Fact sheet July - August 2017

Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link

The NSW Government The Western Harbour Tunnel but we want to contact owners will connect to WestConnex at early in the process, so they are has announced the the Interchange, cross engaged and informed of the preferred route, the underneath Harbour investigations underway. between the Birchgrove and Further work over the coming start of geotechnical Waverton areas and connect with months will include detailed the at North drilling and the financial analysis, discussions Sydney. commencement of with the private sector over Over the next six months, up to funding options, community a market sounding 235 borehole sites will be tested consultation, as well as extensive process for the delivery in suburbs including Balgowlah, field work such as geotechnical Seaforth, North Sydney, Neutral studies, traffic analysis, noise of Beaches Link and Bay and Cammeray. These and air quality monitoring, and the Western Harbour investigations will feed into flora, fauna and marine ecology engineering design, final costings studies. Tunnel. for the project and further route This next stage of work is analysis. This testing will begin expected to be completed in Beaches Link is a tunnel which around the Warringah Freeway mid-2018 and will include a will connect to the Warringah at depths of up to 150 metres reference design; confirmed final Freeway, cross underneath shortly after Easter. Middle Harbour connecting with project costings; funding strategy the Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation Roads and Maritime Services will including tolling options and at Balgowlah and upgrade the commence consultation with 71 private sector involvement; and Wakehurst Parkway to two lanes property owners in these areas. construction timeline including each way, between Seaforth and It is too early to confirm whether start and completion dates. Frenchs Forest. these properties will be impacted, Site investigations Western Harbour Tunnel

Site investigations will be carried Equipment used may include a • Western Harbour Tunnel will out to help inform the design for truck-mounted or self-propelled connect WestConnex at Rozelle the proposed tunnels. drilling rig, support equipment, with the Warringah Freeway via hand tools and other items. a new tunnel beneath Sydney Although a great deal is already Harbour. known about underground Temporary work sites with safety conditions around Sydney, a fencing will be established to • This new cross-harbour bypass more detailed assessment is ensure community safety. of the CBD will take pressure needed to confirm existing data off the Drilling work at each site will take and to obtain further information and . about a week, and will only occur about geological features, such between 7am and 5pm Monday • The project will provide as rock fault lines. to Friday and between 7am and essential capacity to connect The tests will be carried out over 12 noon on Saturdays. the North Shore and Northern a broad study area. Their location Beaches with the Sydney CBD There will be no test drilling on does not indicate a project and beyond. Sundays or public holidays. alignment. When the work is complete, drill Where possible, investigations holes on dry land will be capped will be carried out in open space and the test site restored to its Beaches Link Tunnel such as parks or on roads. previous condition. Test work will include • Beaches Link Tunnel will There may be some noise geotechnical drilling on both dry connect the Warringah Freeway associated with some of the land and in Sydney Harbour and with the Burnt Bridge Creek testing work. Middle Harbour. Deviation at Balgowlah. The Roads and Maritime will notify Wakehurst Parkway will be Geotechnical testing involves local residents. We will work to duplicated to Warringah Road. drilling a small diameter hole minimise any disturbance to the (about the size of an orange) to • The tunnel will bypass 19 sets local community and operate in extract a rock core sample used of traffic lights in 5 kilometres an environmentally sensitive and for scientific testing and analysis. between The Spit and Falcon sustainable manner. Street. • Beaches Link will significantly Other tests will reduce travel times for Northern Beaches bus commuters by up include to 40 per cent. • Non-invasive marine • Beaches Link offers ecology surveys and opportunities for seamless sonar investigations to interchange with both Sydney determine precise water Metro and Sydney Trains at and sediment depths for North Sydney. the harbour crossings • Terrestrial ecology surveys – non-destructive sampling Warringah Freeway and research into land based flora and fauna • The Warringah Freeway is one • Contamination testing of the most complex roads in – to identify possible Australia. contamination from Changes to the Warringah previous pollution on land • Freeway will make the road and under water safer. Local traffic will be • Air quality monitoring – to separated more efficiently from assess possible project freeway users, leading to more impacts and benefits to air reliable journeys. quality • The Warringah Freeway will • Traffic counts – to measure include connectivity for both current traffic flows the Western Harbour Tunnel Geotechnical drilling rig. and the Beaches Link Tunnel. Project Outline

