Length:

56 km (Prospect to Pyrmont: 30 km)

Termini:

Eastern: Great Western Hwy (A32) and Governors Dr, Lapstone

Western: Western Dist (unnumbered) and Bathurst St (unnumbered), Pyrmont

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Greystanes, South Wentworthville, Merrylands, Parramatta, Granville, Holroyd, Clyde, Silverwater, Auburn, Lidcombe, Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush West, Homebush, North Strathfield, Concord, Burwood, Croydon, Ashfield, Haberfield, Leichhardt, Lilyfield, Rozelle and Pyrmont

Current: M4 A4

Former: 4 32 F4 40

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

6004 (Lapstone to Concord)

MR165 (Western Distributor & Anzac Bridge)

General Information:

M4 / A4 is the main route between the Blue Mountains, Sydney's western suburbs and Sydney's CBD. Except within the inner western suburbs of Sydney, the route parallels one of Australia's earliest road routes, Parramatta Road / Great Western Highway.

Road conditions vary from freeway standard, tunnels, through to suburban arterial. With a minimum of 3 lanes in each direction.

Planning began for the Western Expressway in 1947, as the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme (CCPS) was being drawn up, which included a corridor from the City of Sydney at Glebe to the Gt Western Hwy at Lapstone, passing through Glebe, Haberfield, and Five Dock before joining the current route at Concord. This corridor was reserved in 1951. ²

The first section of the M4 Motorway was from Prospect to Penrith, completed by the NSW Government in the early 1970's. Various stages of the second section from Concord to Parramatta were completed during the 80's, with a missing link of approximately 10 km between Mays Hill, near Parramatta, and Prospect to connect these two sections. ²

In 1989 the NSW Government invited proposals from private enterprise to fund and construct the missing section of roadway, and upgrading a further 11 km of the F4 Freeway. Statewide Roads Limited (SWR) won the right over a 20 year period to finance and build, and then operate and maintain the Motorway, after which the Motorway reverted back to Government control at no cost. ³

The opening of the M4 Western Motorway in May 1992 included 21 major bridge structures, and the upgrade and widening of 11 kilometres of existing expressway at a cost of $245 million. The completion of this section provided uninterrupted motorway conditions between Concord and Lapstone on the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Between 1996 to 1998 an upgrade and widening of the M4 Western Motorway to 3 lanes each way from Parramatta to Penrith was completed. ³

The ANZAC Bridge opened in 1995 and was formerly the Glebe Island Bridge. (ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps).

The bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Australia, with a main deck length of 805 metres, including a 345 metre span between the towers. The two 128 metre towers support 128 cables, and is eight lanes wide.

On Remembrance Day, 11 November 1998, the New South Wales Government bestowed the bridge to the NSW Returned Serviceman's League for re-naming as 'The Anzac Bridge' and unveiled a monument of a digger bowed in silent reflection. The monument is located at the western end of the bridge on the northern side. A second bronze statue, of a New Zealand digger, followed on the southern side in April 2008.

A handful of sand from Gallipoli rests under the foot of the digger as a permanent connection with comrades who fell and remain at the Gallipoli Battlefield in Turkey.

The Western Distributor is a network of motorway feeder roads linking the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney CBD, Cross City Tunnel to the main arterial roads to the Western suburbs of Sydney, such as Parramatta Road (A44) (via City West Link (A44) or M4 Tunnels) and Victoria Road (A40).

When it was built, it was intended to be the southern end of the F3 Freeway, as it was where the North West Freeway was planned to finish, however due to protests from inner city residents, this plan never came to fruition. The Western Distributor was opened in stages starting in September 1972 ²

2 September 1972: The Western Distributor was opened in stages from this date, until February 1973. ²

August 7 1981: The 'Pyrmont Flyover' section of the Western Distributor opened.

December 1982: Western Motorway between Great Western Highway to Church Street and Melton Street to Concord Road opened ² as well as a section from Concord to Melton Street Auburn was opened, it included a cable-stayed pedestrian bridge across the road at Pomeroy Street, Homebush, the first such bridge built by the DMR. ³

September 1984: A 2.1 km section of Western Freeway opened to traffic, extending the freeway west from Melton St to James Ruse Drive. ²

April 1986: Completion of the 1.8 km elevated section at Granville. ²

August 1987: Ramps to and from the north side of James Ruse Dr were constructed. ²

May 1992: The opening of the missing link in the Western Motorway between Mays Hill and Blacktown. This included 21 major bridge structures, and the upgrade and widening of 11 kilometres of existing expressway at a cost of $245 million. The completion of this section provided uninterrupted motorway conditions between Concord and Lapstone on the foothills of the Blue Mountains.

