By ANNA USHER

Lower north shore residents impacted by ongoing disruptions from the Warringah Freeway upgrade will face more pain next month thanks to a toll increase on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

From July 1, motorists will pay $4.41 for southbound trips in peak periods, an increase of 14¢. The off-peak day rate will increase by 10¢ to $3.30, and evenings will cost $2.76, an increase of 9¢.

NSW Transport Minister John Graham has signed off on the hike, amid ongoing traffic congestion and significant delays due to the works.

It is the second time since 2009 that tolls have risen on the bridge. In 2023 they increased by 6.8 per cent, just days after the toll cap was announced.

In defending the rise, Minister Graham said the new tolls would help pay for the $60 weekly toll cap, which mostly benefits drivers in Sydney’s west. There, a weekday peak hour return trip from Blacktown to the CBD using the M7, M2 Lane Cove Tunnel and Harbour Bridge costs $38.03, an increase from $12.72 in 2009.

“That toll relief making a big difference to people’s pockets, but we need to fund it, and this money will go straight into that,” he said.

Mosman Councillor Roy Bendall this week spoke out against the increase, calling it a “theft” on the local community.

“We paid off the Harbour Bridge in the ’80s – this is insane and it’s inequitable,” he said.

Bendall said local motorists will feel “betrayed” by the increase, having dealt with major disruption caused by the freeway upgrade.

“We are being billed for our suffering,” he said.

The Warringah Freeway is one of Australia’s busiest and most complicated roads, providing the northern gateway to the CBD via the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel for 250,000 vehicles per day.

The upgrade is expected to be completed by late 2026.