Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Connection

- I strongly object to the UNFILTERED STACKS. I quote Gladys Berejiklian when she was in opposition "members of parliament should examine their conscience and consider how they would feel if their children or loved ones were exposed to this level of fumes every day - World's best practice is to filter tunnels"
- I strongly object to the location of the 7 storey high stack by Balgowlah Boys High School and Seaforth Primary School.
- I strongly object to negative impact it will have on local water sources, flora, fauna and wildlife in Manly Dam, Burnt Bridge Creek and Garigal National Park. The loss of water flow also impacts Queenscliff lagoon and eco systems.
- I strongly object to the movement of contaminated sediment in Middle Harbour - it will pollute the harbour and local beaches.
- I strongly object to the lack of active transport included in the design
- I strongly object to spending $10bn for a 10% decrease in traffic on the Military Road. The price is too high - in terms of the spend and the negative impacts on the local community.
- I strongly impact to the contractor parking and impact on local streets

I object to this project. I live in the Northern Beaches and recognise the opportunity to improve the transport options to get into the city, however, based on the results of the environmental impact study and the general sentiment of my neighbours and community, I do not believe that the environmental sacrifice is worth it. The key reasons for me forming this view are as follows;
1. The basis onwhich the tunnel is proposed is outdated. The traffic volume and commute time is based on 2017 figures which predates the highly successful B-line and also the reduced traffic flow that has been caused by the significant number of people who are now able to work from home more often. With this in mind, I would not consider that the commute time benefits will be as significant as being advertised and we should not be making such monumental decisions based on inaccurate data assessments.
2. The noise, dust and vibration impact is going to significantly affect c3,000 households during the construction phase, which is likely to be 5-7 years. I live in one of those households and if construction starts, I am likely to choose to move me and my family out of the area because of the adverse impact to our environment for such a sustained period.
3. The current road networks, particularly around Sydney Road, Seaforth shops, Balgowlah Road and Condamine Street are not adequate now and the additional traffic caused during construction and created by the tunnel has the potential to lengthen the time of many local and city bound commutes. I do not believe that the EIS has studied appropriately the rat runs that will be created during construction and also when the tunnel is complete and cannot see how the current infrastructure will cope.
4. Between Burnt Bridge Creek and Balgowlah Road, there exists a thriving bat colony. The consequence of effectively drying up the Burnt Bridge Creek water flow is going to have a significant impact on the bat colony and it is not clear to me what has been considered to protect this from happening.

I object to the project because of:
•the irretrievable loss of more valued bushland and the biodiversity it supports. This when Australia is suffering from major threat of more extinctions due to habitat fragmentation, droughts, fires & predation from feral animals. Biodiversity offsets are a flawed scheme that does not guarantee protection of Australia's natural environment as double dipping and there is no guarantee the money will be spent on protecting identified endangered habitats in perpetuity or be spent on protecting native habitats at all.
• tunnelling through a toxic waste dump and the transportation of fill through local neighbourhoods brings the risk of damage to biodiversity, houses and heritage areas through vibration and air, water, land, noise and odour pollution;
• the risk of hazardous pollution being uncovered and/or spilt next to heavily- used bushland, play grounds, playing fields, pathways and a sports centre;
• local traffic congestion for five or more years due to new traffic lights on Flat Rock Drive and a reported 70 diesel truck movements per hour on and off the site which leads to an unavoidable increase in harmful vehicle emission;
• the potential for ‘rat runs’ across local neighbourhoods as people try to avoid the congestion on Flat Rock Drive during construction and, after tunnel completion as drivers attempt to avoid tolls;
• the risk of heavy metal pollution to the biodiversity in waters and beaches and possible closure of beaches and pools in Middle Harbour due to digging and dredging;
• the conflicting science on the safety or otherwise of permanent, giant unfiltered tunnel stacks close to schools, child-care facilities and homes adding to air pollution problems in the area;
• threats to local amenity and property values and the potential for subsidence and cracking of homes, including those in heritage areas;
• the proposal’s failure to address the fact that car freeways/tunnels alone will not address traffic congestion and can, indeed, have the opposite effect of increasing car traffic;
that the project seems to be predicated on addressing Government-promoted urban development rather than dealing with natural population growth and traffic congestion; and
• the fact that the proposal prioritises individual cars over public transport, which has not been seriously considered. Where is the business case that proves the beaches link vehicle tunnel better serves the needs of the people of the north shore than does more efficient public transport options

