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Duplication of Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road, Kooragang

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Duplication of Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road, Kooragang JMD design Revision A June 2014 Duplication of Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road, Kooragang Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Impact Assessment Written: JG / AG Checked: JG James Mather Delaney Design Pty Ltd 190 James Street T +61 2 9310 5644 Landscape Architects Redfern NSW 2016 F +61 2 9319 4858 ABN 30 128 554 638 Australia [email protected] www.jmddesign.com.au THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ) JMD design Contents Page 1 Background 1 & 1.1 Introduction . 1 & 1.2 Purpose of the Report . 1 & 1.3 Site Context . 1 & 1.4 Project Description . .3 & 1.5 Methodology . .3 & Stage A: Existing Context Analysis . .3 & Stage B: Urban design Objectives and Principles . .3 & Stage C: Landscape Character and Visual Impact Assessment . .4 & Stage D: Concept Design . .4 & Stage E: Mitigation Strategies . .4 & 2 Existing Context Analysis (Stage A) 5 & 2.1 Context. .5 & 2.2 Topography and Hydrology . 7 & 2.2.1 TOPOGRAPHY . 7 & 2.2.2 Hydrology . 7 & 2.3 Soils and Contamination . .9 & 2.4 Ecological Characteristics . .9 & 2.4.1 Flora . .9 & 2.4.2 Fauna . .9 & 2.5 Heritage . 11 & 2.5.1 Aboriginal Heritage . 11 & 2.5.2 European Heritage . 11 & 2.6 Infrastructure Environment . 13 & 2.7 Cyclist and Pedestrian Movements . 14 & 2.7.1 Cyclists . 14 & 2.7.2 Pedestrians . 14 & 2.8 Major Industrial Features . 15 & 3 Urban Design Objectives & Principles and Concept (Stage B) 17 & 4 Landscape Character and Visual Impact Assessment (Stage C) 19 & 4.1 Description of the Existing Landscape Character . 19 & 4.2 Assessment of Landscape Character Impact . 21 & 4.2.1 Overall impact on Landscape Character . .23 & 4.3 Visibility of the proposal . .24 & 4.4 Visual Impact Assessment . .25 & 4.4.1 Analysis of Key Viewpoints . .25 & 4.4.2 Analysis of each character zone . .30 & 4.4.3 Overall Visual Impact . 31 & Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road - Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Assessment JMD design Contents Page 5 Concept Design and Review (Stage D) 33 & 5.1 Current Concept Design . .33 & 5.1.1 Tourle Street Widening . .33 & 5.1.2 Tourle Street Bridge Duplication . .33 & 5.1.3 Cormorant Road Widening . .33 & 5.1.4 Cycle Network . .33 & 5.2 Review of Concept Design after Landscape Character and Visual Impact ) Assessment . 36 & 5.2.1 Tourle Street Widening Review . 36 & 5.2.2 Tourle Street Bridge Duplication Review . 36 & 5.2.3 Cormorant Road Widening (western end) Review . 36 & 5.2.4 Cormorant Road Widening (eastern end) Review . 36 & 5.2.5 Cycle Network Review . 36 & 5.2.6 Landscape Design Review . .37 & 5.2.7 Ancillary Item Review . .37 & 6 Mitigation Strategies (Stage E) 39 & 6.1 Impacts Already Minimised . .39 & 6.2 Mitigation Strategies . .39 & 6.2.1 Landscape Impact Mitigation . .39 & 6.2.2 Visual Impact Mitigation. .39 & 6.2.3 Structures and Furniture Mitigation . .39 & 7 References . 41 & 8 Appendix & Typical Section Design . 43 & Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road - Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Assessment Figures Page Figure 1.1: Location map 1 & Figure 1.2: Site map 2 & Figure 1.3: Aerial View 3 & Figure 1.4: Methodology Diagram 4 & Figure 2.1: Location plan 5 & Figure 2.2: Site Context: Surrounding land use 6 & Figure2.3: Southern arm of the Hunter River 7 & Figure2.4: Soils 8 & Figure 2.5: Long Pond Wetland 10 & Figure 2.6: Northern Riverbank - Mangroves-Estuarine Complex Community 10 & Figure 2.7: Rushland 10 & Figure 2.8: Form of Kooragang Island 12 & Figure2.9: High Voltage Power Lines 13 & Figure2.10: Cyclist shoulder 14 & Figure2.11: Shareway over Tourle Street Bridge 14 & Figure2.12: Landscape Markers Photo 15 & Figure 2.13: Existing Analysis 16 & Figure 4.1: Lanscape character zones 20 & Figure 4.2: Zone 1: Images 21 & Figure 4.3: Zone 2: Images 22 & Figure 4.4: Zone 3: Images 22 & Figure 4.5: Zone 4: Images 23 & Figure 4.8: Visibility of The Proposal 24 & Figure 4.9: Key Viewpoint locations 26 & Figure 4.10: Key Viewpoint 1 26 & Figure 4.11: Key Viewpoint 2 27 & Figure 4.12: Key Viewpoint 3 27 & Figure 4.13: Key Viewpoint 4 27 & Figure 4.14: Key Viewpoint 5 28 & Figure 4.15: Key Viewpoint 6 28 & Figure 4.16: Key Viewpoint 7 28 & Figure 5.1: Concept design 34 & Figure 5.2: Concept design 35 & Tables ) Table 3.1: Urban Design Principles and objectives 17 & Table 4.1: Key Viewpoints 25 Table 4.2: Analysis of Key Viewpoints 29 & Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road - Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Assessment THIS PAGE HAS BEEN INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ) JMD design Background 1 Introduction 1.1 