One of the Illawarra's most significant infrastructure projects is taking a well-earned Christmas break, offering nearby residents a temporary reprieve from noise and dust. Construction on the major Mount Ousley Road interchange upgrade has paused, and with it comes a short-term return to a higher speed limit on the M1 Princes Motorway.
Holiday Hiatus Brings Temporary Relief
The construction site for the transformative project will remain closed until 6am on Monday, January 5, 2026. During this shutdown period, the speed limit on the affected section of the M1 Princes Motorway will revert to 80 km/h. This offers motorists a brief return to normal conditions and allows local residents a pause from the constant activity that has characterised the site for much of the past year.
Transport for NSW has confirmed that work is approximately one-third complete, following an immense 357,000 person-hours invested since construction commenced in 2024. The scale of the operation is clear from recent aerial photographs, which show the dramatic reshaping of the landscape at Wollongong's key northern gateway.
Key Milestones Reached and Community Win
Significant progress was made in 2025, with a focus on establishing the groundwork for major structural elements. According to Cassandra Ffrench, Transport for NSW Executive Director of Partnerships and Integration South, the foundational work for three new interchange bridges and a new heavy vehicle safety ramp is now visibly taking shape.
"Bridge piers and retaining walls are now visible for these three new structures that will form the interchange over the M1 Princes Motorway," Ms Ffrench stated.
A major victory for the community was secured in August 2025, when the NSW government agreed to reinstate a shared pedestrian and cycle bridge into the project plans. This decision came after overwhelming public feedback, with more than 80 per cent of submissions calling for the bridge. The reinstatement will add an estimated $12 million to the project's total cost.
Looking Ahead to a Busy 2026
When work resumes in the new year, progress is expected to become even more noticeable. The first half of 2026 will be particularly impactful, featuring four separate 46-hour closures of Mount Ousley Road. These extended closures are a strategic move to accelerate the work of widening and raising the road, a process that will ultimately reduce the need for disruptive night works by an estimated nine months.
Ms Ffrench outlined several key milestones slated for the coming year. These include pouring the concrete deck for the Mount Ousley Road bridge over the heavy vehicle bypass and the anticipated opening of the new heavy vehicle safety ramp. Work will also continue on the new southbound access road to University Avenue.
"We thank the community for their ongoing patience while construction on this important project is carried out," Ms Ffrench said, acknowledging the disruption caused by one of the region's largest ever construction undertakings.
