Upon the opening of the Westlink M7 Motorway on 16 Dec 2005, we expected Metroad 7 to be re-signed as the first alphanumeric route, A7/M7 and re-routed along the Westlink M7. However, just about no signage updates were done off the M7 itself and it looked like Metroad 7 signage was here to stay along the Cumberland Highway — until now.

Yesterday, I noticed signage along the M2 Motorway had been updated with coverplates! Changes I noticed:

• All references to “[MR7] Pennant Hills Rd” along the M2 have been changed to “[MR6] [MR7] Pennant Hills Rd” with coverplates on all the westbound RD, AD and ID signs
• The M7 route shield has been added alongside the Metroad 2 shield on AD signs west of the Beecroft Rd interchange
• All references to “Liverpool” and “Canberra” at the Pennant Hills Rd interchange heading westbound have had blank coverplates installed to cover them
• Signs on Pennant Hills Rd at the M2 interchange have been replaced, with focal points of “Blacktown” and “Canberra” on the westbound ID signs with the shields “[MR2] M7″ (they used to say “Blacktown” and “Windsor”)
• Signs pointing southbound down Pennant Hills Rd have had “[MR6]” coverplated over “[MR7]” and focal points of “Liverpool” deleted

While I only travelled the M2 between Pennant Hills Rd and Epping Rd today, I’m guessing similar changes have been made all along the M2. Here are some quick and dirty flash photos from the intersection taken on my way home:

IDs at the top of the westbound off-ramp from the M2 — “Liverpool” and the southbound Metroad 7 shield are under coverplates

New ID sign facing southbound Pennant Hills Rd traffic turning right onto the M2 Motorway

This must all have occurred within the past day as it had not been there when I passed by on Wednesday (21 Dec 2005). These changes are significant in that they mark two things:

• Metroad 6 has been extended north from the Pennant Hills Rd/Marsden Rd intersection to the Pennant Hills Rd/M2 interchange
• Presumably, Metroad 7 no longer exists south of the Pennant Hills Rd/M2 interchange (or at least, signage marking that route has started to disappear) and the whole route now exists as just the M7 route number for most of its length

I must say, the coverplating job seems to have been done very well. Sure, the background colours are slightly off, but all the shields seem to be just the right size and it’s been done comprehensively — I didn’t see a single sign they missed out on.

Haha, how exciting! (All this fuss over some signs… I guess I’m really a roadgeek, huh? ;))

[Update 2005-12-24: It seems at the Pennant Hills Rd/M2 interchange it's in fact only those two ID and their backs that have been updated! Just my luck to spot only those...

On a drive down last night I noticed that all the ADs and stack signs further away from the intersection do not have M7 or Metroad 6 listed at all and have not had the westbound focal points updated. Furthermore, between there and the Pennant Hills Rd/Marsden Rd intersection nothing has been coverplated at all.

How disappointing! :cry:]

M2 E-toll Lanes

In other news, I think Transurban have installed and have been testing the actual tolling equipment to be mounted on the new overhead E-toll gantries at the M2 Motorway toll plaza. On Monday (19 Dec 2005) week I noticed signs put up telling motorists that their tags may beep when passing under the gantries, although those signs were nowhere to be seen today.

[For other entries about the new E-toll lanes, try browsing all posts tagged with both M2 Motorway and electronic tolling.]

It was obviously a dumb idea to be out given how hot it was, but especially so since I was driving our old Volvo 240GL, which no longer has working air-conditioning. Oh well, at least I took some photos.

Old Windsor Rd (Metroad 2)

1. Looking north along Old Windsor Rd at Bella Vista — notice the road’s old alignment among the trees on the left (enlarge)

2. Northbound AD on Old Windsor Rd at the intersection with Sunnyholt Rd and Burns Rd — what’s under the covered patch for Burns Rd? (enlarge)

[Update: Sam Laybutt explains what's under the patch -- "It says 'Heavy Vehicle Detour' because until Old Windsor Rd was duplicated between Sunnyholt Rd and Windsor Rd there was a 5t load limit on the bridge over the creek just north of what is now Samantha Riley Dr. Overweight vehicles were detoured via Burns Rd and Windsor Rd."]

Old Windsor Rd has been duplicated in recent years as part of the NSW Government’s ‘All the Way to Windsor’ program for upgrading Old Windsor Rd and Windsor Rd to provide at least four lanes from Parramatta through to McGraths Hill, near Windsor.

