Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Connection

I am 13 years old and a regular sailor at Northbridge Sailing Club.
I am worried about the restrictions on our sailing area caused by the construction of the tunnel.
If our sailing area is too restricted, then we won't be able to have races or do training. Sailing is really important to me because it helps my mental health, especially in these times of Covid - 19. I find that sailing helps me to relax especially when I am coming up to exams.
If the sailing is too restricted then the club will lose members and we won't have enough people to fix things and help us sail.
Please help our club stay alive by keeping the restrictions so we can still sail between Clive Park and Seaforth.
This is really important to me and my friends.

As a local resident of Naremburn and father of children at Cammeray Public School, I strongly object to the path of the tunnels underneath Naremburn/Cammeray and the negative impact on my quality of life, with no benefit to my area. In particular:
* I object to the use of Brook Street/Flat Rock Drive for high volumes of trucks outside weekday working hours. Truck movements must be limited to weekday business hours.
* I object to the loss of access to the harbour tunnel from the Brook Street exit/on ramp. Full access to harbour crossings must be maintained from my closest ramps and the lack of this will greatly add to my commute times and require me to add traffic to local areas.
* I object to the lack of safe crossings for children travelling to Cammeray Public School across Brook Street. There must be a safe footbridge or underpass created for the children to safely cross around the increased traffic and trucks.
*I object to the increased traffic on Brook St. As the only way in/out of my street is via Brook St, this will become near impossible with any increase of traffic, especially large trucks that obscure visibility. Additional traffic lights or clear zones outside Rhodes, Grafton and Slade must be added.
* I object to any amount of spoil and dust being kept outside the sheds at Flat Rock, due to contamination risks.
* I object to any impact on the pedestrian crossing from the Naremburn Shops across the freeway. Children get off the school bus daily at the Naremburn Shops and need to use this footbridge to get safely home.
* I object to the noise impacts on Naremburn, including increased trucks, use of air brakes - which should be illegal - and lack of noise abatement for homes near Brook Street.

My concern is the significant impact the current tunnel plans will have on burnt bridge creek and the surrounding areas, including the knock on effect to Manly Dam. The area is home to many native species of fauna and flora, including ancient fish that can climb waterfalls and are not found elsewhere. In addition, the wildlife corridor provides clean air, shade and recreational walking for the communities in and around the area. The local communities for years paid an environmental levy to manly council to preserve what was official title ‘the life spring of manly’ in order to preserve it! The entire project is aimed at increasing cars on the road at a time where we need to globally be moving towards less traffic pollution. Why is the government trying to increase Cars on the road and Cars into the peninsular when we should be improving public transport links? It will also increase pollution and noise while heavily impacting water supplies. It is extremely disappointing to see the environmental impact statement buried within thr project plans, almost as if planners were hoping people wouldn’t notice. Development and environmental plans need to co-exist. There are so many excellent ways to plan for a city’s growth without compromising important areas for conservation and biodiversity. These plans must urgently be re-written with these considerations in mind.