JMD Design has been commissioned by the Road and Maritime Services to prepare an Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Impact Assessment Report. The purpose of the assessment is to identify and summarise the likely potential visual impacts and outline mitigation measures to assist in the development of an integrated engineering and urban design proposal for the Tourle Street and Cormorant Road duplication (the proposal). The proposal consists of a duplication of Tourle Street and Cormorant Road Kooragang. The total length of the proposal is approximately 3.8 kilometres including duplication of the existing Tourle Street bridge. (see Figure 1.2) Tourle Street and Cormorant Road form the main corridor connecting Kooragang Island to Newcastle and the southern section of the Port of Newcastle. Demand for the widening of Tourle Street and Cormorant Road has arisen due to growth INTRAFlCVOLUMEINTHELAST YEARSANDTHEEXPECTEDINCREASEINCOMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL ANDDOMESTICTRAFlCUSINGTHE route. As a result there is the need for improved transport links to the Port of Newcastle, The RAAF Base, Williamtown- Newcastle Airport and other important surrounding land uses. Purpose of the Report 1.2 The purpose of this report is to ensure that the proposal is considered from a holistic design viewpoint. This is achieved by mapping the existing landscape character, visual and scenic qualities of the site and surrounding areas and analysing this information which then informs the overall design. Although the additional bridge and road upgrade are relatively straight forward it is still necessary to establish landscape and design strategies to assist with ongoing design development. Site Context 1.3 4OURLE3TREET"RIDGEAND#ORMORANT2OADARELOCATEDNORTHOFTHE.EWCASTLE#"$ONTHELOWER(UNTER2IVERmOODPLAIN Cormorant Road runs along the south of Kooragang Island which is located in the Hunter River of New South Wales (see Figure 1.1). Tourle Street Bridge extends across the south arm of the Hunter River and provides an important connection between Newcastle and Kooragang Island and further north to Williamtown Airport and the popular tourist areas of Nelson Bay and Port Stephens. Tourle Street and Cormorant Road are currently two-lane undivided arterial roads providing for local and regional car and truck movements. The Tourle Street Bridge that now stands was built to replace the old Bridge in May 2009. The demolition of the previous bridge was completed as part of this previous project in September 2010. Airport REFER FIGURE 2.1 Newcastle LEGEND EXTENT OF THE PROPOSAL KOORAGANG ISLAND N SCALE: NOT TO SCALE Figure 1.1: Location map Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road - Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Assessment 1 JMD design LEGEND EXTENT OF THE PROPOSAL N Figure 1.2: Site map Sorce: Nearmaps, 2013 2 Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road - Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Assessment JMD design Figure 1.3: Aerial View ) LEGEND Sorce: Google Images ) EXTENT OF THE PROPOSAL Project Description 1.4 The key features of the proposal are as follows: x Duplicating Tourle Street Bridge adjacent to the western side of the existing bridge. x To widen Tourle Street on the southern approach to the bridge from Tourle Street Bridge from approximately 350m north of the Industrial Drive intersection. x To widen Cormorant Road on the northern approach to the bridge through to approximately 200m West of Egret Street on Kooragang Island. This would replace a two lane road with a four lane road, for a length of approximately 3.8km. x As THEPROPOSALLIESWITHINTHELOWLANDSOFTHESOUTHCHANNELOFTHE(UNTER2IVERlLLINGANDEXTENDINGTHE earthworks would be required. Methodology 1.5 The methodology employed to undertake this landscape and visual assessment involved the following tasks: Stage A: Existing Context Analysis x Site visit and detail site survey and photography from various view points along the road x Review of available studies or previous works x Review of topographic maps and aerial photography x Prepare site analysis diagrams for context, topography and hydrology, soils and contamination, ecological characteristics, heritage, infrastructure environment, vehicle, cyclist and pedestrian movement and major industrial features. Stage B: Urban design ObJectives and Principles x Describe the urban design objectives and principles Tourle Street Bridge and Cormorant Road - Urban Design, Landscape Character and Visual Assessment 3 JMD design Stage C: Landscape Character and Visual Impact Assessment LANDSCAPE CHARACTER x Describe the existing Landscape character zones. x Assess the overall impacts of the proposal on the areas built, natural and cultural character. x Review the proposal to determine the visual impact on landscape elements: VISUAL.
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