Speed limit to increase on stretch of Sydney’s M5 Motorway

A busy section of Sydney's M5 Motorway will see its speed limit increase from 80km/h to 100km/h this week, the New South Wales government has announced.

The new speed limit applies to a short eastbound stretch of the M5 between Belmore Road in Riverwood and King Georges Road in Beverly Hills in Sydney's south-west, which carried a 100km/h limit until it was reduced to 80km/h in 2020 with the opening of the M8 Motorway.

While the affected stretch of road is only 2.1km long, the government says it now means motorists will be able to travel up to 100km/h for "20 unbroken kilometres along the M5".

NSW Roads Minister John Graham said in a media statement: "We are taking the first step in our plan to get commuters home faster, as we speed up our motorways.

The Roads Minister said in a media statement: "The initial speed reduction was a temporary measure to mitigate potential safety risks caused by queuing traffic onto the motorway as motorists adjusted to the new part of the network."

The NSW government said today it plans to change the signage tonight, 23 October 2023 – weather permitting – with temporary lane closures and a reduced 40km/h speed limit in force while the work is completed.

It says the 100km/h limit is planned to be restored tomorrow, 24 October 2023.

In a media announcement, the NSW government said the Rozelle Interchange in Sydney's inner-west – the "final piece" of its new WestConnex toll-road system – would "open by the end of the year", and that the speed limit along WestConnext is due to increase from 80km/h to 90km/h early next year.