Coordinator-General’s report Northern Link Road Tunnel Released: April 2010 Report evaluating the Environmental Impact Statement pursuant to section 35(3) of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 Coordinator-General’s report – Northern Link Road Tunnel project Contents Synopsis.........................................................................................................4 1. Introduction.............................................................................................6 2. Project description .................................................................................7 2.1 The proponent ...................................................................................7 2.2 Project description .............................................................................7 2.3 Rationale for the project.....................................................................8 3. The impact assessment process............................................................11 3.1 Significant project declaration and controlled action........................11 3.2 Terms of reference for the EIS ........................................................11 3.3 Public notification of the EIS ............................................................12 3.4 Submissions on the EIS...................................................................12 3.5 Change to the project after the EIS..................................................13 3.6 Review of the further information provided (supplementary report to the EIS) ......................................................................................................14 4. Evaluation of environmental impacts ....................................................15 4.1 Introduction......................................................................................15 4.2 Construction impacts .......................................................................15 4.2.1 Air quality ........................................................................................................... 15 4.2.2 Noise and vibration ............................................................................................ 17 4.2.2.1 Noise.............................................................................................................. 17 4.2.2.2 Vibration......................................................................................................... 18 4.2.3 Surface and ground water.................................................................................. 21 4.2.3.1 Surface water................................................................................................. 22 4.2.3.2 Groundwater.................................................................................................. 22 4.2.4 Transport and traffic........................................................................................... 23 4.2.4.1 Construction traffic management................................................................... 23 4.2.4.2 Pedestrian and cycling issues ....................................................................... 25 4.2.4.3 Road connection design considerations........................................................ 25 4.2.5 Community engagement.................................................................................... 26 4.2.6 Hazard and risk.................................................................................................. 27 4.2.7 Cultural heritage issues ..................................................................................... 28 4.2.8 Other construction issues .................................................................................. 29 4.2.8.1 Hours of Operation ........................................................................................ 29 4.2.8.2 Night lighting.................................................................................................. 30 4.2.8.3 Construction workforce car parking............................................................... 30 4.2.8.4 Offsetting greenhouse gas emissions ........................................................... 31 4.2.8.5 Location of the spoil conveyor....................................................................... 31 4.2.8.6 Urban design ................................................................................................. 32 4.3 Operational impacts.........................................................................33 4.3.1 Road traffic noise ............................................................................................... 33 4.3.2 Air quality ........................................................................................................... 33 4.3.3 Bus priority and transit improvements ............................................................... 36 4.3.4 Interface with state controlled roads .................................................................. 37 4.3.4.1 Moggill Road/Centenary Motorway interchange ........................................... 37 4.3.4.2 Western Brisbane Transport Network Investigation...................................... 38 2 4.3.4.3 Interface with the Inner City Bypass.............................................................. 39 4.3.5 Impacts on cyclists............................................................................................. 40 4.3.6 Hazard and Risk ................................................................................................ 41 4.3.7 Other issues....................................................................................................... 42 4.3.7.1 Water quality.................................................................................................. 42 4.3.7.2 Operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions ............................................ 43 4.3.7.3 Use renewable energy sources..................................................................... 43 5. Approvals for the project .....................................................................45 5.1 Overview of approvals regime .........................................................45 5.2 Approvals and permits required.......................................................45 5.2.1 Development Approvals..................................................................................... 45 5.2.1.1 Material Change of Use for an ERA .............................................................. 45 5.2.2 Other approvals ................................................................................................. 46 6. Environmental management plans .....................................................48 7. Conclusions ..........................................................................................49 3 Synopsis This Coordinator-General’s report has been prepared pursuant to section 35(3) of the State Development and Public Works Organisation Act 1971 (Qld) (SDPWO Act) and provides an evaluation of the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Northern Link Road Tunnel Project (the project). The Department of Infrastructure and Planning (DIP) managed the impact assessment process on my behalf in accordance with the SDPWO Act. Brisbane City Council (the proponent) is proposing to construct the project to link the Centenary Motorway at Toowong with the Inner City Bypass at Kelvin Grove. Surface works for the project extend into Mount Coot-tha and Herston. The project was declared a ‘significant project for which an EIS is required’ pursuant to s.26(1)(a) of the SDPWO Act by gazette notice on 2 November 2007. On 30 November 2007, a delegate of the Commonwealth Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts determined that the project was not a ‘controlled action’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth). Therefore no assessment under the EPBC Act is required. The EIS for the project proposed two separate unidirectional two-lane parallel road tunnels, 10 metres apart, from the Centenary Motorway to the Inner City Bypass with local connections to the tunnel at Milton Road, Toowong and Kelvin Grove Road, Kelvin Grove. The tunnel would pass below the suburbs of Toowong, Auchenflower, Paddington, Red Hill and Kelvin Grove and would also include cross passages between the two tunnels every 120 metres along their length. The purpose of the project is to assist in reducing road congestion in the western and northern areas of Brisbane. As part of an overall transport strategy, the project would help relieve congestion currently experienced on major roads from the west of Brisbane and would assist in providing an effective bypass of the Brisbane CBD. The submission period for the EIS for the project was from 25 October 2008 until 22 December 2008. A total of 213 submissions were received from State Government agencies, organisations and the public. A large majority of the submissions raised concerns with the impacts of the proposed local connections. The proponent was requested to prepare a supplementary report to the EIS which addressed the issues raised in the submissions as well as to provide information about a number of aspects of the project, including information on the impacts of a ‘no local connections’ option. On 20 April 2009, the proponent announced that it had removed the local connections at both Kelvin Grove and Toowong from the proposed project. I understand that, among other things, the proponent considered the concerns raised by submitters