Changes to access the Ernest Street off-ramp

Sydney Harbour Bridge northbound, use lanes 2 or 3 to access the Ernest Street northbound off ramp.

Two permanent traffic changes will be implemented to the western Ernest Street ramp on the Warringah Freeway, starting 5am Saturday 22 February 2025.

These changes are:

  • Permanent Northbound off ramp – the Ernest Street northbound off ramp will now remain open at all times. Southbound travel during morning peak hours will be via the eastern Ernest Street southbound on-ramp.

  • Changes to off ramp access – to access the Ernest Street northbound off ramp, you will need to be in the outer lanes of the Warringah Freeway. It will no longer be accessible from the inner lanes.

If you are driving north over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, you must be in lanes 2 or 3 to merge into the outer lanes and use the Ernest Street off-ramp.

These changes are being implemented to make way for the Western Harbour Tunnel, and to ease journeys along the Warringah Freeway.

Risks:

  • Drivers may be taken by surprise that they can not access the off ramp from the inner lanes of the freeway. If this happens, they will need to take the next exit off the freeway at Brook Street.
  • Local community members may be confused about the current interim state (no removal of access to/from Sydney Harbour Bridge), confusing it with the final arrangements (access to/from Sydney Harbour Bridge will be removed, only Sydney Harbour Tunnel will be possible from Ernest Street in end-state configuration). This was covered in the EIS, so many people know the end-state arrangement, but may not know it will be introduced in stages.

To mitigate these risks, Transport for NSW has developed the following communications:

Published: 21 February 2025

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