Transport for NSW is planning upgrades for a section of the M1 Motorway, including the steep Mt Ousley climb. Photo: Transport for NSW.
Transport for NSW is looking at options to upgrade the M1 Princes Motorway between Picton Road and the base of Mt Ousley and wants to hear from road users and the community.
The Federal and State governments have jointly committed $10 million towards planning for safety and reliability improvements on the 5 km section of motorway.
Site investigations will be carried out in coming months and will be used in conjunction with community feedback to inform planning and development of upgrade options.
Early investigations may include Aboriginal heritage and cultural investigations, biodiversity and environmental studies, traffic studies, surveys, and utility and geotechnical investigations.
A community update from Transport for NSW (TfNSW) says this section of motorway carries about 55,000 vehicles each day and is currently subject to traffic congestion, especially during weekday peak hours and on weekends/public holidays.
“This section of the motorway forms a missing link between other upgrades on the corridor, the Mount Ousley Interchange (under construction) and the Picton Road upgrade (in planning),” the update says.
“It also forms part of the key corridor for movement of freight between the Illawarra region and Greater Metropolitan Sydney via the M1 Princes Motorway and M31 Hume Motorway (via Picton Road).
“It is the only crossing of the Illawarra escarpment suitable for higher productivity freight vehicles, with alternative routes subject to load limits and other restrictions.
“The steep road grades and road geometry, variable posted speeds for heavy and light vehicles and capacity constraints all combine to generate significant vehicle movements, which impact road safety, congestion and the ability to respond efficiently to unplanned incidents.
“The challenging topography and high traffic volumes also result in regular planned closures of this section of the motorway for routine maintenance.
“Due to space constraints and limited options for redirecting traffic, it is difficult to respond to incidents on this section of the motorway, leading to freight industry and commuter disruptions.”
Wollongong MP Paul Scully said Mt Ousley and Picton Road played crucial roles in passenger and freight movements in and out of the Illawarra.
“Over the coming years freight movements will grow and so too will the number of people travelling from southwest Sydney to the Illawarra for jobs and recreation so it is important that we understand motorists’ experiences when planning future upgrades,” he said.
“Over the coming months site investigations will take place to understand the existing site conditions and this will be coupled with feedback from the community to better inform the development of upgrade options.”
Road users and residents can provide feedback on their experiences via an online survey and interactive map to pinpoint locations of concern.
The survey asks questions about time and frequency of travel on this section and the major concerns people have, such as driver behaviour, heavy and light vehicles sharing the road, poor road surface, emergency response times and impact on traffic congestion, maintenance closures and access to and from Mt Pleasant Road.
Feedback should be submitted by 11:59 pm on Monday 20 October.
TfNSW will collate and consider the feedback received during the consultation period and prepare a summary by early 2026.
Funding for the improvements will be sought after the planning is complete.