It is ironic that between Parramatta and the intersection with Windsor Rd near Kellyville Ridge, Old Windsor Rd now carries the bulk of traffic north from the City and Parramatta — not the newer Windsor Rd. Old Windsor Rd has carried the Metroad 2 designation since the M2 Motorway opened in 1997 and is actually a more direct route than Windsor Rd, which weaves its way through Baulkham Hills and Castle Hill while covering the same distance heading north from Parramatta.

Windsor Rd (State Route 40)

Windsor Rd is now being upgraded too. I got some photos today of the works leading up to the new intersection of Windsor Rd and Old Windsor Rd, where Windsor Rd is no longer the through route.

3. View north-west from Macquarie Ave towards the intersection of Windsor Rd and Old Windsor Rd — work is underway to duplicate Whitehart Bridge over Caddies Ck near the intersection (enlarge)

4. View south-east from Macquarie Ave showing construction work underway to upgrade Windsor Rd towards Castle Hill (enlarge)

Windsor Rd at Rouse Hill (Metroad 2, State Route 40)

Windsor Rd continues north from the intersection with Old Windsor Rd at Kellyville Ridge. It has been upgraded to four lane, dual-carriageway through to beyond Rouse Hill. Here one of the more unusual intersections along that stretch.

5. Looking east along Rouse Rd towards the intersection with Windsor Rd — note the huge left turn deviation, which ends at a traffic light (not a ‘Turn left at any time with care’ setup)… kind of like channelisation from the 1960s? (enlarge)

North-West Bus Transitway (T-way)

The North-West Transitway is a rapid bus-only road network being built connecting Parramatta and Blacktown to Rouse Hill. It will run along the eastern side of Windsor Rd between Rouse Hill and Kellyville, after which it will continue to Parramatta along Old Windsor Rd and to Blacktown via Sunnyholt Rd.

Construction is underway along much of the corridor, and land can be seen reserved for the T-way on sections where construction is yet to commence. Bus services are expected to start running in Dec 2007.

6. The North-West T-way will run along the eastern side of Windsor Rd, seen here just south of Commercial Rd, Rouse Hill (view facing south) (enlarge)

7. Empty land leading away from the T-way corridor (enlarge)

A shared pedestrian and cycle path will run alongside the North-West T-way and eventually maybe even an above-ground section of the seemingly forever-delayed North-West Rail Link (NWRL). Is all that vacant land reserved is for this? Or is it just luck that it happens to be empty at present? (It’s been widely reported that the NSW Government has failed to acquire land for the NWRL and parts of the proposed corridor have already been built on.)

Westlink M7 interchange with Old Windsor Rd

Lastly, in the sweltering heat I trekked through the grass near the Westlink M7 interchange with Old Windsor Rd to take a few photos. It was obviously stupid to do it in this weather, but I knew I probably wouldn’t be here again for a while.

The Westlink M7 will link to the M2 Motorway to the east of Old Windsor Rd, but the M2 already terminates at Old Windsor Road just south of this interchange. Will motorists pay $0.51 (due to increase every quarter) to the travel 1.71 km along the M7 to its first exit? How much time will really be saved by bypassing the single set of traffic lights at Seven Hills Rd?

8. Southbound AD on Old Windsor Rd near the Westlink M7, partially covered up — although the covering’s falling off and the E-toll symbols can now be seen (enlarge)

9. Closeup of the AD — under the coverplate for Metroad 2 is actually route number A40 (as photographed by Sam Laybutt before it was coverplated)… note that State Route 40 currently runs via Windsor Rd, not Old Windsor Rd (enlarge)

10. View south towards the M7 — and endless temporary lane markings (enlarge)

11. Notice what’s displayed on the VMS: “Use Public Transport” — pretty ironic, huh? (it’s actually talking about the upcoming FIFA World Cup play-offs) (enlarge)

12. The Commonwealth Government wouldn’t fully fund this National Highway corridor (this was pre-Auslink), but they still erected signs gloating about partially funding it (enlarge this photo; closeup of just the sign)

13. Work underway on the eastbound viaduct — notice the two panels missing from the noise barriers… I hope they didn’t fall down over Old Windsor Rd! (enlarge)

14. Onramp to the M7 eastbound from Old Windsor Rd, looking wide enough to carry two lanes — no markings or signs are here yet though (enlarge)

15. Do these ducks know they’re swimming in the shadow of Australia’s largest urban infrastructure project? (enlarge)

16. This tiny banner’s impossible to see from Old Windsor Rd — so I can only assume it’s really meant for the ducks! (enlarge)

Bonus photo!