I object to the Beaches Link EIS because the construction of the Dive Site in Flat Rock Creek Gully involves the loss of precious urban bushland, endangering local wildlife. Then there’s the more than 900 extra truck movements a day along Flat Rock Creek Rd, the temporary storage of contaminated spoil dug from the harbour floor, the massive amount of water to be added to the daily flow of Flat Rock Creek, the risk of heavy metal pollution to Middle Harbour beaches and pools, and concerns about unfiltered ventilation stacks being located close to local schools.

The Northern Beaches tunnel project is a relic from transport planning past. While every other modern city in the world is moving away from road building, Sydney is expanding its road system and encouraging yet more car commuting. This tunnel, particularly in the light of a Covid-induced, long-term increase in home/remote working, is now completely redundant. The government should be revisiting the business case analysis to understand whether there is any financial sense in the project at all. On top of these impacts, the potential impacts of construction on local bushland, ono local air quality, and on congestion in the area will be intolerable.

As per document

I strongly object to the environmental, health and social impacts of the tunnel. Please see attached PDF for details.

A road tunnel sounds a good idea. Get cars off the road and underground where they will do little
environmental damage. The problem is that tunnels come to the surface and that’s where the
problems start.
The Beaches Link makes Wakehurst Parkway one of the two main feeder roads into the tunnel. It will
be widened to 4 lanes for about two-thirds of the length of the project and 5-6 lanes for the other
third.
Since it runs along a narrow ridge between two environmentally sensitive regions, Manly Dam
Reserve and Garigal National Park, widening Wakehurst Parkway means it will be built above the
bushland in a number of places.
The road will be visible throughout Manly Dam. Noise from the bigger road with its construction
trucks, lights from cars and street lights, and water runoff from the road will all significantly impact
upon flora and fauna in the region, not to mention turn a quiet area into an unpleasant industrial
highway.
There are many other problems with the tunnel as well, such as the destruction of Burnt Bridge
Creek, ventilation towers near schools, toxic mud in Middle Harbour and more traffic and less
parking. Against this, the project only stands to offer minimal time savings in travel and little
economic benefit for an enormous investment.

As a local resident, rates payer, and tax payer, I strenuously OBJECT to the building of the Beaches Link Tunnel. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was concerned the impact the building of the tunnel would have on my young family - including children who would be completing important school years amidst tunnelling vibrations and noise. However, perhaps the traffic flow date supported the development of the tunnel. Now though, in a Post-COVID world, there is not the demand for improved commuter transport into the city. Many city workers will never return to the city for work. 'Going to work' as we have known it, will never return to what it was. These current studies for the Beaches Link tunnel were outdated when the PANDEMIC was declared. New studies must be undertaken to justify the expense and the impact on residents versus what we stand to gain. For residents in North Balgowlah, Balgowlah and Seaforth, we have nothing to gain and a lot to lose if this tunnel goes ahead. Years of disturbance for a tunnel that is now UN-NECESSARY.
In addition, the traffic studies were undertaken prior to the success of the B-Line Bus project. A NEW VIABILITY STUDY NEEDS TO BE UNDERTAKEN.

I am concerned for the impact this tunnel will create on the communities in these suburbs, the vibrations from a 24hr tunnelling machine and noise from a construction site that is to be set up in a quiet residential area, opposite a school and close to several others. I am concerned about the impact of the inevitable increased local traffic during construction and the safety of our children in these quiet neighbourhoods.
And finally, and equally important, I am concerned that the construction of this tunnel will devastate the local population of threatened wildlife that live within the biodiverse Manly Dam Bushland and Burnt Creek.

Please see attached submission

Insufficient time has been given to fully understand the benefits of this project and impact on traffic during and post build. The impact on local residence near the tunnel entrance will be enormous and permanent. Whilst the residents of Mosman may see reduced traffic flows, the residence of the beaches will see traffic delays offsetting any time savings in the tunnel. The data used to predict the benefits are flawed and make no mention of the traffic improvements of the B line buses or changed work habits which will almost certainly change long term post Covid.
To build a piece of infrastructure this large that will be out of date before it is even built is baffling. Is Australia the only developed country in the world that feels that rail is not the solution in major cities?
Finally the environmental impact will be devastating. The air quality will worsen with an unfiltered stack, it will assist the endangerment of many native species and a quiet set of suburbs will be permanently changed for the worse for nothing but political gain.
I am certainly not against progress and particularly the building of infrastructure to drive growth but not when the benefits are non existent and the costs (both financial and to the communities) so high. Stop this madness!

