APP, in conjunction with Arcadis, is the Independent Certifier for the project in Sydney’s north-west. NorthConnex is a nine-kilometre twin tunnel linking the M1 Pacific Motorway at Wahroonga to the Hills M2 Motorway at West Pennant Hills. Motorists will be able to travel from Newcastle to Melbourne without a single set of traffic lights, reducing travel times for motorists and delivering state and national freight efficiencies. They will bypass 21 sets of traffic lights along Pennant Hills Road, and as an alternative route to the city, can bypass up to 40 sets of traffic lights on the Pacific Highway.
Construction began in 2015 with the portals at either end, and the 90m and 70m deep shafts at a third, and two thirds points along the tunnel, with two years of tunnelling commencing around April 2016. NorthConnex features innovative lighting displays to keep drivers alert as well as starscapes, and blue and white forest silhouettes to reflect Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park - connecting the rural environment of the north to the urban environment of the city.
