Spring 2017

Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link Community Update

This is the first of an Since March 2017, we have: • conducted a wide range of investigations including ongoing series of • directly engaged with over 4,000 people and received surveys, flora and fauna updates on progress for over 1,700 interactive web studies, heritage assessments, the proposed Western page map comments marine ecology reviews, traffic counts and other Harbour Tunnel and • used community feedback specialised studies to inform our design Beaches Link project. decision making • discussed world's best practice construction methods • completed test drilling in with industry This update will provide you with and Middle Harbours details on: and finished 90 per cent of We thank everyone who has • what we have heard land based geotechnical work taken the time to provide • how we are using the • started the detailed analysis of valuable feedback and look information geotechnical data and harbour forward to a continuing dialogue with the community. • what our next steps will be seabed information 6.6 kilometres of rock samples A total of 6,600 metres of core Sydney Harbour drilling – Land drilling rock samples has been obtained 30 sites – all completed Around 90 per cent of the from the land and marine land geotechnical test drilling geotechnical tests. Up to 16 metres below sea level to drill into rock which lies 48 program has been completed. In addition, 357 sediment metres below sea level (sediment More test sites may be chosen samples (338 marine) have overburden). Deepest rock drill as a result of this work. been collected. 86 metres below sea level. The deepest land site to The core samples are undergoing drilling – date has been at Northbridge geological and seismic analysis where a 165 metre deep test as well as other laboratory 25 sites – all completed drill was conducted. testing including mechanical Up to 31 metres of water to drill testing, sample quality into rock which lies 60 metres Other land based studies assessment and CT scans. below sea level (sediment have included ground and All core samples will be retained overburden). Deepest rock soil quality tests, insatllation for further analysis. drill 102 metres below sea and monitoring of ground level. Side scan sonar, cone water wells, topographical The field studies program has penetrometer, geophysical and and cadastral surveying. included 55 marine geotechnical seismic investigations such as test drills in Sydney and seismic reflection and seismic Middle Harbours. refraction analysis have also been conducted.

Geotechnical test drilling at Northbridge

Field studies The outcomes of field A wide range of studies into Some common species recorded investigations including land local flora and fauna have been from the Wakehurst Parkway and marine geotechnical test conducted in areas such as along studies included Bandicoots, drills, marine ecology and flora the Wakehurst Parkway. Swamp Wallabies and a and fauna studies are also Marsupial Mouse. These studies allow the design being used to help determine to cater for local environments All information gathered key factors such as tunnelling and to include features such as will be incorporated methodologies, depth and wildlife crossings. into the environmental alignment of tunnels and tunnel assessment process. portal locations. Overview Communication and stakeholder for a major NSW transport • more than 700 emails engagement is one of three critical infrastructure project in • direct discussions with work streams needed to progress a concept design phase, owners of 71 potentially from the initial concept design to a and included: affected properties detailed design by mid-2018. • more than 4,000 face to face • 16 community feedback From late April and across conversations, and over 2,400 sessions, 12 shopping May, June and July, the first written communications centre displays phase of communication and • over 1,700 hits on the • email blasts to the 2,300 stakeholder engagement interactive web page people now on our contact was conducted. • 6,300 notifications about data base This was an extensive geotechnical work • 25 community meetings engagement of its type • around 1,000 telephone calls

What you have told us The information gathered from Meetings have been held with The community has also clearly engagement has been factored councils, local resident groups, communicated their desire to into design development and precinct committees and others. retain open space and playing also into our planning. fields such as Birchgrove Oval, Direct feedback has been St Leonards Park, ANZAC Over 2,400 written comments received on topics including Park, Clive Park and Seaforth have been lodged via environmental impacts, design, Oval. Other topics included feedback forms at meetings, the the engagement process the possible alignment of website, emails and submissions. to date, road use, property, tunnels, portal locations, construction and project cost. Extensive submissions have public transport, potential been received from people living A key outcome from this property impacts and requests in the Seaforth/Balgowlah area engagement is feedback about for greater design detail. as well as sporting groups. topics including the location of All information received is tunnel portals and the operation integral to advice to Government of tunnel ventilation systems. around its decision making.

What we are doing Ongoing work Community feedback has Extensive traffic studies and Input has been gathered from been fed directly into design traffic flow modelling have been NSW Government agencies development as well as being conducted to help better inform including Greater Sydney reported to government. the motorway design and its Commission, Transport for NSW, integration with the broader B Line, Sydney Metro, Sydney The feedback has also been Sydney road system. Water, Infrastructure NSW, incorporated into the next Department of Planning and steps of the planning process, Three ambient air quality Environment, Port Authority particularly for the State monitoring stations have been of NSW, National Parks and Significant Infrastructure installed along the concept Wildlife Service, Department of Applications. (See back page). alignment to gather “baseline” Education, NSW Health, Urban information on current air quality. All feedback has been taken Growth NSW and key sectors of into consideration, especially in These will add to the knowledge Roads and Maritime Services. relation to topics including air base already available from the Other material being fed into the quality, property requirements, 16 ambient air quality monitoring reference design process includes open space, potential impacts stations operated by the Office of information on constructability, from operations and project Environment and Heritage. likely project costs and design. Over 60 noise monitors which construction timing, development record “background” noise levels of a funding strategy and have been installed along the determining the potential level of concept alignment. private sector involvement. Information has been gathered on As an immediate “next step” a world’s best practice construction series of fact sheets are available methods, providing further from our web page. insights into both immersed tube tunnel construction and tunnel boring machine options. Community Engagement Map

The Mosman Club Warringah Road 136 Attendees McMahons Point Community Centre FRENCHS 104 attendees FOREST Chatswood Club 71 attendees FORESTVILLE BROOKVALE Balmain Town Hall 358 attendees EAST LINDFIELD Manly-Warringah Leagues Club 257 attendees NORTH

