Parramatta Outer Ring Road capacity
Parts of the Parramatta Outer Ring Road, which surrounds Parramatta CBD, are heavily congested in peak periods. This is resulting in motorists avoiding the outer ring road, and instead travelling through the Parramatta CBD, which contributes to congestion and impacts on amenity.
These issues are expected to worsen over time. The Greater Parramatta and Olympic Park area is projected to experience rapid population and employment growth, with an additional 113,000 jobs and 72,000 homes between 2016 and 2036.
The outer ring road is made up of the Cumberland Highway, the M4 Western Motorway and James Ruse Drive, which carries 60,000 to 70,000 vehicles on average per day.
The 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit found that urban travel patterns are becoming increasingly complex, driven by economic, social, demographic and technological changes.
There is a risk of growing divergence between the way our networks are planned and designed, and the needs of customers. Failure to cater for changing patterns of travel could contribute to growing congestion in our fast-growing cities.
Potential options to address the proposal include:
- making better use of the existing infrastructure, such as with technology to improve movement management
- improving or removing intersections
- improving bus efficiency, such as temporal dedicated bus lanes and bus network improvements
- improving active travel, such as inclusion of separated cycle paths, dedicated cycle priority at intersections and shorter crossing times for pedestrians
- creating street typologies for the Parramatta CBD to establish enhanced place and amenity outcomes.
If the proposal can encourage users to shift away from private vehicle and or travel on the outer ring road, rather than travel through the Parramatta CBD to reach their destination, there may be an opportunity to improve both the attractiveness of streets, public and active transport as well as amenity to and within the CBD.
Proponent to identify and analyse potential investment options (Stage 2 of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework).
Refer to Infrastructure Glossary for terms and definitions.