New Sydney Airport roadway opens this weekend
Here’s what you can expect from Sydney Airport’s new toll-free connection.
By David Flynn, August 30 2024
Frequent flyer love fast-track lanes at airports which speed their way through immigration and security, but now there’s a ‘fast track’ for anybody driving to and from Sydney Airport.
It’s called the Sydney Gateway, and when its opens this Sunday September 1 it’ll save motorists an estimated 17 minutes between the airport and the St Peters Interchange which connects to the M8, and the main M4 and M5 routes to Western Sydney.
In fact, drivers joining the motorway network at Campbelltown, Liverpool, Penrith or Parramatta won’t see a single traffic light all the way to Sydney’s T2 and T3 domestic terminals – and there’ll be just one traffic light into the T1 international terminal.
Even the once-arduous run from Parramatta to Sydney Airport is expected to take less than 30 minutes during the morning peak hour, with the WestConnex feeding straight into the Sydney Gateway.
Whether your're behind the wheel or are a passenger in an Uber or taxi, the Sydney Gateway will be a game-changer.
And here’s welcome news for motorists – this modern 5km stretch of multi-lane road, with its overpass bridges and streamlined access to the airport departures and arrivals levels, is toll-free.
To help drivers familiarise themselves with the new Sydney Gateway routes to the airport, including the lanes and turn-offs they’ll need to take, Transport for NSW has prepared a series of ‘virtual drive-through’ videos which can be viewed online.
Don’t forget that GPS navigation systems like Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze typically take several days to reflect changes such as new roads, so they may not be reliable guides at first.
For its part, Sydney Airport will roll out a number of measures to help manage traffic flow once the Sydney Gateway opens.
Those will include doubling the number of roadside staff across the airport precinct to get people in and out smoothly, with the operations centre monitor everything through live traffic feeds and the ability to activate ‘overflow drop-offs’ across the airport to manage traffic flow at peak periods.
The opening of the Sydney Gateway caps the completion of a $2.6 billion project, which since November 2023 has seen a flyover road to the domestic terminal, two arched bridges over the Alexandra Canal near the international terminal, and improvements to Airport Drive.
Of course, if you’re from the lower north shore and travelling in hand-luggage only mode, don’t overlook the new Sydney Metro extension, which has an easy change at Central from underground platforms 26 and 27 to the Airport Line at platform 23.
Also read: First class fare – how Luke Mangan is elevating Sydney Airport’s dining
08 Feb 2018
Total posts 165
I hope this won’t just be 17 minutes quicker to get to a 20 minute longer drop-off queue. A motorway right up to the gate is a risky plan!
26 Aug 2012
Total posts 44
Then add on 1 hour for the new rental car experience at SYD T2 and T3.
12 Oct 2021
Total posts 5
Almost every major airport in the world has a motorway leading right into the airport. Can't be that hard to get right?
I drove on it recently - why did they cheap out and put a traffic light on the motorway section to the T1 international terminal. If it cost $2.6 billion surely they could have removed the one traffic light for a bit more?
And why not give it an M Motorway prefix:
MT1 for International section and
MT23 for Domestic section of road
Velocity
19 Jun 2013
Total posts 65
“Can’t be that hard to get right?” This is Australia, so yes it can be that hard. We can’t do infrastructure or any other projects, any more. Not since the original Snowy scheme in the 1950s-60s. Witness: the dog’s breakfast that is the Rozelle Interchange; transport links (what transport links???) to the new WSI airport; a digital Arrival Card system. And so on…
05 Dec 2018
Total posts 145
Traveling to Sydney from Melbourne, feels so much more advanced. Seems to get allot of major infrastructure completed.
Melbourne airport rail will probable finally launch in 2069.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Feb 2017
Total posts 6
As early as that? You're optimistic!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2013
Total posts 144
Kudos to the opening of this connection. Especially being toll free.
What is the obsession towards having just one lane going into the drop off area (sydney, brisbane etc)????
Open a highway, and let's see if we can make it more congested just where we need to open up!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
25 Feb 2017
Total posts 5
Slowest drop off on Sunday morning around 7:30 at T1 since pre-covid. Queue for the departures ramp was back to almost the exit of the new connection and we couldn’t get into the departures lane due to this backed up queue. Ended up going to the “overflow drop off area” which I haven’t seen before. Saved a lot of time getting to the airport area, but trip time was longer than usual due to the congestion at the actual terminal ramp.
23 Sep 2023
Total posts 16
Drove in on this to drop off my hire car on the opening Sunday early afternoon and it was great. The online drivethroughs were good prep but it was pretty straighforward and well signed.
The only issue was getting to the hire car drop off area and Google maps sent me on a couple of wrong turns.
Shuttles to and from T3 were one minute or less wait time. I didn't experience the 1 hour wait to get the hire car that Meridiengroup experienced. Probably half an hour from landing to being on our way.
22 May 2011
Total posts 86
Tried it on Sunday to pick up a relative - the electronic board for arrivals only had “arrivals - rental cars and hotels” and the other, veering off to the right was blank. So I followed the only sign to arrivals, and ended up at Rydges, Uber, taxi area. Then there’s no way to turn back to the international terminal, so had to do a U turn at the freight terminal to just get back.
Teething issue on day 1, but other than that works ok
11 Mar 2019
Total posts 5
Exactly the same thing happened to me! Saving grace was it doesn't require payment on exit back onto the main road and I discovered you could probably do an Express Pick Up outside Rydges rather than the Public Pick up Area.
I ended up getting back on the main road and doing a U turn at Link Rd traffic lights.
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