Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier this month, NorthConnex marked one year of operations. NorthConnex, with was funded by the Morrison government, the New South Wales government and Transurban, completed the missing link on the National Highway between the M1 and the M2, and gives Pennant Hills Road back to our local community. Performing ahead of expectations, more than 11.1 million trips have been taken on NorthConnex since it opened, despite the COVID restrictions and lockdowns impacting movement. After NorthConnex opened, traffic flow and safety significantly improved along Pennant Hills Road, which was labelled the worst road in Australia. An average of more than 6,000 trucks a day use NorthConnex, which is 20 per cent more than was predicted before the tunnel opened. New analysis shows that the number of vehicles using Pennant Hills Road has dropped by 27 per cent sections such as the area near Mount St Benedict College in Pennant Hills Road, where traffic has been slashed from around 51,000 to 37,000 vehicles a day. There's been a 65 per cent reduction in near misses on Pennant Hills Road and surrounding streets during peak periods and a 40 per cent reduction across the day. Average speeds are now 33 per cent faster in the afternoon peak, saving motorists around six minutes per trip. The number of crashes on Pennant Hills Road between the M1 and M2 has now more than halved from 22 over a four-month period to just 10. Drivers can avoid 21 sets of traffic lights along Pennant Hills road and 40 traffic lights along the Pacific Highway, providing a traffic-light-free journey between Newcastle and Melbourne. NorthConnex has been a game changer for my community. (Time expired)