A MOTORWAY carving through 15 suburbs from Tempe to the Sutherland Shire will be back on the agenda for the state's next transport plan.

The plan, to be released imminently almost 18 months after the election of the O'Farrell government, has been touted as its centrepiece policy document.

Changing face of Sydney ... the M6 motorway, new harbour rail crossing, M4 East to inner west and M5 tunnel in the south will be added to this transport map under the master plan.

But it will draw criticism for being light on detail about when the projects will be built and how they will be paid for.

The draft master plan will champion the M6 motorway through southern Sydney, as well as a clutch of other motorway projects.