Northern Beaches Hospital Every year, congestion costs Frenchs Forest Mona Vale the economy $5 billion and Narrabeen this is forecast to increase Terrey Hills to $8 billion a year by 2020 if nothing is done. This WAKEHURST congestion -busting project PARKWAY UPGRADE will deliver time savings of:

• Brookvale to CBD of up to North 40 minutes Balgowlah m inutes Manly travel ti me 6 Brookvale Seaforth • Dee Why to Airport of up Castlecrag MIDDLE Balgowlah HARBOUR to 45 minutes BEACHES LINK BALGOWLAH TUNNEL CONNECTION

Balgowlah • Manly to Macquarie Park of Heights

up to 35 minutes Northbridge WARRINGAH Naremburn • Manly to Parramatta of up NorthConnex INTERCHANGE Mosman M7 Royal St Leonards Cammeray to 45 minutes North

Pacific Highway Shore WARRINGAH Hospital FREEWAY UPGRADE Greenwich m inutes • Seaforth to North Sydney 2travel ti me Wollstonecraft of up to 35 minutes NORTH SYDNEY CONNECTIONS Cremorne

WESTERN m inutes HARBOUR TUNNEL5 travel ti me North Sydney Waverton

Kirribilli

The Sydney Harbour Bridge SYDNEY Birchgrove HARBOUR SYDNEY BRIDGE HARBOUR TUNNEL is Australia’s busiest road, SYDNEY carrying 165,000 vehicles Balmain HARBOUR every weekday. In 2015, Rozelle ROZELLE there were almost 4,000 INTERCHANGE accidents and breakdowns Potts Point on the Sydney Harbour ANZAC BRIDGE Bridge. A major bridge incident can delay traffic Darlinghurst M4 WestConnex M5 WestConnex for over three hours and Parramatta Airport Blacktown Port Botany cause backlogs to the Lane Penrith Campbelltown 1099 Cove Tunnel and the Anzac _

Bridge. 16121v

The Spit Bridge is the Project objectives only opening bridge on Improve public transport for Cut congestion across northern an arterial road in Sydney. the Northern Beaches Sydney and the Sydney CBD There are long road queues whenever the bridge Future-proof Sydney’s Work in tandem with local opens for maritime traffic. transport to meet population communities Travel times on Military and growth challenges Road around The Spit and Better access to jobs, Mosman in the morning “Step change” for public education and community peak can be as slow as transport for the Northern services for 12 km/h. Beaches and Mosman East-West, North-South Deliver a new crossing of connectivity Sydney Harbour to make Sydney’s busiest transport Reduce rat-running on local corridor shock-proof community roads Project timeline Q3 Q4 Q1 Mid 2017 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.

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Community feedback

Community feedback has been a key part of To find out more about the project, or to have the work currently underway. your say, you can contact the project team direct by phone, email, post or via our interactive map More than 2,000 people attended our on our web page (see details below). 16 Community Feedback Sessions at Mosman, McMahons Point, Chatswood, Balmain, Brookvale, You can also visit us at one of our pop up Northbridge, North Sydney and Seaforth. displays at local shopping centres where you can meet members of the project team to ask We are looking forward to running more questions and provide your feedback. Community Feedback Sessions as the project continues. Our pop up displays will continue until late July. All feedback being received is helping inform the decision making process as the project evolves.

For more information www.rms.nsw.gov.au/whtbl 1800 789 297 This document contains important information about transport projects in your area. If you need an [email protected] interpreter, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the project Customer feedback team on 1800 789 297. 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.

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