North East Link (NEL) Traffic and Transport Review Expert Evidence Statement Prepared by: GTA Consultants (VIC) Pty Ltd for North East Link Project on 15/07/19 Reference: V153791 Issue #: Final North East Link (NEL) Traffic and Transport Review Expert Evidence Statement Client: North East Link Project Instructed by: Clayton Utz Hearing Date: 25/07/19 Report Date: 15/07/19 Reference: V153791 Issue #: Final © GTA Consultants (VIC) Pty Ltd [ABN 34 137 610 381] 2019 The information contained in this document is confidential and intended solely for the use of the client for the purpose for which it has been prepared and no representation is made or is to be implied as being made to any third party. Use or copying of this document in whole or in part Melbourne | Sydney | Brisbane without the written permission of GTA Consultants constitutes an infringement of copyright. The intellectual property contained in this Adelaide | Perth document remains the property of GTA Consultants. CONTENTS Introduction 1 1.1. Introduction 1 1.2. Qualifications and Experience 1 1.3. Relationship to Applicant 1 1.4. GTA Peer Review of the TTIA 1 1.5. Further Work Since Preparation of the GTA Peer Review Report 2 1.6. Expert Evidence Statement Scope & Purpose 3 1.7. References 6 1.8. Consideration of Submissions 6 1.9. Summary of Key Issues, Opinions and Recommendations 6 1.10. Declaration 13 Project Background 14 2.1. Introduction 14 2.2. Project Rationale 14 2.3. Key Transport Issues Sought to be Resolved by NEL 18 2.4. Public Works Order 23 2.5. Technical Reference Group 25 2.6. Scoping Requirements 26 2.7. Environmental Performance Requirements 29 2.8. Project Background Summary 32 Strategic Policy Review 34 3.1. Preamble 34 3.2. Transport Integration Act 34 3.3. Plan Melbourne 37 3.4. Victorian Freight Plan: Delivering the goods 40 3.5. Victorian Cycling Strategy 2018-28 40 V153791 // 15/07/19 Expert Evidence Statement // Issue: Final North East Link (NEL), Traffic and Transport Review 3.6. Australian Infrastructure Plan and Infrastructure Priority List 2019 41 3.7. Victoria’s 30-Year Infrastructure Strategy 41 Request for information 43 4.1. Preamble 43 4.2. Memoranda Summaries 43 EES Submissions Review 53 5.1. Preamble to Submissions 53 5.2. EES Scope and Reach 54 5.3. Response to Government Departments and Agencies 55 5.5. Response to Key Stakeholder Group Submissions 150 5.6. Project Reference Design 164 5.7. Post Implementation Operations 166 5.8. Public Transport 174 5.9. Active Travel 176 5.10. Construction Management 182 Environmental Performance Requirements 213 Figures Figure 2.1: Public Transport and Freight Strategic Option Summary 16 Figure 2.2: Corridor options considered for the north-east freeway link 18 Figure 2.3: Reproduced Melbourne Transportation Plan 1969 19 Figure 2.4: Melbourne’s Freeway Standard Network from 1970 to Present Day 21 Figure 2.5: Schematic Diagram of the Outline of the required Project Area 25 Figure 2.6: Project Process Flow Diagram 33 Figure 3.1: Plan Melbourne – Melbourne 2050 39 Figure 4.1: Vehicle access to Bulleen Park and Ride 46 Figure 5.1: Change in average weekday truck volumes (AWDT), 2036 ‘with project’ versus 2036 ‘no project’ – study area south 60 Figure 5.2: Streamlining Hoddle Street: Project Overview 67 V153791 // 15/07/19 Expert Evidence Statement // Issue: Final North East Link (NEL), Traffic and Transport Review Figure 5.3: Schematic Diagram of the Outline of the Project 72 Figure 5.4: 2036 ‘no project’ average daily weekday traffic volumes compared to 2036 ‘with project’ volumes on Templestowe Road 78 Figure 5.5: Current Daily Traffic Profiles in the vicinity of the NEL Project Corridor76 93 Figure 5.6: 2036 ‘no project’ and 2036 ‘with project’ average weekday daily volumes at various segments of Main Road, Eltham 96 Figure 5.7: 2036 ‘no project’ and 2036 ‘with project’ average weekday daily volumes at various segments of Eltham-Yarra Glen Road 98 Figure 5.8: 2036 ‘no project’ and 2036 ‘with project’ average weekday daily volumes at various segments of Kangaroo Ground-St Andrews Road 98 Figure 5.10: La Trobe NEIC extract 104 Figure 5.11: Routes assessed for travel times in the study area 115 Figure 5.12: Traffic volumes by time period – Springvale Road south of the Eastern Freeway, southbound (Figure 9-35 of TTIA) 119 Figure 5.13: Shared path connections from east to Watsonia Shopping Centre and Railway Station (based on Sheet 9 of the EES Map Book) 128 Figure 5.14: Watsonia Road/Greensborough Road intersection – reference design (emphasis added to show crossings in red) 130 Figure 5.15: Watsonia Road/Greensborough Road intersection – alternative design (emphasis added to show crossings in red) 131 Figure 5.16:Summary of pedestrian connections from the south to Bulleen Park