WestConnex brings Western Sydney jobs boom

More than 1,600 businesses have signed contracts worth more than $1.6 billion since work began on Australia’s largest transport infrastructure project. It will create 10,000 jobs during construction, including hundreds of apprenticeships.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and WestConnex Minister Stuart Ayres said the project has boosted job opportunities across a range of industries and generated a skills legacy for the State.

“We are not just talking about large construction companies, but many small businesses, which employ hundreds of people,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“They range from small manufacturers to engineering firms and design consultants, along with service providers, such as traffic control firms and crane hire companies.”

WestConnex is expected to inject more than $20 billion in benefits into the NSW economy.

“The WestConnex story is not just about state building, it’s about supporting the local industries that rely on a thriving economy,” Mr Ayres said.

“Steel from Port Kembla is being manufactured into gantries in Western Sydney, businesses across the regions also being kick-started back into gear.”

“We’re proud to be creating jobs now and providing infrastructure for the future, it is a great legacy for the State,” Ms Berejiklian said.

WestConnex is a 33-kilometre-long motorway which is two-thirds underground. It will widen and extend the M4, duplicate the M5 East and join them together to form a free-flowing western bypass of Sydney’s central business district.