17. Look! A burnt out car among the grass by the side of Old Windsor Rd (enlarge)

That’s all folks! I’ll have an update in the next few days with both day and night photos of the work at the intersection of Old Windsor Rd and Norwest Bvd, which is being grade separated, and also the Westlink M7 connection at the end of Norwest Bvd.

Originally 4 m wide and 8-10 m deep, the hole has now grown beyond 10 m wide and continues to widen. The cause is yet to be verified, but there is a ventilation shaft for the under-construction Lane Cove Tunnel 25 m below the building. A Sydney Water main at the location burst at the same time, but it is thought the hole caused the water main to burst, not the other way round.

Overhead view of the 10 m x 10 m hole (source: ABC News)

Epping Rd citybound has been closed east of Centennial Ave and chaos has ensued this morning, with all traffic diverted via Centennial Ave and Mowbray Rd to the Pacific Hwy. I’d recommend travelling via Marsden Rd or Lane Cove Rd to get to Victoria Rd instead, bypassing the affected area entirely.

Buses services have been reported running over a hour late into the City. Some Hillsbus M2 services have ran via Burns Bay Rd and Victoria Rd to the City, while others have taken the Mowbray Rd detour along with Sydney Buses services.

Luckily the westbound lanes on Epping Rd are still open for the afternoon peak, but there are concerns the hole could spread across all of Longueville Rd… this doesn’t look good for commuters from the north-west and Hills district at all!

The Lane Cove Tunnel toll road will eventually run under Longueville Rd and this building connecting the M2 Motorway and the Gore Hill Fwy. The tunnel operators issued a statement this morning blaming the collapse on “rock slippage”.

Block of units damaged by the hole (credit: Nick Moir; source: SMH)

There has been an incentive for all the toll road projects recent completed or under construction in Sydney to be completed early, and to start collecting tolls ahead of schedule, increasing revenues. I wonder if safety has been compromised in an attempt to speed up construction? Or maybe the LCT operators have simply been negligent in assessing the area’s geological stability?

Thos more cynical might have wished it was the controversial Cross City Tunnel that collapsed… or maybe just comment that Lane Cove has always been a hole anyway. Look, even a resident agrees, according to ABC News!

One local resident, Grant Phillip, says he is not particularly concerned about the possibility of his apartment falling into the hole.

“I’m actually fairly happy, it’s been a bit of a nightmare since bought the place, so it’s probably the best thing that could happen if it falls into a hole,” he said.

The funniest comment I’ve yet heard, posted on the SMH website by “jason”, sums up Sydney’s latest toll road debacle nicely:

If the units fall into the hole without an e-tag, will they be fined?

SMH: Gridlock as highway ramp collapses
SMH: Crews battle to stop units collapsing
ABC News: Tunnel builder reassures Sydney residents over hole
ABC News: Iemma flags compensation to unit block residents
RTA Sydney North Traffic Reports
Sydney Buses Breaking News
Discussion at the Australian Transport Discussion Board

These gantries will hold tag readers and cameras for the new dedicated e-toll only lanes that are being constructed. Last time I reported that the citybound gantries was likely erected sometime on Friday (21 Oct 2005) night. I didn’t use the M2 again until yesterday (Tue 25 Oct 2005), when I saw the westbound gantries, though I imagine they were installed on one of the nights since Friday.

Unfortunately I had my camera, an otherwise great Casio Exilim EX-Z750, set to its anti-shake “BEST SHOT” mode, which makes for terrible low-resolution photos that look like they were taken with a mobile phone. Next time I’m passing through there, I’ll have to try and take better photos once again.

Westbound view from the current toll booths (enlarge)

Close-up of one of the new e-toll gantries (enlarge)

[For other entries in this series, try browsing all posts tagged with both M2 Motorway and electronic tolling.]

Tonight, I saw for the first time that a pair of overhead gantries had been erected on the western side of the toll plaza for citybound traffic. They span two lanes and look quite similar to the gantries being used on the Westlink M7. I would guess they were put up last night (Friday night), as they weren’t there when I passed through yesterday afternoon. I don’t know if the tag readers have been installed on the gantry, but our tag didn’t activate until we reached the existing toll plaza.

