Monday 7 August 2023

VISIONS OF SYDNEY: Alternative Transport schemes for the Sydney Harbour Tunnel (1987)

Harbour Crossings February 24 1987 SMH 1 enlarged
Source: Coultan, M. 1987. "Bright ideas underwhelm Harbour Crossings Minister".  The Sydney Morning Herald, February 24: 1. 

In 1987, the NSW State Government announced that the Sydney Harbour Tunnel was to be built, running under Sydney Harbour from the Cahill Expressway at Macquarie Street to the Warringah Expressway at North Sydney.

Apart from alternative routes for the tunnel, other transport options were explored, including:

  1. Additional four lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge above the existing road deck.
  2. A rail tunnel between Wynyard and St Leonards
  3. A bridge running from Millers Point to Greenwich via Goat Island with a spur road to Balimain (proposals existed for decades dating to the 1920s)
  4. A tram tunnel from Paddington to Spit Junction via Bradleys Head and then running onto the Northern Beaches. 
Two of the four alternative ideas have evolved into reality, as reflected in current transport projects.

Rail tunnel between Wynyard and St Leonards

The 1987 vision involved the line integrated into the existing heavy rail network, but the Sydney Metro currently under construction from Chatswood to Sydenham has seen the construction of the first rail line underneath Sydney Harbour, following an alignment predominantly towards the east with stations at Crows Nest and Victoria Cross (North Sydney). However, the line runs west of the harbour bridge with stations at Barangaroo, Martin Place, Pitt Street and Central.

Suspension Bridge from Millers Point to Greenwich via Goat Island and Balmain Spur Road

This has evolved into the Western Harbour Tunnel running from the WestConnex at Rozelle, under Balmain, to connect with the Warringah Expressway at North Sydney north of Falcon Street. Completion is scheduled for 2028. The tunnel will enable traffic from the southern and western suburbs to bypass the Sydney CBD altogether. 

Related Entries

MILESTONE: Sydney Harbour Tunnel turns 25 (1992) 

VISIONS OF SYDNEY: Additional Sydney Harbour Bridge Roadways (1987)


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