Frequently asked questions - Mount Ousley interchange

The interchange will replace the existing intersection of the Princes Motorway and Mount Ousley Road, improving connectivity, safety and efficiency to those travelling through the gateway to Wollongong.

The Australian and NSW governments have jointly funded the $390 million project.

Fulton Hogan has been awarded the contract to design and build the new interchange. Detailed design and early work is under way.

Major work is planned to start in late 2024.

Yes, we are currently working on the project’s Urban Design and Landscape Strategy Report which will be ready for public display in the coming months.

During the display period, we will be hosting community information sessions and pop-up stalls to provide you more information on the project’s detailed design and an opportunity to meet the team.

The project will take up to four years to complete, weather permitting.

• A heavy vehicle only bypass lanes for southbound travel, separating cars and heavy vehicles
• Two heavy vehicle safety ramps
• A commuter car park 
• Upgrades and widening of the existing pedestrian bridge over the motorway at Northfields Avenue
• Signalised intersections and bridges over the motorway providing a northbound access to the Princes Motorway and improved access between Mount Ousley Road, Princes Motorway and University of Wollongong 
• A roundabout that provides access to the Princes Motorway and the University access road
• A southbound access road between Mount Ousley Road and University Avenue
• Improved pedestrian and cyclist connectivity 
• Five metre noise walls along the northern side of the motorway and the southern side of Dumfries Avenue; and along the southern side of the motorway and northern side of Falder Place
• Three and a half metre noise walls along the southern side of Mount Ousley Road, between Gowan Brae Avenue and the cul-de-sac at the western end. 

• Improved safety by separating cars and heavy vehicles travelling southbound
• Improved travel times by replacing the existing intersection of the Princes Motorway and Mount Ousley Road which currently experiences long queues and delays during peak periods
• Improved access between Wollongong CBD and University of Wollongong
• Improved amenity for pedestrians and cyclists
• Supporting growing freight movements to the south coast
• Safer access to and from the Princes Motorway to Mount Ousley Road. 

The Mount Ousley interchange has been designed to allow for a third southbound lane in the future, but a third southbound lane will not be built as part of this project.

Partial and full closures of the commuter car park will be required during construction. Car park users will be notified ahead of any partial or full closures.

We understand delivering infrastructure projects does not occur without impacts and will be working closely with our nearby residents, businesses and road users to keep you informed.

Construction activities will be staged to minimise impacts on road users during construction, however there will some temporary impacts to allow us to safely carry out work.

Two lanes of traffic will be kept open in both directions on the motorway during the day. A reduction in speed limit may be in place.

Night work will be carried out and will include reduced speed limits and both single lane and full closures of the motorway. Road users and nearby residents will be notified in advance.

The right turn from Mount Ousley Road onto the motorway (northbound) will be closed at certain times to allow us to carry out work. When closed, temporary detours will be in place and detours will be clearly signposted.

Along with work on the motorway, there will be work on local roads. These include utility relocation and access of construction vehicles to and from the construction site.

The community and road users will be kept informed as work progresses.

We understand noise can cause disruption to local communities during construction and operation of major road projects. There are generally two types of noise which may impact the community:

1. Construction noise – Temporary noise from construction activities while we build the project
2. Operational noise – Noise from road traffic once the project is complete.

Residents who live near our work sites may hear noise during construction activities, including when we are working on the road or at nearby work sites and delivering or removing material and equipment. Construction noise is temporary and often changes as work progresses.

To minimise the impact of noise, we use a range of mitigation measures to manage noise at the source. This includes temporary noise barriers around specific work areas, using less noisy equipment and staging our work to avoid extended periods of disruption.

The community and road users will be kept informed as work progresses.

The project aims to reduce operational noise by building noise walls and installing at-property noise treatments to eligible properties.

We will be building or extending noise walls in three locations:

• A five-metre-high noise wall along the northern side of the motorway and the southern side of Dumfries Avenue, between the end of the existing noise wall and Foothills Road
• A five-metre-high noise wall along the southern side of the motorway and northern side of Falder Place, between the mid-way point of Binda Street and the new western roundabout
• A three and a half metre high noise wall along the southern side of Mount Ousley Road, between Gowan Brae Avenue and the cul-de-sac at the western end. 

We will carry out at-property noise treatments at homes where noise levels are predicted to exceed the road traffic noise criteria.

To minimise the impact of noise on local residents, we are delivering at-property noise treatment to eligible properties. Noise treatment refers to architectural acoustic measures which aim to improve the sound resistance of properties, such as window and door upgrades.

Providing at-property noise treatment is a complex process and involves a number of different steps. It is an extensive process as every property is different and requires a tailored package of treatments. For some properties, we also need to seek approval from Owners Corporations for certain treatments.

The project separates heavy vehicles from general southbound traffic and light vehicles exiting at Mount Ousley Road. All southbound heavy vehicles will need to exit earlier than light vehicles onto the new heavy vehicle bypass lane. 

Two heavy vehicle safety ramps will also be built. 

The heavy vehicle bypass and exit ramp will be one standard lane with a shoulder.

During construction, there will be some intermittent and short-term closures while work is carried out near the existing shared path adjacent to TAFE NSW Wollongong. During this work, detours will be in place to safely separate shared path users and the work area. 

We will also be extending the pedestrian bridge over the Princes Motorway at Northfields Avenue. During this work, a temporary closure of the pedestrian bridge will be required. A detour will be in place via University Avenue overpass. The project is investigating opportunities to minimise the impact of this closure.

We will upgrade and extend the existing pedestrian bridge across the motorway to Northfields Avenue.

We will connect to the existing shared path from Gowan Brae Avenue and Helen Street to the shared path adjacent to TAFE NSW Wollongong. This will also connect with the new shared path providing access to the University of Wollongong.

Pedestrian and cycle connectivity along Mount Ousley Road (local) will be refined as part of detailed design. 

During this work, a temporary closure of the pedestrian bridge will be required. A detour will be in place via University Avenue overpass. The project is investigating opportunities to minimise the impact of this closure.