and Ride (based on Sheet 32 of 42 of the EES Map Book) 136 Figure 5.17: Proposed Over-Dimensional Vehicle Route 146 Figure 5.18: Current North-Eastern Suburban Truck Curfew Locations 168 Figure 5.19: Proposed OD Route 171 Figure 5.20: Estimate of Maximum Average Weekday and Peak OD and Placard Load Volumes along the North-East Freight Corridor 172 Figure 5.21: Summary of active travel project sheets 176 Figure 5.22: Forecast daily construction truck trips, all sites – southern launch site 185 Figure 5.23: Forecast daily construction truck trips, all sites – northern launch site 185 Figure 5.24: Proposed haulage routes 187 Figure 5.25: Current Daily Traffic Profiles on Greensborough Highway76 189 Figure 5.26: Current Daily Traffic Profiles in the vicinity of the NEL Project Corridor76 191 Figure 5.27: Vehicle Access Points to/from CGSC 203 V153791 // 15/07/19 Expert Evidence Statement // Issue: Final North East Link (NEL), Traffic and Transport Review Figure 5.28: Requested change to project boundary to maintain internal access road 204 Figure C.2: Complementary active travel projects – segment B 4 Figure C.3: Complementary active travel projects – segment C 7 Figure C.4: Complementary active travel projects – segment D 9 Figure C.5: Complementary active travel projects – segment E 12 Figure C.6: Proposed connectivity across Yarra River (added in red) 17 Figure C.7: Proposed connectivity between Bridge Street and Banksia Park Access (added in red) 17 Figure C.8: Complementary active travel projects – segment F 18 Figure C.9: Proposed connectivity between Bulleen Road/Thompsons Road intersection and Bulleen Park & Ride (added in red) 23 Figure C.10: Complementary active travel projects – segment G 24 Figure C.11: Complementary active travel projects – segment H 27 Figure C.12: Complementary active travel projects – segment I 29 Figure C.13: Complementary active travel projects – segment J 32 Tables Table 1.1: Contributors to the GTA Peer Review Report 1 Table 1.2: Contributors to the EES Evidence Statement 4 Table 2.1: Evaluation of Business Case Strategic Options 17 Table 2.2: Draft Environmental Performance Requirements 30 Table 3.1: Alignment Review b/w the Project and the Transport Integration Act Policy Objectives 35 Table 4.1: GTA response to SmedTech memo on outstanding microsimulation peer review recommendations 47 Table 4.2: Summary of design changes between Watsonia EES and alternate designs 50 Table 4.3: Summary of 2036 ‘with project’ intersection performance compared between Watsonia EES and alternate designs 51 Table 5.1: Daily traffic volumes on streets in City of Yarra 57 Table 5.2: AM peak inbound travel time change – 2036 ‘with project’ compared to 2036 ‘no project’ (negative change in travel time means quicker journey)22 58 Table 5.3: EastLink Tunnel Average Speeds for 2036 ‘with project’ Outcome 83 Table 5.4: Number of Traffic Lanes on Eastern Freeway 86 V153791 // 15/07/19 Expert Evidence Statement // Issue: Final North East Link (NEL), Traffic and Transport Review Table 5.5: 2036 ‘no project’ average weekday daily volumes compared to 2036 ‘with project’ 95 Table 5.6: 2036 ‘no project’ average weekday daily volumes compared to 2036 ‘with project’ volumes – Main Road, Eltham between Bridge Street and Fitzsimons Lane. 96 Table 5.9: 2036 ‘no project’ and 2036 ‘with project’ average peak hour volumes on Main Hurstbridge Road at Diamond Creek 99 Table 5.7: Pedestrian connectivity between existing and reference design scenarios 109 Table 5.8: Anticipated ‘with project’ demand compared to indicative midblock capacity 119 Table 5.9: 2036 ‘no project’ average weekday daily volumes compared to 2036 ‘with project’ – select roads 123 Table 5.15: DART bus routes change in inbound travel times, AM peak, 2036 ‘with project’ vs 2036 ‘no project’ 163 Table 5.16: DART bus routes change in inbound travel times, PM peak, 2036 ‘with project’ vs 2036 ‘no project’ 163 Table 5.17: DART bus route AM peak inbound travel time variability 163 Table 5.18: Project design themes 165 Table 5.19: Total Average Weekday Truck Volumes along the North-East Freight Corridor 167 Table 5.20: OD and Placard Load Descriptions 169 Table 5.21: Estimate of Average Weekday and Peak OD and Placard Load Volumes along the North-East Freight Corridor 172 Table 5.22: Total average weekday traffic volumes on Rosanna Road 174 Table 5.23: Public transport themes 175 Table 5.24: Principles and tests prepared to review amendments and complementary projects for active travel 177 Table 5.25: Estimated daily haulage volumes for Rosanna Road (southbound only) 187 Table 5.26: Greensborough Road potential spare capacity 189 Table 5.27: Potential users impacted during peak hours 201 Table C.1: Segment A - expert witness determination 2 Table C.2: Segment B