November 1992: Construction of an interchange at the newly constructed Homebush Bay and Centenary Drives. ²

3 December 1995: The ANZAC Bridge, originally named Glebe Island Bridge was opened by the Premier of New South Wales, The Hon. Bob Carr MP. ³

1996: Commencement of an upgrade and widening of the M4 Western Motorway to 3 lanes each way from Parramatta to Penrith. This was completed in 1998.

11 November 1998: On Remembrance Day, the New South Wales Government bestowed the bridge to the NSW Returned Serviceman's League for re-naming as 'The ANZAC Bridge' and unveiled a monument of a digger bowed in silent reflection. The monument is located at the western end of the bridge on the northern side. A second bronze statue, of a New Zealand digger, followed on the southern side in April 2008

December 1999: West-facing ramps were constructed at Hill Rd at Homebush Bay. ²

February 2010: Tolls removed from Western Motorway. ²

2015: Works commence on widening Western Mwy between Holroyd and Concord.

January 2017: Opening of cloverleaf ramp from Centenary Dr (A3) onto Western Mwy (M4). Widening of Western Mwy between Church St and Homebush Bay Drive from 2 and 3 lanes to 4 lanes as part of West Connect project. ⁴

February 2017: Opening of additional viaduct between Granville and Parramatta. ⁴

March 2017: Concord Rd northbound access to the M4 westbound was removed. ⁴

July 2017: Hill Road Eastbound on-ramp opened to traffic. ⁴

2018: Final stage of WestConnex construction commenced, to link M4 and M5. ⁵

May 2019: Tunnelling for M4 to M8 extensions commenced. ⁶

July 2019: Stage One of the WestConnex joined the existing Western Motorway via underground tunnel from Homebush to two locations at Haberfield, Wattle Street and Parramatta Road. This includes a new interchange at Concord Road and a new dedicated westbound onramp moved slightly west from Concord Road. ⁴

2020: Completion of M4 Smart Motorway project. ⁷

January 2021: First tunnel drilling breakthrough between the M4-M5 Tunnels project and WestConnex. ⁶

January 2023: The extensions of the M4 and M8 motorways opened to traffic. ⁶

Click or tap here for photos of the former alignment between Prospect and Pyrmont.

Prospect to Pyrmont

NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign on Western Mwy (M4) at Auburn, July 2017., July 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

NEW Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign on Western Mwy (M4) at Auburn approaching Silverwater Rd (A6), July 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

NEW Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign on Western Mwy (M4) at Lidcombe approaching Hill Rd, July 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

NEW WestConnex Sign:

Sign thanking motorists for using WestConnex, Lidcombe, near the Hill Rd interchange, July 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Sydney Olympic Park on the off ramp to Homebush Bay Dr (A3), January 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign on Western Distributor approaching Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Pyrmont, March 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Pyrmont approaching Cross City Tunnel, March 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

Allen Street:

Western Distributor at the Allen St exit, Pyrmont, March 2017.

Image © Spenser Tan

Pyrmont to Prospect

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Auburn approaching James Ruse Dr interchange, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Auburn approaching James Ruse Dr interchange, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

James Ruse Drive:

Western Mwy (M4) at James Ruse Dr, Clyde, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign at Granville on the second viaduct, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Merrylands approaching Burnett St, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Burnett Street:

Western Mwy (M4) at Burnett St interchange, Merrylands, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Merrylands approaching Coleman St, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Coleman Street:

Western Mwy (M4) at the Coleman St interchange, Merrylands, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Merrylands approaching Cumberland Hwy (A28), December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at South Wentworthville approaching Cumberland Hwy (A28), December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Cumberland Highway:

Western Mwy (M4) at the Cumberland Hwy (A28) interchange at South Wentworthville, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Cumberland Highway:

Western Mwy (M4) at the Cumberland Hwy (A28) interchange at South Wentworthville, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign at Greystanes, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Ettalong Road:

Western Mwy (M4) as it passes under Ettalong Rd at Greystanes, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign near Beresford Rd at Greystanes approaching Prospect Hwy, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Greystanes Road:

Western Mwy (M4) as it passes under Greystanes Rd at Greystanes, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands

Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Greystanes approaching Prospect Hwy, October 2017.

Image © Paul Rands

Supplemental Advance Directional Sign:

Supplemental AD sign at Greystanes approaching Prospect Hwy, December 2015.

Image © Paul Rands