Urban bushland is fast disappearing under Sydney’s bulldozers. For the future of the urban environment, we can no longer afford to put construction sites, with all their impacts, in biodiversity rich areas.

The proposed project counteracts the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development in the Protection of the Environment Administration Act 1991 (NSW) which declares that the conservation of biological diversity and ecological integrity should be of fundamental consideration (PEAA Act Part 3(2)(c)).


Bushland set aside for environmental protection should not be destroyed or disturbed. Flat Rock Reserve is a declared Wildlife Protection Area as it provides significant habitats that support a wide range of small birds, mammals, reptiles and frogs that are disappearing from our urban areas.

Flat Rock Gully is a key part of the network of wildlife corridors across Sydney required to maintain biodiversity.


Around 6.77 hectares (over 16 acres) of bushland will be flattened for the construction footprint (EIS Chapt. 19, p.19.9) at Flat Rock Gully. Around 54 acres of bushland, which provides important habitat for wildlife in the Willoughby and Manly local government areas, will be destroyed at the combined sites.

I am writing in regard to the BEACHES LINK AND GORE HILL FREEWAY CONNECTION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS). As a parent of a child currently in year 8 at Balgowlah Boys High School, I am greatly concerned by the impact of the project on the school and believe the NSW Government has both a responsibility and a duty of care to ensure that the impacts are minimised as much as possible. First and foremost, I believe the submission written by the Balgowlah Boys P&C must be considered with the utmost priority as it speaks on behalf of the entire school population both present and future.

The key issues that I believe need to be addressed as a priority and BEFORE commencement of works are as follows:
- guaranteed safe access to the school at all times, with particular attention given to the time frame of arrival and departure of the student body.
- continuous noise and air quality monitoring to ensure the boys and staff are not being expose to long term harmful conditions. These measurements must be started BEFORE construction starts so a base level is obtained in order to properly gauge the impact of construction.
- funding for the relocating of exams for all classes, including transport for the boys, to an offsite location, and particular close consideration given to the impacts on those boys sitting their HSC
- installation of double glazing in all class/staff rooms and offices to minimise the impact of noise on day to day learning and working

It is imperative that TfNSW immediately establish a working group to liaise with the school PRIOR to project commencement to address these concerns and then provides a dedicated liaison person, with some level of authority, to ensure communications are open and issues are addressed quickly.

If it this project runs to time (projected time frame of 2023 -2028) based on current intake some 2400 boys will spend all or part of their entire High School career in close proximity to a major construction. The NSW Government has a responsibility to ensure this construction does not adversely affect these young men or the people teaching and supporting them. This is more than a matter of budget and cost it is about the well being and future of kids.

I continue to strongly object to this project.

The project and EIS still fails to adequately address:
- the massive loss of green space, particularly for an area such as North Sydney LGA which is chronically short on such space in the first place and has already been massively scarred by the Warringah Expressway
- the increase in pollution that will arise from induced demand
- the enforcing of car dependence upon the Northern Beaches residents
- the under investment in public transport
- the massive disruption, noise, pollution and danger to schoolchildren during the construction phase.

The EIS fails to:
- adequately, properly and fully cost the project in terms of the environmental impact,
and
- provide properly independent and unqualified scientific and medical opinions addressing filtration of the tunnels.

Above all, the EIS fails to properly set out that this is a 1950's car dependent solution that is totally out of step with global practice, carbon neutral aspirations and the "global city" aspirations of Sydney. It's the wrong project at the wrong time.

I object to this project for many reasons. It's a stupid idea to build a tunnel when there are better ways to solve the traffic problems that will cost much less. I also prefer that the poisonous contents of the flat rock dig sites not be released into the environment and probably kill me and my kids. Any reassurances you or your contractors give are hollow as we all know they will do everything as cheaply as possible and ignore the rules when they can. Please don't kill me and my family. Thank You.

