The Light Horse Interchange is a

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

interchange Interchange may refer to: Transport * Interchange (road), a collection of ramps, exits, and entrances between two or more highways * Interchange (freight rail), the transfer of freight cars between railroad companies * Interchange station, a rai ...

located in Eastern Creek,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia at the junction of the M4 and M7 motorways. The interchange is the largest in Australia and was opened to traffic in December 2005. The interchange was named in honour of the

Australian Light Horse Australian Light Horse were mounted troops with characteristics of both cavalry and mounted infantry, who served in the Second Boer War and World War I, World War I. During the inter-war years, a number of regiments were raised as part of A ...

Brigades of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, who trained at the Wallgrove Army camp that was located near the site of the interchange prior to deploying overseas. Light horse interchange

Design and construction

In response to a population boom in Sydney's western suburbs, the

Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...

' Sydney Orbital Roads Strategy identified the need for a limited access north-south link. The Westlink M7 project would connect the three existing east-west motorways: the M5 South Western Motorway, the

M4 Western Motorway The M4 motorway is a series of partially Road pricing, tolled dual carriageway motorways in Sydney designated as route M4. The M4 designation is part of the wider A4/M4 (Sydney), A4 and M4 route designation, the M4 runs parallel and/or below ...

and the

M2 Hills Motorway M2 Hills Motorway is a tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network and the National Highway west of Pennant Hills Road. Owned by toll road operator Transurban, it forms majority of Sydney's ...

catering for up to 60,000 vehicles per day and providing faster routes to the

Sydney central business district The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or ...

. Following a

request for tender An invitation to tender (ITT, also known as a call for bids or a request for tenders) is a formal, structured procedure for generating competing offers from different potential suppliers or contractors looking to obtain an award of business activ ...

in 2001, a joint venture between engineering firms Leighton Contractors and

Abigroup Abigroup was an Australian construction company. History Abigroup was established as Graham Evans & Co in 1957 as a civil engineering company within New South Wales, being renamed Abignano in 1961. In 1981 it was listed on the Australian Securit ...

were awarded the contract in 2003 to design and construct the

Westlink M7 The Westlink M7 is a tolled urban motorway in Sydney, New South Wales that is part of the Sydney Orbital Network. Owned by the NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it connects three motorways: the M5 South-West Motorway at Prestons, the M4 We ...

motorway and interchanges, including Australia's first complete four-level

stack interchange A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges e ...

. Construction of the Light Horse Interchange began in 2003 at the site of the existing M4 Wallgrove Road exit. The new motorway overpass consisted of two spans, and carrying the main carriageways of the M7 over the existing M4. 802 individual bridge segments were used to create the main spans, 8 connecting ramps and a separate bridge carrying a shared pedestrian and cycle path. The Wallgrove Road M4 overpass was retained, with new ramp flyovers reaching a height of above the existing roadway and ramps. Due to the complexity of the interchange no access to the M7 was provided. During the construction phase between 2003 and 2005, both the

and Wallgrove Road continued to carry traffic as normal. This required the use of balanced

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a cantilev ...

construction methods to position

pre-cast concrete Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting concrete in a reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and maneuvered into place; examples include precast bea ...

bridge segments at heights of up to above the active motorway. Upon completion, electronic tolling was implemented for vehicles entering the

, allowing continuous flow of traffic.

Landscaping

As a major feature of Sydney's road network, the Light Horse Interchange features unique landscaping and lighting. A steel lighting tower was installed in the centre of the interchange, designed to be visible to motorists up to away, as well as the more practical function of lighting the interchange. The tower, resembling a torch, serves as the centrepiece of the Light Horse Sculpture Parade, designed with the support of the Returned & Services League of Australia. The

median strip A median strip, central reservation, roadway median, or traffic median is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways such as divided highways, dual carriageways, controlled-access highway, freeways, and moto ...

of both the M4 and M7 motorways approaching the interchange are lined with markers which represent the Light Horse on parade. Each marker is painted red to symbolise the Flanders poppy, as well as the blood of supreme sacrifice, with white bands to represent the innocence of the soldiers leaving for war. Wire plumages atop the markers represent the emu feathers worn in the slouch hats of members of the regiment. As

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

laws prevented the horses from returning to Australia after combat, there is no reference to horses in the sculpture.

References

{{Road infrastructure in Sydney, state=collapsed Military memorials in New South Wales Road interchanges in Australia Transport infrastructure completed in 2005 2005 establishments in Australia