Australia’s most advanced Motorway Control Centre is now operational, and managing more than 26km of integrated tunnel, using SICE’s Operations Management Control System (OMCS) SIDERA. The new extensions of the M4 and M8 opened to traffic in the early hours of 20 January 2023 and is the most crucial stage of the WestConnex project.
The new 7.5 kilometre tunnels complete the missing link between the M4 at Haberfield and the M8 at St Peters. The overall combined 26km of WestConnex tunnels will help ease congestion and improve travel times by up to 40 minutes between Parramatta and Mascot for thousands of motorists each day.
In addition to SICE’s Integrated OMCS (IOMCS) system, SICE has delivered its comprehensive OMCS in-house solution, SIDERA, along with other critical Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) for this latest stage of the project, allowing seamless and simultaneous operation of WestConnex’s entire tunnel network. This best-in-class SICE designed IOMCS solution will enable traffic control room operators to manage all WestConnex tunnels from a unique, fully integrated control room, leading to lower operating costs and enhanced levels of safety and efficiency.
SICE’s IOMCS control system currently manages more than 36,000 devices across the existing tunnel network seamlessly, including 1,914 Driver Advisory Signs (i.e., integrated speed, lane usage and variable/tunnel messaging signs), 511 jet fans and 2,227 emergency phones, among others, making it the most sophisticated road control system in Australia. This one-of-a-kind IOMCS will allow the management of up to three additional road tunnels in the future, thanks to its scalability and expandable architecture.
A 15.5m x 5.2m video wall, fed by more than 2,400 CCTV and Automatic Vehicle Incident Detection cameras along the motorway, enables operators to monitor vehicle and systems activity 24/7 and, with SIDERA at the heart of this complex body of subsystems, WestConnex is delivering a smarter, safer and more reliable journey for motorists, with incident coordination and maintenance activities fully streamlined.
SICE’s team of more than 160 engineers from Spain and Australia worked closely with the project’s joint venture partners – WestConnex Transurban and Transport for NSW – to achieve this significant milestone nearly two and a half months ahead of schedule. This included undertaking more than 120,000 hours of testing on over 14,300 tunnel devices during the commissioning stage of the project.
“SICE is honoured to have played a key role in the successful delivery of this landmark project, which will transform Sydney’s motorway network for generations to come,” said Manuel Gonzalez Arrojo, Managing Director for SICE ANZ.
“The completion of this latest stage of WestConnex represents a remarkable technical accomplishment and reinforces our commitment to delivering world-class solutions that support not only the project itself but also the communities we serve.”
