Liverpool Council Urges NSW Government to Rethink 'Flawed' $1.4B Road Upgrade

Liverpool City Council (LCC) is urging the NSW government to rethink a $1.4 billion road upgrade in Western Sydney, arguing the design is "flawed and short-sighted" and would lead to the destruction of about 90 homes.

The project has also drawn criticism from some infrastructure experts, who say it is inconsistent with the government's transport and housing objectives.

The government plans to widen Liverpool's heavily congested Fifteenth Avenue to improve traffic flow and support rapid housing growth. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

The project is the first stage of a long-term vision of a future transport corridor linking Liverpool with Western Sydney International Airport and Bradfield.

But Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun has rejected the state government's plans and put forward an alternate proposal that he claims will better serve the community at a lower cost.

"We have a solution that saves money, protects homes, and delivers better infrastructure," the Liberal mayor said.

The latest plan — developed by Transport for NSW and funded by the federal and state governments — would see the road widened to allow for two traffic lanes running in either direction, with additional turning lanes at intersections.

The design uses wide car lanes and median strips to accommodate fast-moving traffic. The plans show footpaths and bus stops but do not include dedicated bus or bike lanes.

Under LCC's alternate proposal, lower traffic speeds would allow for narrower traffic lanes, creating space for bus lanes in each direction.

"Your lanes can become a little bit narrower, which then creates room down the middle to actually put another two lanes in," Cr Mannoun told 702 ABC Sydney Mornings. "It's actually that simple to do."

"While we are very thankful for the [government funding] … it's only going to give us a two-lane road [in each direction]," the mayor said.

The council said its plan would cost an additional $239m, but would save money in the future by avoiding further widening works.

According to Transport for NSW, a potential second stage of the project would see the road widened even further to construct dedicated bus lanes. LCC said these upgrades would cost an additional $1 billion and require the demolition of about 90 properties, including newly built homes.

"No family should lose their home because of a design that we already know is flawed and short-sighted," Cr Mannoun said. "We want things done once, we want things done properly."

The local Labor state member, Leppington MP Nathan Hagarty, said the situation was "not as simple as the mayor is making out".

"There is very little credibility when it comes to Liverpool council delivering projects, and that's why the NSW government has stepped in," Mr Haggerty told 702 ABC Sydney Mornings.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the government provided the LCC with funding more than five years ago to plan an upgrade for Fifteenth Avenue. They said the council never completed that work.

It said property acquisition would be required for current and future stages of the road upgrade because LCC did not protect the corridor from housing development.

"Based on comments from meetings with Liverpool council, Transport does not see the possibility of this alternate design," the Transport for NSW spokesperson said.

An LCC spokesperson rejected Transport for NSW's account as "inaccurate". They said the council used $1.5 million in state government funding to develop a viable design and business case for the Fifteenth Avenue upgrade before Transport for NSW assumed responsibility for the project in 2021.

The council also said it had lobbied the government for more than a decade to preserve the corridor for future road widening because it lacked the legislative powers to set aside the land itself.

Upgrade 'restricts' housing growth, 'contradicts' government policy

Questions have also been raised over the project's alignment with the NSW government's own transport and housing policy.

According to its 2025 Connecting NSW Strategy, Transport for NSW said it will "rebalance" road investment away from adding capacity for car traffic and towards public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure.

It said this redistribution in investment is required to support medium density "missing-middle" housing in areas close to infrastructure, services and jobs.

Tegan Mitchell, a senior road engineer who worked at the state roads bureaucracy for two decades, said the Fifteenth Avenue upgrade plan contradicts government policy and the project's original objective of supporting public transport.

"What they are building is a traffic sewer, not unlike what Parramatta Road looks like now. We clearly haven't learnt from past experience," said Ms Mitchell, who is the president of Walk Sydney, a group that advocates to improve walking infrastructure.

Ms Mitchell said the design would limit future housing growth in the area compared with the council's proposal and is "nonsensical" given Sydney's housing shortage.

Senior Western Sydney infrastructure consultant Edward Chan said he was more supportive of the council's approach to fixing the road.

He said the inclusion of dedicated bus lanes from the outset would make LCC's proposal better suited to support medium density housing around the corridor with rapid bus services, while the current design would be more suited to support low-density suburban sprawl.

A 2023 NSW Productivity Commission report said reallocating road space to dedicated bus lanes can "risk worsening" car traffic but allows more people to travel overall.

Mr Chan said the department's design was less suited to the character of Western Sydney, and that it "risks dividing a suburb rather than connecting it."

"That's the last thing the community should want, especially with additional property acquisitions," Mr Chan said.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said their proposal addresses the most pressing needs of the community and was urgently needed to relieve congestion and keep pace with development in an area where the number of homes is expected to triple by 2036.

They said the project factors in forecast growth along Fifteenth Avenue and meets the department's key infrastructure priorities, including the Connecting NSW Strategy.

"The upgrade would increase road capacity and improve public and active transport," the spokesperson said.