It’s 5:20pm on a weekday and you’ve been watching the minutes go by as your car sits idle on the road, chock-a-block with every other person trying to drive their way home–Sydneysiders have all been there. Warringah Freeway is one of the most congested Aussie roads in our nation, so Transport NSW is putting their Warringah Freeway Upgrade project into action to make that post-work and pre-cuddles-with-the-furry-friend journey a lot smoother.
To get this done, though, Sydneysiders have got to push through that construction period, which means being aware of road closures and detours. We’ve put together the must-know details for you here to read before your next buckle-up.
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What’s Happening With The Warringah Freeway Upgrade?
Sydney Harbour views are always a stunner, especially when looking out from the Harbour Bridge itself. But even the warm sun and the city skyline can’t (completely) save you from the tediousness of moving half a metre forward every few minutes. Thankfully for all of our frequent drivers out there, the Warringah Freeway Upgrade project is designed specifically to make this drive run quicker and with significantly less stopping and starting.
This project is essentially adding new on- and off-ramps to the freeway, along with road relocations, to enable the Western Harbour Tunnel and spread out traffic by establishing more direct links to the Inner West, Sydney and North Sydney. Updates also include new and refurbished pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure, a dedicated city-bound bus lane to avoid difficult merges, and adjustments to interchanges at Falcon Street in Cammeray and High Street.
As the population of Sydney-lovers only continues to grow, these upgrades will alleviate some pressure off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Anzac Bridge and Western Distributor. Learn more about the project online here.
Closures, Lane Changes And Timing
Before we can have all of these new on-road benefits, we’ll need to wait out the construction time–nothing we haven’t been brave enough to do before.
Much of this construction work and these lane closures are taking place at night, particularly between the hours of 9pm until 5am. For any late-nighters or early starters, you’ll want to keep this in mind and give yourself that extra 20-30 minutes to get to your destination during this project period.
Northern Sydney is seeing most of these work sites, especially the Cammeray area, and the Harbour Bridge is also an occasional spot for some changes and cyclist lane closures too. Ernest Street is seeing new traffic signals in place from October 2025, and the Western Harbour tunnel will be having night work until 12 October.
Day work is also taking place, although a little less common, so be prepared to set that morning alarm a little earlier too, so that you aren’t rushing to your 9am. Work on High Street in North Sydney until 12 October will see pedestrian changes and slower speed limits, and Miller Street’s on-ramp cycleway will be closed for cyclists until 31 December this year.
Non-driving pedestrians and public transport goers will also want to keep an eye on these changes, because you’ll notice pedestrian detours being put into place shortly (if you haven’t already) and bus route changes too. Currently, we’re having some temporary bus lane diversions via Miller St specifically.
To get the most comprehensive overview of all the road changes, closures, and updates, keep an eye on the official website here (make sure to choose Warringah Freeway Upgrade from the drop-down project menu) for online and easy-access details.
How To Avoid The Delays
To avoid the nightmare scenarios of when you need to phone your boss while stuck in traffic, or text your partner that you’ll be late to the dinner date, the good old classic technique of leaving a little earlier is still a gem. During this period of getting the Warringah Freeway Upgrade set up and ready for action, its best to assume delays for any of your trips that go past the area during peak hours (give yourself that 20-30 minute grace period).
Detours have been set into place in some spots, so there are still routes that will (eventually) get you to where you need to go. The detour we consider the best right now is going from Gore Hill Freeway through to Lane Cove Tunnel, so give that one a try next drive out.
Public transport is also your best friend during this time–it’s pretty easy to avoid road closures and delays when you’re simply not on the roads. Although buses are slightly impacted, transport like our trusty trains and metros have got that off-road travel sorted and might be your smoother option when planning to get around these coming months. The T1 train line would be the one that covers these particular construction areas, check to see if there’s a stop near you.
So long as you keep track of the official road work activities online and take off during weekday peak hours that little bit earlier (and smarter), you should make it through this last leg of construction until the Warringah Freeway Upgrade is complete. From then on, it’ll be clearer roads, faster routes home, and easy drives.
Image credits: NSW Government | Website