Smart motorway technology has been switched on at Sydney’s Western Distributor and is likely to improve traffic flow and road safety for the 130,000 people who use the stretch of road every day.
Since similar technology was implemented on the M4 in 2021, crashes have reduced by a quarter and travel times have been reduced by 20 per cent.
The signage technology provides motorists with real-time digital information, including speed limit changes and safety messages, in response to congestion and incidents on the motorway.
A series of 19 new gantries and four existing gantries along 5.5 kilometres between Anzac Bridge and Sydney Harbour Bridge now include automatic incident detection technology, vehicle detection technology, CCTV coverage and variable and static message signs.
The $179 million project was jointly funded by the federal and NSW governments.
“The Western Distributor Smart Motorway delivers vital safety and efficiency improvements on one of Sydney’s major road corridors,” Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins says.
“The latest technology collects real-time information and uses advanced communications and traffic control systems to automatically improve traffic flow and road user safety.”
“It will increase network resilience, improve travel time and reliability, advance traffic safety and enhance the road user experience.”
“Around 130,000 vehicles use the Western Distributor each day. It is a critical part of Sydney’s road network which makes it the right place to deploy the smartest technology to help keep traffic flowing,” NSW Minister for Roads John Graham says.
“This technology has a proven track record of reducing travel times, but also reducing crashes.
“When an incident happens this system reacts immediately which should ensure that time lost to delays is reduced.
“We all want more time at home and with family, and less time looking at the brake lights of the car in front.”
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