Planned improvements to Swanson Street
Project overview
Transport for NSW is making some improvements to the cycleway and footpaths along Swanson Street to make walking and cycling better options for getting around.
Swanson Street provides a connection for bike riders travelling from Newtown to Redfern, Alexandria and Green Square - and places such as local schools, Australian Technology Park and the Ashmore Precinct.
Key features of the improvements include:
- upgrading the existing one-way temporary cycleway with a two-way cycleway separated from vehicles by a raised concrete separator
- removing the pedestrian fence along the northern side of the rail bridge
- widening a small section of Erskineville Square
- adjusting the median on Swanson Street, between Charles Street and the rail bridge to provide more road space. Two trees will be removed from the median
- removing the bike crossing in the median. Bike riders can now use the new two-way cycleway to access Burren Street
- installing new drainage and repaving sections of Swanson Street.
How to get in touch
If you have feedback on these changes, please contact us by Sunday 12 October 2025.
You can contact our team via email at cbd-and-east@transport.nsw.gov.au.
You can also call us during business hours on 1800 491 566.
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Project Information
Project background and benefits
More people are choosing to walk or ride a bike – and it’s easy to see why. It’s healthy, better for the environment, and can be a great way to get around.
To support this shift, The NSW Government is investing in better active transport infrastructure so everyone – including children riding to school, parents pushing prams, and people with a disability – can move around their communities safely and easily.
Erskineville is a well-connected suburb, just 6km from the CBD, nestled between Newtown and Alexandria. Known for its leafy parks and village atmosphere, Erskineville is one of Sydney’s most walkable and bike friendly suburbs. The suburb is part of the growing network of separated cycleways, making bike riding safer and more inviting.
In 2020, a pop-up cycleway was installed by Council along Railway Parade, Bridge Street and a small section of Swanson Street. This bridged a missing link in the Newtown-Green Square Strategic Cycling Corridor between Railway Parade, Bridge Street and Burren Street.
Following a strong uptake of the temporary infrastructure, the Railway Parade and Bridge Street cycleways were made permanent in 2023 by Council. In September and October 2023, we proposed to reinstate a temporary cycleway on Swanson Street across the rail bridge in Erskineville.
Community feedback was mostly positive of the proposal and in early 2024, we installed a temporary cycleway. This provided a safe, separated area for people riding bikes to connect to the cycleway on Railway Parade and Bridge Street.
We are now planning for an improved cycleway solution on Swanson Street.
What happens next
We are finalising the design for the project and expect construction will start in 2026.
We will continue to keep the community informed as the project progresses.
Frequently asked questions
How can bike riders cross Swanson Street to access Burren Street once the bike crossing in the median is removed?
Bike riders can use the new two-way separated cycleway to access Burren Street when travelling in both directions along Swanson Street.
Bike riders travelling west along Swanson Street or entering Swanson Street from the Bridge Street cycleway can cross Swanson Street using the existing traffic lights at the intersection with Railway Parade. The dedicated traffic light phase for bike riders will remain.
Can the bridge and northern footpath be widened?
We understand the community would like to see the rail bridge and footpath widened.
Any construction impacting the bridge structure would be costly and require impacts to the rail network. Widening of the footpath would require structural changes to the bridge.
To address this request and provide more space for people walking on the footpath we are removing the existing pedestrian fence and bollards.
The existing footpath is around 1.2 metres wide. The removal of the pedestrian fence and bollards will make the footpath around 1.6 metres wide, with the cycleway providing additional separation from motorised traffic to provide a better experience for people that are walking.
The planned changes create a safer and more convenient option for people riding bikes and walking.
How long and how wide is the Swanson Street Cycleway?
The Swanson Street Cycleway is approximately 30 metres long and is a minimum 2.5 metres wide.
Project documents
Community notifications
Reports