MacDonald Street widening and new trunk drain

Project Status: Completed

What we’re doing

The new street design will improve connections across the area and create safe, green spaces that encourage people to walk and cycle. The 230m underground drain will help ease street flooding and connect drain infrastructure across the Ashmore precinct.

The $13 million project will support growth in the precinct and add to the area’s existing community facilities, parks and public spaces.

Works will include:

  • a new trunk drain and stormwater connections
  • a wider road and on-street parking
  • an upgrade of service and utility infrastructure
  • garden swales to reduce stormwater pollutants running into the local catchment
  • a bi-directional cycleway with connections to the surrounding area
  • 3 raised pedestrian crossings and 2 footpath continuation crossings
  • a continuous footway treatment on the south side of MacDonald Street
  • relocation of above-ground power wires underground
  • new energy efficient LED street lights.

We will need to remove 36 trees for the works, but we will plant 47 new trees, so the street will have 11 more trees by the end of the project. The landscaping will include understory planting.

The increase in trees and the construction of the cycleway will require a reduction in on-street parking. There are currently 48 parking spaces on MacDonald and Goddard streets. When the project is complete there will be 24 spaces.

Construction times

Our contractor Ward Civil & Environmental Engineering will carry out the work. 

Our usual construction hours will be 7am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, and 7am to 4pm on Saturdays. Extended work hours may apply in line with Covid-19 work approval.

Changes to traffic lanes, parking and noise

MacDonald and Goddard streets and the streets nearby will remain open to traffic during the works. We will need to change traffic lanes throughout the works and at times there will be single lane 1-way traffic.

There will be limited footpath access along the northern side of MacDonald Street for part of the works.

There will be no parking on MacDonald and Goddard streets during the works.

Parking in Hadfields Street will be temporarily reduced to accommodate the construction site office.

Our contractor will make every effort to minimise other impacts. However, there will be machinery noise and dust.

Artist's impression shows path with trees and tall buildings behind and people riding bikes.
Artist's impressionThe changes will make it safer and encourage people to walk or ride a bicycle.Image: City of Sydney