Sydney’s population to significantly increase by 300,000 after road upgrades
More than 300,000 people are expected to move to Sydney’s northwest and $250 million will be invested to improve congestion on a busy arterial road.
NSW Premier Chris Minns announced on Sunday that work on Bandon Road would begin by the end of the year.
Rapid growth in the area has outstripped the existing infrastructure required to meet population demand, and Bandon Road has become a problem for local residents.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the roads were never “built to accommodate the thousands of families who call suburbs like Riverstone and Box Hill home”.
Main works on the project are planned to start at the end of 2026 and aim to ease congestion in areas such as Riverstone, Box Hill, Marsden Park and Vineyard.
The works will include a new four-lane dual carriageway, new link roads, improved junctions, the removal of existing dangerous and congested level crossings at Vineyard Station, better access to public transport, a new off-road shared path for pedestrians and cyclists and improved flood access.
$75 million had already been invested in planning and initial studies before an additional $250 million was allocated for the next phase of the project.
More than 300,000 people are expected to reside in Sydney’s northwest over the next few years, and plans have been established to create a full 6.5km Bandon Road Corridor connecting Windsor Road to Richmond Road via the Marsden Park North, Riverstone West, Riverstone and Vineyard areas.
Mr Minns said Sunday’s announcement fulfilled an election promise.
“We said before the last election that we would allocate money for the necessary planning work to design the improvement of Bandon Road to ensure we deliver the infrastructure these communities need,” he said.
“We kept that promise and today we begin the work of ensuring that this important project comes to fruition.”
Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said the project could not wait.
“Communities in Sydney’s North West are watching their neighborhoods expand and change at an exponential rate, and with major new housing and employment developments on the horizon, this area is only going to boom over the next decade,” he said.
“Growth on this scale cannot wait, and neither can our roads.”
The first phase of the upgrade from Windsor Road to Vineyard Station is a 2.5km section of new and improved road featuring four lanes between Windsor Road and west of the Richmond rail line.
Initial work on the project is underway at Vineyard Station, including construction of a new parking lot with more than 70 spaces, improved bus stops, better pedestrian access, lighting and security improvements.
