Mount Ousley Interchange

LOCATION
Mount Ousley NSW
CLIENT
Fulton Hogan
DETAILS
Urban Design and Landscape Strategy

CM+ are the architects and urban designers for the Mount Ousley Interchange project. Located to the north of the centre of Wollongong in the foot slopes of the Illawarra Escarpment approximately 80 kilometres south of Sydney, the interchange forms an important gateway to Wollongong and the broader South Coast Region.

The project includes a range of improvements designed to enhance safety, connectivity, and accessibility for all road users. These upgrades will make travel smoother and more reliable for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists while improving links to key destinations such as the University of Wollongong and surrounding areas. Key features of the project include:

  • A new southbound bypass lane for heavy vehicles to help separate truck and car traffic.
  • Dedicated southbound off-ramps for light and heavy vehicles leaving the M1 Princes Motorway.
  • Two safety ramps for heavy vehicles.
  • A new bridge over the M1 Princes Motorway with traffic lights linking the motorway, Mount Ousley Road, and the new road to the University of Wollongong.
  • A commuter car park to support local and university travel.
  • A roundabout providing access to both the M1 Princes Motorway and the new university access road.
  • A shared walking and cycling path across the bridge and along the university access road.
  • A new shared path bridge over Mount Ousley Road, connecting to Dumfries Avenue via a boardwalk section.
  • A southbound access road connecting Mount Ousley Road to University Avenue.
  • A pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the new southbound access road.
  • A shared path linking to the existing path from Helen Street, with upgrades to the path next to TAFE NSW Wollongong.
  • Upgrades and an extension to the existing pedestrian bridge over the M1 Princes Motorway at Northfields Avenue.
  • New five‑metre‑high noise walls along both sides of the motorway near Dumfries Avenue and Falder Place.
  • New three‑and‑a‑half‑metre‑high noise walls along the southern side of Mount Ousley Road between Gowan Brae Avenue and the end of the cul‑de‑sac.

The design demonstrates a unified, integrated and an inspired urban design. It has also adopted a solution that enhances the legibility of the interchange whilst capitalising on its setting to create placemaking opportunities that are integrated as part of the infrastructure and create a gateway experience as outlined in the vision. The interchange itself is perceived to be a large piece of environmental art that is juxtaposed within its urban bushland setting.