I live in Hope street, Seaforth , This is where the beaches tunnel is being dug, The noise and pollution during the course of the project (and also after the project is completed ) will affect my health and well being. I would like to be compensated for this or paid to live somewhere else for the duration of works near Hope st Seaforth.

I object that for billions of dollars spent, there will only be a 10% reduction in traffic on Military Rd, and all pain and no benefit to Cammeray residents as they have to access the beaches link via long routes around through Nth Sydney and Artarmon
I request the condition that public transport proposals are considered as an alternative to this project. A train line would have far less long term environmental impacts and would actually help to solve the road congestion issue. Building yet another road tunnel just shifts congestion around from one place to another, not to mention the massive pollution and green space impacts all the smoke stacks will have on residents at all entry and exit points.

I am writing with regards to the BEACHES LINK AND GORE HILL FREEWAY CONNECTION
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS). As a parent of a child currently in year 7 at Balgowlah Boys High School, I am greatly concerned by the impact of the project on the school and believe the NSW Government has both a responsibility and a duty of care to ensure that the impacts are minimised as much as possible. First and foremost, I believe the submission written by the Balgowlah Boys P&C must be considered with the utmost priority as it speaks on behalf of the entire school population both present and future.

The key issues that I believe need to be addressed as a priority and BEFORE commencement of works are as follows:
- guaranteed safe access to the school at all times, with particular attention given to the time frame of arrival and departure of the student body.
- continuous noise and air quality monitoring to ensure the boys and staff are not being exposed to long term harmful conditions. These measurements must be started BEFORE construction starts so a base level is obtained in order to properly gauge the impact of construction.
- funding for the relocation of exams for all classes, including transport for the boys, to an offsite location, and particular close consideration given to the impacts on those boys sitting their HSC
- installation of double glazing in all class/staff rooms and offices to minimise the impact of noise on day to day learning and working

It is imperative that TfNSW immediately establish a working group to liaise with the school PRIOR to project commencement to address these concerns and then provide a dedicated liaison person, with some level of authority, to ensure communications are open and issues are addressed quickly.

If it this project runs to time (projected time frame of 2023 -2028) based on current intake some 2400 boys will spend all or part of their entire High School career in close proximity to a major construction. The NSW Government has a responsibility to ensure this construction does not adversely affect these young men metal health and physical health or the people teaching and supporting them. This is more than a matter of budget and cost it is about the wellbeing and future of kids, and the government has a duty of care for kids attending public schools.
Kind regards

Maria Carolina Chiaradio

Devastating impact on the environment Manly Dam /Wakehurst Parkway /Balgowlah /Seaforth and Manly Vale .
I walk 3-4 times a week around the area . I am appalled at the lack of concern for the ecosystem. Also why do we need a tunnel !!!
Six lanes on the wakehurst parkway are you kidding ???? I have lived in the area for 14 years and i love it the way it is .

Dear sir / Madam, I object to this project on the basis of the amount of environmental damage that this project will have on Garigal National Park and Manly dams flora and fauna, from the removal of over 2000 trees and important Duffy's forest , the massive amount of run off from Wakehurst Parkway being widened to 4 - 6 lanes which no doubt be let down the creeks/ waterfalls on the Garigal side and also into the Headwaters of Manly Dam which is home to the ancient Galaxies climbing fish and numerous other species that inhabit and use the local waterway / creeks for food and shelter and the destruction of the local Aboriginal rock carvings.
Can you please enlighten me if there are any plans to create safe wildlife corridors or bridges for the local wildlife to be able to move freely between these two important sites as they already play Russian Roulette with the traffic and it is only two lanes, how are they supposed to cross 4-6 lanes ?.
Where is the protection of the Burnt Bridge creek, this is a very important watercourse for Kilometers of local bushland and wildlife, with the creek flow being reduced by 96% this will destroy most of what is in and around it,local groups for the last 20 years have been rehabilitating this watercourse for the benefit of the community and wildlife, where are the environmental laws protecting this ?.
The scale of this project is not compatible with the local area , I spent over 20 years living in Seaforth/ Balgowlah and know the area very well and the ramifications this project will have on the local area, I still visit the Northern Beaches every year from Western Australia and still love it's uniqueness,
Don't destroy it !
Regards Stephen Gray.