The story behind Western Sydney airport’s emu nest sculpture

Transport for NSW said the sculpture would complement other artworks being installed on new bridges and a shared cycling and walking path along the M12.

The agency said Balarinji had been engaged to bring together input from local artists to develop a story that was significant to the local Indigenous population.

In 2022, a provisional estimate put the cost of the sculpture at $7 million, which Transport for NSW said sat within the new motorway’s $2.1 billion budget.

The M12 will connect the M7 motorway at Cecil Hills, near Bonnyrigg, to The Northern Road at Luddenham, providing motorists direct access to the new airport, which is about 50 kilometres from Sydney’s CBD.

According to Transport for NSW’s most recent update, the central and western parts of the 16-kilometre M12 are due to be completed by the middle of this year, while the eastern part will be finished by early next year ahead of the airport opening in late 2026.

Transport officials told a budget estimates hearing two weeks ago that the M12 would be opened in a “staged manner”, possibly earlier than next year. They said announcements about the “exact timings” would be made shortly.

The toll-free motorway will have two lanes in each direction and comprise 17 bridges, the longest of which is a 700-metre span over South Creek.

The federal government is covering 80 per cent of the cost of the motorway, while the state is paying the rest. The project’s cost has progressively risen – mostly under the previous Coalition government – since late last decade when it was budgeted at $1.25 billion.

In 2019, the cost of acquiring properties was cited as a major reason for the budget rising to $1.8 billion, while two years later design changes pushed it to more than $2 billion.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.