Rozelle interchange ‘hotspots’ were known 16 months before opening – MASHAHER

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Kelly said the arrangements had been for Transurban to take over the interchange once construction was completed, and the principles outlined in the deed related to a framework if the government made major changes or abandoned the project.

“There is nothing in those pages that relate to the surface road network or any kind of arrangements relating to the prioritisation or otherwise of traffic on the Rozelle interchange and on the WestConnex network,” she told the inquiry.

“All of the things dealt with there are in the past and have no impact and no bearing on what we are seeing taking place right now.”

Ramp meters – traffic lights that allow one or two vehicles to pass at a time – were installed on Victoria Road, the City West Link and the toll-free Iron Cove Link but not the WestConnex tunnels, which motorists pay to use.

While Transport for NSW operates the ramp meters, their use has fuelled concerns that they are designed to give priority to WestConnex traffic over other vehicles.

The Transurban officials were grilled about a ramp metering agreement struck between the consortium their company is part of and the government.

Kelly said the agreement covered the maintenance of ramp metering technology and systems, and there were “important reasons to keep that secure” because unauthorised access could impact tunnel safety.

“The agreements themselves do not deal with how Transport for NSW is going to actually operate those ramp meters,” she said.

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Sydney’s inner west residents and small business owners have for months vented their huge frustrations at the traffic chaos caused by the spaghetti junction and their dissatisfaction at the state’s transport agency’s response.

The opening of the WestConnex motorway interchange late last year caused severe congestion on roads in Rozelle, Balmain, Drummoyne, Lilyfield and Annandale as motorists struggled to navigate new routes, poor signage and multiple-lane merging.

Victoria Road and local streets in Drummoyne and Gladesville remain the worst affected by congestion. Changes to the sequencing of traffic lights to reduce congestion closer to the Balmain peninsula have caused vehicles to back up further west along Victoria Road in the morning peak.

Councils have also warned that “rat running” is causing bumper-to-bumper traffic on streets north and south of Victoria Road and east and west of Lyons Road.