Northbridge Bowling Club MANLY

t

255 attendees e

e

r

t

North Sydney Oval Function Centre S

163 attendees e

n i

Seaforth Community Centre m a 702 attendees CASTLECOVE d ROSEVILLE NORTH n o Fred Hutley Hall, BALGOWLAH C North Sydney Council Chambers MANLY 124 attendees

MIDDLE COVE SEAFORTH MIDDLE CHATSWOOD HARBOUR CASTLECRAG

CLONTARF

WILLOUGHBY Birkenhead Point Shopping Centre 93 attendees NORTHBRIDGE Warringah Mall Gore H 315 attendees Reserve il l Road F ARTARMON r e Balgowlah Stockland e w a 231 attendees y Chatswood Westfield ST LEONARDS 164 attendees COVE CREMORNE ilitary Roa CROWS NEST M d Seaforth residents 65 attendees Serpentine Crescent residents WOLLSTONECRAFT 45 attendees MOSMAN Dudley Street residents WAVERTON 15 attendees NORTH Balmain/Birchgrove residents SYDNEY CREMORNE 50 attendees POINT North Sydney/Cammeray residents LAVENDER 200 attendees BAY MILSONS KIRRIBILLI North Sydney Council forum POINT 200 attendees BIRCHGROVE Sydney Waverton Precinct Committee meeting Harbour Sydney 45 attendees Bridge Harbour SYDNEY Tunnel Kirribilli Precinct Committee BALMAIN HARBOUR 20 attendees Northbridge Progress Association SYDNEY 200 attendees ROZELLE CBD Council Sustainable Transport Forum PYRMONT 15 attendees Federation of Willoughby Anzac Progress Associations Bridge 25 attendees School briefings

Legend * Dashed line N Beaches Link Wakehurst Parkway Upgrade Pop-up displays Letterbox drops indicates tunnel Western Harbour Tunnel WestConnex Rozelle Interchange Council briefings/meetings & door knocks Upgrade Northern Beaches Community Feedback Sessions Motorways 0 1 1.5km Hospital Roadworks Community meetings Major roads

Project benefits Western Harbour Tunnel Beaches Link Warringah Freeway Links WestConnex at Rozelle with • Avoids 19 sets of traffic lights, • Improved bus travel times the Warringah Freeway via a new from The Spit to Falcon Street, • Streamlined traffic – tunnel beneath Sydney Harbour. Cammeray improved safety • New mainline traffic route • Up to 40 per cent faster • Dangerous merges eliminated running west of the CBD bus trips • Takes pressure off Sydney • Major traffic relief across Harbour Bridge and Tunnel Mosman, Warringah Road, • Rapid connection between Roseville Bridge west and north of the harbour Tunnel air quality In 2013, the NSW Government with emissions exhausted from While motor vehicles are a established the Advisory ventilation systems which use contributor to emissions, Sydney Committee on Tunnel Air Quality, fans to disperse emissions high in is a major international city with chaired by the NSW Chief the atmosphere. residential, commercial, industrial Scientist & Engineer. and natural occurrences, such as The dispersion of emissions bush fires, all contributing to air The Committee’s Initial Report from the tunnel high into the pollution. on Tunnel Air Quality found atmosphere, results in them mixing air quality in Sydney is good with the surrounding air by natural It is worth noting that in the by national and international turbulence, so they become Sydney region motor vehicles standards and that stricter indistinguishable from background contribute around 14 per cent 1 of emission standards and improved levels. Because of this, further air particle emissions, compared fuel quality have substantially treatment of air, such as filtration, is to domestic solid fuel burning reduced vehicle emissions over not considered necessary. such as open fire places, which the last 20 years. This trend is contributes around 50 per cent Few tunnels internationally expected to continue. of annual emissions. have filtration systems, and Strict NSW air quality those that do rarely use For more information on requirements ensure that air them. The Committee’s Initial motorway tunnels and air pollution levels are appropriately Report on Tunnel Air Quality quality, and the membership managed inside tunnels. For found emissions from well- of the Advisory Committee, example, the new nitrogen designed road tunnels cause please visit the NSW Chief dioxide requirements are an indistinguishable change to Scientist & Engineer’s website at amongst the most stringent in surrounding air quality. chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au. the world. As such, there is little to no Although many tunnels around health benefit for surrounding the world vent tunnel exhaust air communities in installing air Endnotes through the exit portal, recent treatment systems. 1 This figure is a combination of petrol powered NSW tunnels are required to vehicles (0.8%), light duty (2.2%) and heavy diesel (5.3%) vehicles and non-exhaust vehicles such as have zero emissions from portals, brake and tyre wear (5.5%)

Artsist’s impression, Western Harbour Tunnel. First step in the Preliminary Planning planning process 2015 - 2017 In NSW, projects of state significance follow the environmental assessment and approvals processes set out Concept Design March 2017 under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.

All state significant projects Ongoing community engagement WE require preparation of an SSI Application ARE HERE Environmental Impact Statement November 2017 (EIS) and approval from the Minister for Planning. Following initial community and Detailed Design stakeholder engagement for the By mid – 2018 project, Roads and Maritime has now taken the first step in the planning process and made a Environmental Assessment State Significant Infrastructure Second half of 2018 (SSI) application for the project. The application has been lodged with Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E), Planning Approval the agency responsible for directing the environmental assessment process. The Secretary of DP&E Tender Process will consult with other environmental agencies and councils before issuing Environmental Assessment OpenConstruction to trac Requirements (SEARs). The SEARs will establish what topics need to be included in the environmental assessment. Open to Trac

You can have your say at any time. Stakeholder engagement is ongoing. 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 Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the project Customer feedback 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. RMS 17 .590