A whopping $150 million has been pledged to help fix “Sydney’s worst roundabout.”
The notorious DFO roundabout, located outside the Sydney Olympic Park precinct, is set to receive a major upgrade to help ease congestion on Homebush Bay Drive.
Announced today, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said an additional $50 million will now go towards delivering the works.
The investment will focus on delivering a signalised intersection, with a number of options set to be put to the community in the coming months.
Nearly 5,000 vehicles an hour travel through the roundabout during weekday peak periods, with a total of 41 crashes reported at the intersection between 2019 and 2023.
Federal Member for Reid Sally Sitou said the upgrade is “long overdue.”
“If you ask any Sydneysider about this DFO roundabout they will tell you how horrible it is,” she said.
“I’m really glad to be a part of a government that has already taken steps to improve safety at this roundabout and now we’ve got an announcement to finally upgrade and fix it make it easier for people to get to Sydney Olympic Park to move around this community.”
The additional Federal commitment brings the total Commonwealth contribution up to $100 million, alongside the $50 million investment from the NSW Government.
Calling it the most famous roundabout in Australia for all the wrong reasons, NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said fixing it would be a real breakthrough moment for both locals and people travelling to Sydney Olympic Park for events.
“This additional funding from the Federal Labor Government is extremely welcome as we enter the final design stages on a solution for an intersection which is fair to describe as Australia’s worst roundabout,” NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said.
“Whether it is trying to get to a big event at Olympic Park on time or just getting home from work, this intersection has been a headache, there is no getting around that.”
The final timeline for the upgrades is expected to be announced following community consultation.
In December, a number of significant improvements were made to the roundabout to improve safety, including roundabout operating signs, new traffic loop detectors and advance warning signs on off-ramps.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.