Peak hour travel times from Sydney's north-west cut by 15 minutes after new lanes opened on expanded M2 Traffic is flowing faster now that the final sections of the M2 have been opened to motorists after drawn-out roadworks. TRAVEL times to the CBD from Sydney's north-west have been slashed by 15 minutes with the opening of extra lanes on the M2 this morning. After more than two years of construction the new lanes officially opened at 5am just in time for the morning peak. But the faster travel speeds came at a cost with the toll jumping by $1.10 to $6.05. Motorists are already enjoying M2 travel times that have been slashed by 15 minutes. Transurban NSW group general manager Andrew Head said this mornings peak had gone smoothly. "I'm pleased to report there has been a been a 15-minute improvement," Mr Head said. It's the first day but it was a very good morning peak this morning and I'm hopeful that those customers who used it had a very good experience. The opening of the new lanes marks the end of more than two years of misery for motorists who have battled constant delays, reduced speed limits and lane closures during the upgrade. The cost of the project blew out by $50 million, bringing the total cost of the project to $600 million, and took six months longer than expected The last traffic cones have been removed from the M2 and travel times have been cut but motorists are paying more.