MERCEDES-BENZ PARRAMATTA In response, the Strategy will provide more cycleways and walkways, as well as new street furniture, trees, and kerb and guttering to rejuvenate the once vibrant commercial strip, providing a better experience heading into Parramatta’s CBD. The Strategy will also allocate $15.7 million to Parramatta Council for a new urban plaza at Bridge Street, north of the railway station. Getting there is one thing but getting away will be even easier with completion of the Western Sydney Airport slated to open in 2026; what can now be well over an hour’s drive to Sydney Airport will be sliced in half. The new airport will provide direct connections to global destinations, allowing opportunities for residents and the community to enhance Western Sydney’s connection to international economies. Around 11,000 jobs will be created during the project’s construction phase and around 28,000 within five years of opening. When it does, Western Sydney Airport will cater for up to 10 million passengers, but a gradual expansion to two runways means it will eventually cater for up to 82 million passengers, the size of London Heathrow and JFK in New York. While these headline developments will create real change within the city, there are also hundreds of smaller projects – too many to count – quietly working towards their own completion dates. For existing residents, regular commuters or opportunists looking to take advantage of the growth, Parramatta is certainly opening up new horizons. Parramatta over the next 20 years* • 113,000 additional jobs • 72,000 new homes, close to jobs, shops, parks and services • $10 billion worth of public and private investment • Key transport initiatives including the Parramatta Light Rail and Sydney Metro West • More open space along the Parramatta River, with improved access to new and upgraded walking and cycling paths. *NSW Government Department of Planning & Environment 12 FEATURE