Western Parkland City

Transport for NSW is moving ahead with the M5 Motorway Westbound Upgrade, with delivery contractor Seymour Whyte now appointed to build this vital infrastructure in Sydney’s southwest.

Jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments, the $380 million upgrade will ease congestion, boost freight efficiency and improve road safety for thousands of motorists using the corridor daily.

“This project is about tackling long-standing pain points for road users and delivering infrastructure that supports a growing Western Sydney,” said NSW Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison.

“We’re removing a notorious bottleneck and building the connections needed to keep freight and people moving.”

The upgrade will deliver:

• a new toll-free, three-lane bridge over the Georges River and rail corridor, improving access between the M5 Motorway, Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway
• intersection upgrades at Moorebank Avenue and the Hume Highway
• removal of the westbound weave zone, improving safety and traffic flow
• enhanced pedestrian and cyclist pathways across the Georges River.

The existing bridge sees more than 2,500 trucks daily moving freight from the Moorebank Intermodal Terminal onto the motorway network. These volumes are set to grow, making this upgrade critical to reducing queuing and merge delays—especially during the afternoon peak.

Last week’s M5 media event on Thursday 10 July celebrated the milestone, attended by Acting NSW Premier Ryan Park, Minister Jenny Aitchison, Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King, and senior leaders from Transport for NSW including Raquel Rubalcaba, Glen Mace, and John Navamani.

“This project is another step forward in the Western Sydney infrastructure blitz,” said Federal Minister Catherine King.

“We’re delivering projects that help industry thrive and communities connect.”

Investigation work is already underway, with major construction scheduled to begin in early 2026 and completion expected by late 2029.

For more information and to sign up for updates, visit: M5 Westbound Upgrade.

On Friday 12 July, the Western Parklands City Community and Place team had the opportunity to take part in the Penrith City council's NAIDOC Week event, a meaningful occasion dedicated to honouring and celebrating Indigenous peoples.
 
The team was there to showcase the Indigenous features integrated into our projects and engage with the community on these important cultural elements. It was a fantastic opportunity to highlight our commitment to Indigenous culture and foster discussions that were both informative and respectful. In addition to our project showcases, we also organised some fun activities and giveaways to enrich the event experience. 
 
Overall, our involvement in the NAIDOC Week event not only highlighted our dedication to Indigenous culture but also reinforced our commitment to community engagement and diversity. 
 

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Western Parkland City NAIDOC Week event festivities

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After months of planning on Monday 13 November the WPC Southwest Comms team had the absolute honour and privilege to attend the opening of the Keith Payne VC Rest Area at the Ampol Service Centre, Pheasants Nest. Mr Payne is the last living recipient of the Imperial Victoria Cross.

With over 100 guests in attendance, The Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, His Excellency, General the Honourable David Hurley AC, DSC (Ret’d) and her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, unveiled the memorial which stands 2m tall with Mr Payne’s citation engraved on the back. The memorial was consecrated and blessed by Principal Chaplain, Kerry Larwill from the Australian Army.

The event was attended by numerous dignitaries including, Mark Donaldson VC, Matt Anderson PSM, Director of the Australian War Memorial, Chief of Army Lieutenant General Simon Stuart AO DSC, Aunty Glenda Chalker, along with the Hon John Graham, NSW Roads Minister. There were representatives from Defence Force, Veterans Support Organisations, RSL Australia, and Wollondilly Shire Council.

Hundreds of families were treated to a free day of activities, entertainment, food and live music to celebrate the start of construction for the M7-M12 Integration Project on Saturday.

Happy faces were all around as children dressed up and drove around in mini diggers, got their faces painted and had a go at using the local firies equipment.

The event also provided the community the opportunity to speak with members of the project team and other stall holders such as Sydney Water, Western Sydney International Airport, NSW Fire & Rescue and western Sydney TAFE.

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M7-M17 Community Day

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On Tuesday 1 August the Southwest and Aerotropolis team in the Western Parklands City joined Transport’s Aboriginal Employment team at the Airds High School career expo. It was a great chance for us to provide information about our local projects, as well as promote our many and varied early career programs. The school has a large number of Aboriginal students so we had some great conversations about our Aboriginal VET Cadet program and the Aboriginal HSC Scholarship program. The school were very thankful we attended and are keen to invite Transport along to future events.

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Airds High Career Expo

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The Hawkesbury Nepean Valley Flood Evacuation Road Resilience Program will improve the capacity and efficiency of the local road evacuation network in the event of a major flood. Additional projects, including the New Richmond Bridge, will connect Hawkesbury to the wider Greater Sydney Road network, while also helping the community reach safety in the event of a natural disaster.

Planning is underway for the Mamre Road upgrade project, which will provide a better connection for workers travelling to and from the area. The Mulgoa Road corridor upgrade will support current and future traffic demands.

Situated on Dharug Country, projects in the Southwest include the Spring Farm Parkway, Heathcote Road Upgrade, and Appin Road projects. They will improve current road networks and create new connections, supporting growth in the Southwest and neighbouring Aerotropolis. 

With multiple Growth-Areas in the region, the Southwest is focusing on strategic planning and development, working closely with key stakeholders such as Councils and Department of Planning and Environment. Through strong relationships with our communities and stakeholders, we are creating a better, connected, and cohesive service.

Transport for NSW is playing a critical role in building the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, a new area of the Western Parkland City, which will deliver far-reaching, transformational change for the community.  

The Aerotropolis will be a green, connected and advanced city, attracting jobs, tourism and investment to the Western Parkland region. We’re committed to building a transport system to enable this growth.

There’s a significant amount of work underway to prepare for the opening of the Western Sydney International Airport in 2026 and to provide access to the Aerotropolis and surrounding areas. Construction on the M12 Motorway is currently underway, which will provide the entrance to the airport. 

See what the future looks like. Visit the Western Sydney Aerotropolis page.