Rozelle Interchange is stage 3b of the Westconnex project. It is a spaghetti of road tunnels under Lilyfield and Rozelle to link the M4East-M5 tunnels (Stage 3a, now being built) to the proposed stage 4 (yet to be approved, but how could it be refused if stage 3b is finished?) under-Harbour tunnel from Birchgrove to North Sydney and Artarmon. There is also a tunnel from the east end of the Iron Cove Bridge to the Rozelle Goods Yard. The Goods Yard, or what is left of it after the Light rail depot swallowed the western end, will become a park, complete with tunnel smoke stacks and ventilation pumps, and will extend east under the Victoria Rd bridge at White Bay.
There are associated bicycle works as part of the project (the Active Transport component, unkindly referred as “greenwash” by some, but not us). A bike path is to be built through the Goods Yard to link with Anzac Bridge. A foot and bike bridge will be built over the City West Link from Brenan St near Whites Creek into the Goods Yard park. Another foot and bike bridge will pass over the City West Link at The Crescent, again linking into the Goods Yard park.
An interesting part of the EIS approval for the project was a requirement for the builder (John Holland Joint Venture got the contract) to build a separated cycleway along Victoria Rd (or in the corridor) from the tunnel portal, near Terry St, to Robert St. This requirement by the Department of Planning is some sort of recognition that if motorists get a nice new tunnel to bypass Victoria Rd the community should get a nice new cycleway in the same corridor, even if we still have to pedal up the hill to Darling St.
A big impact of the project will be the removal of the two foot and bike bridges near the Victoria Rd and The Crescent intersection, starting in early 2020, to allow an extra road lane onto the Anzac Bridge. A complex method of maintaining access for cyclists to the Anzac Bridge will need to be worked out. John Holland JV have promised details will be released in August 2019. They have already released plans for detours around the tunnel portal work site on Victoria Rd, between Byrne St and Springside St. This will affect cyclists using the new Iron Cove Bridge cycleway heading to Rozelle from Drummoyne- they will be detoured down Byrne St.
A further impact on cyclists will be at the tunnel dive site in Camperdown, which fronts onto Pyrmont Bridge Rd. Construction activities may affect the cycle route along Pyrmont Bridge Rd between Mallett St and Parramatta Rd. After construction has finished a separated cycleway will (we think, after talks with Inner West Council) get installed, as part of the Parramatta Rd Improvement Scheme..
Rozelle Interchange is currently in site preparation, and construction is to start in early 2020. The Lilyfield Rd footbridge is to be demolished in early 2020.
IWBC has had meetings with John Holland on proposed cycleway detours during construction. John Holland has a site office in Lilyfield Rd at Gordon St, if you want to drop in and discuss detours and the Active Transport component.
Note added in September 2020 :
The long awaited Landscape Plan for the new Railyard Park was released for comment in August. It shows the new bike paths through and across the park, which is due for completion in about 2023. Mostly good in terms of connecting to Anzac Bridge via an east-west main link from Lilyfield Rd near Ryan St, although we have some concerns about the details. North-south routes are also included. Main disappointment is that there is no easy link from Robert St to The Crescent, now that the footbridges at Victoria Rd have been demolished. We did a lengthy submission.
Note added in March 2024.
The discovery of asbestos (mostly fibro pieces it seems, but some loose) in and around the Rozelle Parklands in the garden mulches has been the biggest development, as well as the ”traffic chaos” on Victoria Rd after the RIC opened, which has had huge media attention. A Parliamentary Enquiry is to be held in April into the reasons for the traffic problems caused by the new toll road system.
As a result of the asbestos contamination paths have been closed through the park formonths, forcing cyclists to use the local roads, such as Gordon St, to reach Anzac Bridge and Balmain. Reopening of the paths is said to be in April. [note added in July : paths finally reopened in May]
We did an audit of new bicycle facilities around the Park and Victoria Rd, and have submitted it to Transport for NSW, Ministers, IW Council and to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the RIC.
We have been invited to give evidence at the Enquiry!
See page on Rozelle Parklands for our audit of defects in cycling provision around the RIC and Parklands.
Developments: December, 2019
Work continues at pace in the old Railyards and in preparation for the motorway constructions. Lilyfield Rd has become a battle zone for cyclists due to installation of a power cable into the Railyard site. Rough filling of the cable trench has made riding uncomfortable at best, dangerous at worst, and little attempt has been made to provide bypass treatments for cyclists. They are just expected to mix it with the traffic through one way sections.
John Holland released a plan for the alternative routes to Anzac Bridge during construction, starting from demolition of the footbridges in 2020. The general consensus is that crossing Victoria Rd at the CWL lights and then backtracking to James Craig Rd and Sommerville Rd is not a suitable alternative. A petition has been set up asking for a better alternative (basically another bridge). Details at https://bicyclensw.org.au/a-better-bike-detour-for-rozelle/, also on bikeleichhardt.org
Another alternative suggested by John Holland is to use Gordon St and Victoria Rd Cycleway, but this involves a battle with commuting car drivers, up a steepish street. (Might be ok if cars were diverted!) Also, this route will be closed for the period when the existing path to the Anzac Bridge from Victoria Rd is demolished and relocated.
Another possibility at various stages of construction is to go via Catherine St to Brenan and Railway Pde to The Crescent, but this option will be closed at some point when The Crescent is being widened.
It may be that cyclists going to the City will switch to other routes completely, such as Booth St and Pyrmont Bridge Rd, which has a dedicated bunch of commuters already.
All in all, expect 3 years of disruption and inconvenience.