Fact sheet Spring 2017

Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link

On 16 March 2017, the Freeway, cross underneath impacted. We have contacted linking with the owners early in the process, so NSW Government Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation at they are engaged and informed announced the preferred Balgowlah and the Wakehurst of the investigations underway. Parkway, which would be route, the start of Further work currently upgraded to two lanes each underway includes detailed field investigations, way between Seaforth and financial analysis, discussions Frenchs Forest. community engagement with the private sector over and market sounding for Geotechnical test drilling has funding options, community been carried out in suburbs engagement, as well as the proposed Western including Balmain, Balgowlah, extensive field work such as Harbour Tunnel and Seaforth, North , Neutral geotechnical studies, traffic Bay, and Frenchs analysis, noise and air quality Beaches Link. Forest. These investigations are monitoring, and flora, fauna and feeding into engineering design, marine ecology studies. The Western Harbour Tunnel final costings for the project and This current phase of work is would connect to WestConnex further route analysis. Testing expected to be completed in at Rozelle, cross under Sydney began around the Warringah mid-2018 and will include a Harbour between Birchgrove Freeway shortly after Easter. reference design; confirmed and Waverton and connect Roads and Maritime Services final project costings; funding with the has commenced consultation strategy including tolling options at North Sydney. with owners of 71 properties and private sector involvement; Beaches Link is a tunnel which in these areas. It is too early to construction timeline including would connect to the Warringah confirm which properties will be start and completion dates. Western Harbour and Hills Site investigations via the . Tunnel Site investigations have been • The tunnel would bypass carried out a to help inform the • Western Harbour Tunnel 19 sets of traffic lights in design for the proposed tunnels. would connect WestConnex five kilometres between at Rozelle with the Warringah Although a great deal is already The Spit and Falcon Street. Freeway via a new tunnel known about underground • Beaches Link would beneath Sydney Harbour. conditions around Sydney, a more significantly reduce travel detailed assessment is needed • This new cross-harbour times for to confirm existing data and to bypass of the CBD would bus commuters by up to obtain further information about take pressure off the Sydney 40 per cent. Harbour Bridge and Sydney geological features, such as rock • Beaches Link offers Harbour Tunnel. fault lines. opportunities for seamless The tests so far have been carried • The project would provide interchange with both Sydney out over a broad study area. essential capacity to connect Metro and Sydney Trains at Their location does not indicate a the North Shore and Northern North Sydney. precise project alignment. Beaches with the Sydney CBD and beyond. Marine geotechnical testing Warringah Freeway has been completed and about Beaches Link • The Warringah Freeway is 75 per cent of land-based test one of the most complex drilling has also been finished. • Beaches Link would connect roads in . the Warringah Freeway • Changes to the Warringah Where possible, investigations are with the Burnt Bridge Creek Freeway would make the road being carried out in open space Deviation at Balgowlah and safer and more efficient. such as parks or on roads. the Wakehurst Parkway, Test work has included which would be duplicated • The Warringah Freeway would geotechnical drilling on both to Warringah Road. include connectivity for both the Western Harbour Tunnel dry land and in Sydney Harbour • Beaches Link would offer new and Beaches Link. and Middle Harbour. east-west connectivity from Roads and Maritime will notify the Northern Beaches to the local residents and work to minimise any disturbance to the local community and operate in an environmentally sensitive and sustainable manner.

Other tests include: • non-invasive marine ecology surveys and sonar investigations to determine precise water and sediment depths for the harbour crossings • terrestrial ecology surveys – non-destructive sampling and research into land based flora and fauna • contamination testing – to identify possible contamination from previous pollution on land and under water • air quality monitoring – to assess possible project impacts and benefits to air quality • traffic counts –to measure current traffic flows Geotechnical core sample taken Project need Every year, congestion costs Northern the economy $5 billion and this is Beaches Hospital forecast to increase to $8 billion Frenchs Forest Mona Vale a year by 2020 if nothing is done. Narrabeen Terrey Hills This congestion-busting project would deliver time savings of:

WAKEHURST • Brookvale to CBD of up to PARKWAY UPGRADE 40 minutes • to Airport of up to

45 minutes North Balgowlah

minutes Manly travel time • Manly to Macquarie Park of up 6 Brookvale Seaforth Dee Why to 35 minutes Castlecrag MIDDLE Balgowlah HARBOUR BEACHES LINK BALGOWLAH • Manly to Parramatta of up to TUNNEL SPIT BRIDGE CONNECTION 45 minutes • Seaforth to North Sydney of Northbridge up to 35 minutes Lane Cove Tunnel WARRINGAH M2 Naremburn NorthConnex INTERCHANGE Mosman Royal St Leonards The is M7 Cammeray North Shore Pacific Highway WARRINGAH Australia’s busiest road, carrying Hospital FREEWAY UPGRADE 165,000 vehicles every weekday. Greenwich minutes 2travel time Wollstonecraft In 2015, there were almost 4,000 NORTH SYDNEY accidents and breakdowns on CONNECTIONS Cremorne WESTERN the Sydney Harbour Bridge minutes HARBOUR TUNNEL5 travel time North Sydney approaches. A major bridge Waverton incident can delay traffic for over Kirribilli SYDNEY Birchgrove HARBOUR SYDNEY BRIDGE HARBOUR three hours and cause backlogs TUNNEL SYDNEY to the Lane Cove Tunnel and the Balmain HARBOUR

Anzac Bridge. Rozelle

ROZELLE The Spit Bridge is the only INTERCHANGE Potts Point opening bridge on an arterial road in Sydney. There are long road queues Darlinghurst M4 WestConnex M5 WestConnex whenever the bridge opens for Parramatta Airport Blacktown Port Botany maritime traffic. Travel times on Penrith Campbelltown 1099 Military Road around The Spit _ and Mosman in the morning peak 16121v can be as slow as 12 km/h.

Project objectives • Improve public transport • Cut congestion across for the Northern Beaches northern Sydney and the • Future-proof Sydney’s Sydney CBD transport to meet • Work to minimise impacts population and and maximise benefits growth challenges with local communities • “Step change” for • Better access to public transport for the jobs, education and Northern Beaches and community services for Northern Sydney northern Sydney • Deliver a new crossing of • East-West, North-South Sydney Harbour to make connectivity Sydney’s busiest transport • Reduce rat-running on corridor shock-proof local community roads Project timeline Q4 Q1 Mid 2017 2018 2018 ACTIVITY

Community engagement.

Geotechnical and other site investigations including harbour marine ecology studies.

Market Interaction Process – discussions with industry about design, construction and financing.

NSW Government final assessment of design options and costings following geotechnical investigations, community feedback and market engagement. Confirmation of project scope, final costings, including options for funding and private sector involvement.

16121v_1112 attended by more than 5,700 More than More 2,100 people field work notifications

330,000 Over mailed out 1,700 postcards featuring direct door knocks to project information residents and businesses

You can have your say at any time To find out more about the project, or to have your say: www.rms.nsw.gov.au/whtbl 1800 931 189 This document contains important information [email protected] about transport projects in your area. If you need an interpreter, please call the Translating and Interpreting Customer feedback Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the Project Team on 1800 931 189. The interpreter will then help Roads and Maritime Services you with translation. Locked Bag 928, North Sydney NSW 2059

Privacy Roads and Maritime Services (“RMS”) is subject to the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (“PPIP Act”) which requires that we comply with the Information Privacy Principles set out in the PPIP Act. All information in correspondence is collected for the sole purpose of assisting the assessment of this proposal. The information received, including names and addresses of respondents, may be published in subsequent documents unless a clear indication is given in the correspondence that all or part of that information is not to be published. Otherwise RMS will only disclose your personal information, without your consent, if authorised by the law. Your personal information will be held by RMS. You have the right to access and correct the information if you believe that it is incorrect. 0001 1117 0001