When I next pass through there during the day on a bus (or if I’m in the car but not driving), I’ll try and take some photos.

In other news, for the past week or two there have been three E-toll only booths in operation during peak hour in a tidal flow manner, an increase from the maximum of two we have had over the years.

Yesterday I noticed that there were now two E-toll booths operating in either direction. There used to one or three in each direction, tidal flow-style, and in the off-peak I frequently resorted to using the adjacent Auto + E-toll booths to avoid queuing at the single E-toll booth. I also noticed on the approach that a large number of temporary crash barriers had been stacked up in the shoulder lane.

Today I noticed this had been further enhanced (at least on the city-bound side). The flexible barrier that used to exist between the E-toll booth and the remaining booths has been extended significantly to where the main carriageway’s two lanes widen to form the toll plaza area. Lane markings with temporary reflectors have been added to stripe two separate lanes heading to each E-toll booth. At the booths themselves, the boom gates have been deactivated and “Do Not Stop” signs have been erected — at last!

Heading home (westbound) at about midnight tonight, traffic diversions were in place for night roadworks at the toll plaza although it looked like they had just been set up and work wasn’t actually taking place yet. All traffic was forced to use the two leftmost toll booths, with the other toll booths closed. The permanent signs above the booths indicate Change + E-toll, and both the booths were staffed. So although I had my E-toll tag, I had to wait a few minutes while morons in front of me at both booths drove too far past the toll booth, then had to reverse and fumble with change… I didn’t pay $3.80 to have to wait in a queue at midnight!

Ah well, it’s all good stuff though — I’ll refrain from complaining since the roadworks will be of great benefit to benefit E-tollers in the end. In fact, I didn’t expect all this to happen so quickly, but I’m very glad for it.

(Apologies, but I don’t have any photos of the work so far. However, I’ll certainly try to take some in the coming weeks.)

[for other entries in this series, try browsing all posts tagged with both M2 Motorway and electronic tolling]

Express lanes coming soon
Construction starts October

Could it be? The M2 is finally going to get dedicated non-stop e-toll only lanes at the toll plaza, just like the M4 and M5? This would be wonderful news, as vehicles with e-toll tags currently still need to slow down to 40 km/h to get through the toll plaza and this does cause congestion especially during peak hour.

The M2 Hills Motorway website confirms it’s true, as does a press release on the Transurban website. (In case you missed the news, Transurban, owner of Melbourne’s CityLink and the under construction Westlink M7, bought the M2 earlier this year)

Six toll booths in the centre of the main toll plaza would be removed to create two dedicated e-toll lanes in each direction, with cash payment booths being maintained on the either side. The overhead gantries are going to be installed by late December and the toll booths themselves would be removed early next year.

M2 toll plaza with dedicated e-toll lanes (source: M2 Hills Motorway)

However, the press release states that the speed limit through the toll plaza will still only be 80 km/h, meaning motorists will still have to slow down from 100 km/h.

I’m also a bit worried about the limited space after the toll plaza — are there going to be long enough slip lanes for cash-paying motorists to merge back into the main traffic flow safely? The Christie Rd exit heading eastbound is right after the toll plaza as well, and it’d be quite dangerous if there was e-toll traffic merging left immediately after the toll plaza to use the exit as well.

There’s going be improvements at the Pennant Hills Rd interchange too, with an e-toll lane minus boom gate replacing a toll booth in either direction.

While all this is a positive development, I was hoping Transurban would just make the entire M2 e-toll only, as it will eventually connect to the Lane Cove Tunnel and Transurban’s own Westlink M7 at either end, both of which will feature full electronic tolling.

This would completely eliminate the need to slow down and the potentially dangerous merging traffic situation I mentioned earlier.

Ideally, full electronic tolling would also allow distance-based tolling introduced on the M2 — at the moment it doesn’t really seem value for money to pay the full $3.80 just to travel between Beecroft Rd and Lane Cove. It’d also open up the possibility of constructing west-facing ramps at the Beecroft Rd and Windsor Rd interchanges for future Westlink M7-bound traffic.

But hey, it’s still a welcome start!

[there are follow-ups to this entry -- see all posts tagged with both M2 Motorway and electronic tolling]