the way back to Coleman St with cars blocking lane 2 as well as people try and merge in.

Jason.

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