Image: Homebush Bay Drive and Australia Avenue, Homebush Intersection Upgrade via NSW Government
One of Australia’s most despised roundabouts, Sydney’s DFO roundabout in Olympic Park, is set to receive a significant upgrade, with a $150 million funding boost.
The investment aims to alleviate the long queues and congestion that has plagued the busy intersection for years, improving traffic flow and reducing delays for thousands of motorists who travel through the area daily.
The infamous roundabout is located at the intersection of Australia Avenue, Homebush Bay Drive and Underwood Road in Olympic Park, and has been the site of turmoil for residents for years.
The $150 million upgrade will make the roundabout a signalised intersection.
Last December, the Australian and NSW governments had committed $100 million to upgrade the intersection to ease congestion and increase safety for road users.
Severe congestion at the roundabout impacting transport
A report by the NSW government found that congestion at the intersection has had severe impacts on the local road network, connectivity to Sydney Olympic Park and Homebush, and the reliability of bus services on routes 525 and 526. It has also affected the efficient movement of commuters and freight within the regional traffic network.
Additionally, the intersection has a poor road safety record, with 44 reported crashes between 2016 and 2020. Factors contributing to this include heavy congestion, difficulty in finding safe gaps to enter the roundabout, unclear signage, and inadequate lighting under the Homebush Bay Drive overbridge. Nearly half of these crashes were rear-end collisions, highlighting the impact of congestion during peak hours.
A signalised intersection, configured as a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) has been chosen as the preferred solution to reduce crashes and ease traffic congestion at the intersection. This design outperformed other options in improving safety, efficiency, and capacity, making it the most effective choice for managing traffic flow and reducing delays.
Key benefits of the signalised intersection include:
- improved connectivity to Sydney Olympic Park residential, recreational and commercial growth areas
- improved traffic flow and performance at the intersection
- improved travel times and service reliability for 525 and 526 bus routes users
- safer and more efficient travel for pedestrians and cyclists
- reduced vehicle operating costs for all road users
30,000 vehicles pass through DFO Roundabout daily
In a 2022 Preferred Option Report on the Homebush Bay Drive and Australia Avenue intersection upgrade, around 30, 000 vehicles pass through the intersection a day, with the heavy vehicle proportion averaging at around 2.5%.
Additionally, Pre COVID-19 (December 2018) traffic counts indicate that around 4,500 vehicles per hour travel through the intersection during the various peak periods.
The intersection is forecasted to rise to 36,000 vehicles per day by 20361 as estimated from the Transport for NSW Traffic Volume Viewer (2021).
On Thursday, federal Transport Minister Catherine King announced an extra federal funding boost of $50m, bringing the total Commonwealth spend to $100m, as reported by The Australian.
“This community has been promised this upgrade for years, and I know they’re looking forward to have their say on the proposed upgrades,” Minister King said in a statement.
NSW Roads Minister John Graham called the unpopular roundabout a “big time waster for millions of people.”
“It needs to be sorted out and this joint funding announcement gets us a big step closer…I think the public can be surprised that it could take $150m to fix a roundabout. That’s how difficult this roundabout (has) been,” Minister Graham said.
Construction is expected to commence later this year, and take about 18 months to complete.
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