NorthConnex, an extension of the M1 is a twin-tube motorway tunnel in northern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, opened on 31 October 2020. It acts as a tunnel bypass of the congested Pennant Hills Road, extending or connecting the M1 Pacific Motorway to the M2 Hills Motorway. Owned by NorthWestern Roads (NWR) Group, it is one of the longest road tunnels in Australia along with the WestConnex Tunnel. It is also the deepest road tunnel in Australia, with more than half of the tunnel deep or more, and the deepest point is underneath the Sydney Metro Northwest, about below ground. NorthConnex was first known as the F3 to M2 link, with F3 referring to F3 Sydney–Newcastle Freeway, the previous name of M1 Pacific Motorway. It was then renamed the M1 to M2 link in 2013 when the F3 was renamed M1 Pacific Motorway. The NorthConnex name was announced in March 2014. The road has also colloquially been referred to as the "missing link", because its construction completed the combination of the Sydney Orbital Network and its north–south motorway links to the National Highway. Design NorthConnex is a tolled motorway tunnel linking the M1 Pacific Motorway at Wahroonga to the M2 Hills Motorway at West Pennant Hills. NorthConnex is integrated within the existing Sydney Orbital Network and the need for integration work at either end has been identified to enable the safe merge of traffic on and off the M1 and M2 optimising motorway performance. The northern and southern interchanges were constructed to accommodate connections to Pennant Hills Road at either end of the tunnel. The tunnel allows motorists to bypass 21 sets of traffic lights along Pennant Hills Road, meaning drivers will not encounter a single traffic light when travelling between Melbourne and Newcastle. NorthConnex also forms an alternative route between the Pacific Motorway and the Sydney CBD via the M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel, bypassing 40 traffic lights along the Pacific Highway. Features The northbound tunnel contains backlit silhouettes of native birds and trees such as eagles, cockatoos, galahs, and lorikeets, an attempt to reflect the journey to Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. The southbound tunnel contains fake starry skies displayed on the tunnel ceilings to represent the transition from the north's rural environment to the CBD's urban environment. The visual displays were designed to be eye-catching to keep drivers focused while driving through the 9-kilometre tunnel. The idea was