I am writing as a concerned resident of North Balgowlah about the proposed Northern Beaches Tunnel and associated works at Balgowlah and Seaforth.
I am concerned about many aspects of this project, and the disruption it will cause for many years to the local area of Balgowlah, North Balgowlah and Seaforth, for minimal gain and at huge expense.
My main concerns are as follows:
1. The huge amount of disruption and distress to the residents of the area in the many years the construction will take to be completed, for questionable gain and at huge expense.
2. The roadworks on Sydney Road at Balgowlah will cause delays to traffic in both directions during construction, not to mention the delays once completed due to the additional set of traffic lights that will be required. I question why the access road through the Balgowlah Golf Course is even needed, as drivers approaching from the direction of Manly could turn down Condamine Street to access the tunnel entrance on the Burnt Bridge Deviation.
3. The huge disruption to the residents of that area, the dust and noise of construction, and the loss of homes in Dudley Street and potentially Pickworth Avenue.
4. The disruption to the pupils and staff of Balgowlah Boys High School – noise, dust, traffic congestion & pollution.
5. The amount of trucks and construction vehicles on the roads all over the area.
6. The loss of the Balgowlah Golf Course, an essential area of green space.
7. The impact on Burnt Bridge Creek and the water downstream as far as the Queenscliff Lagoon. I understand that the flow of water will be severely impacted, or even cease altogether, impacting not only the Creek itself but Manly Lagoon and the outflow at Queenscliff Beach.
8. As a resident of North Balgowlah, I am very concerned about the impact on residents of Judith & Kirkwood Streets and surrounding streets caused by the construction of the Wakehurst Parkway ‘portal’ & the widening of the Wakehurst Parkway to Frenchs Forest.
Also the impact on North Balgowlah Public School, especially if Woodbine through to Judith Street is being used as a rat-run – the road is narrow enough anyway, and morning and afternoon is congested with cars, causing concerns about safety if the volume of traffic increases over and above what it is already, which is already significant.
9. Also as a resident of North Balgowlah I am concerned about Woodbine Street & Bangaroo Street, in particular, being used as ‘rat-runs’ by drivers seeking to avoid the construction on Sydney Road and the Wakehurst Parkway. As stated above, the traffic using Balgowlah Road/Kitchener St/Woodbine Street/Manning St/Judith St etc already is significant, and this will only get worse.
10. The loss of wildlife habitat at Balgowlah Golf Course, Burnt Bridge Creek, and the length of the Wakehurst Parkway due to widening. Also the loss of green space, at a time when due to climate change trees and ecological diversity and balance are more important than ever, a point recently acknowledged by the NSW Government themselves.
11. The potential noise of construction all over the area, and the effect of vibration from the tunnelling.
12. The pollution from the unfiltered ‘ventilation’ stacks which are too close to several public schools, not to mention the visual impact of them as they will be visible from many areas of North Balgowlah, Balgowlah and further afield, and the pollution of the whole Balgowlah/North Balgowlah basin.
13. With the reduction of traffic to the City since Covid-19, is the tunnel even really necessary, especially in view of the enormous expense, and is it just a pretext for further development of the Northern Beaches as a whole. In line with this aspect is the ‘rationalisation’ and privatisation of the local bus services. As more people work from home are the projected levels of traffic in the original plans likely to eventuate.
14. The lack of consideration of improved public transport options as an alternative to more cars of the road. The B-Line to the City has been a great success, and the advent of the B-Line Dee Why to Chatswood will be as well.
15. It is questionable whether the tunnel will reduce journey times – more roads tend to produce more traffic, and in time any initial gains will be negligible. For the Northern Beaches it is likely to produce more congestion and slower journey times, especially on weekends and in the summer, as more visitors use the tunnel to access the area.
16. The lack of Community Consultation!
17. I could write in much greater detail but I hope the volume of objections you have received will have inspired further consideration of the project in view of community concerns.

See attachment

I would like to take this opportunity to strongly object to the NSW Government’s plans to upgrade the Warringah Freeway in the Cammeray/Neutral Bay/North Sydney area to accommodate the planned Beaches Link Tunnel & Western Harbour Tunnel given the significant decrease of Green Space that this will cause.

A simple method of compensating for the use of part of Cammeray Park (Cammeray Golf Course) would be to build the Control Centre for the Beaches Link Tunnel & Western Harbour Tunnel underground and construct a cantilevered platform from the eastern side to the western side of the Warringah Freeway between ANZAC Park & Cammeray Park, and perhaps over the freeway between Ernest Street and Falcon Street and turn these areas into additional Green Space in a similar manner to tunnels in other parts of the world.

I would assume that this would represent a very small percentage of the overall Beaches Link Tunnel/Western Harbour Tunnel/Warringah Freeway Upgrade project.

I look forward to your response,

Kind regards,


Jon. DUGGAN

Please find attached our Submission

Attention: Director, Transport Assessments
Planning & Assessment, Department of Planning
Industry and Environment
Locked Bag 5022
Parramatta NSW 2124

Note: Please delete my personal details before publication

26/2/2021

Objection: Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Upgrade – SSI_8862

I write to respond to the EIS for the Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Project. I have done my best to read the extensive EIS documents at this very difficult time. I have significant concerns about the justification for this project particularly given that there is no published business case, it is not high on Infrastructure Australia’s priority list, The EIS demonstrates a significant risk to health and safety and the project and an alternative public transport option has not been fully scoped and compared.

I object to the project for the following reasons:

1. The timing of release of this project at the end of what has been a very challenging year. This project impacts a large number of schools and passes through highly residential areas. Families, community groups and schools have been under a huge amount of strain throughout the exhibition stage. School P&C’s did not have the opportunity to review the documents and parents were caring for children on school holidays. The 12,000+ paged documents are very difficult to read on screen and the Library was not allowing borrowing. The project should be re-exhibited well after the COVID-19 crisis has passed and when normal life returns ad when we understand the permanent changes that it has made.

2. I object to the project due to the contamination risks it presents to the environment and to human health and the negative impact on our precious waterways and green spaces.

• I object to the disruption of the historic tip poses a threat due to the dislodgement of toxic waste which will inevitably flow into the gully and out to Sydney Harbour. From my reading of the EIS I do not believe adequate measures are in place to prevent this. Government must be transparent about asbestos and tip refuse treatment. How will you ensure that toxic pollution does not impact homes, schools and sproting facitilities? How will you measure this?
• I object to the unfiltered ventilation stacks that pose a risk to the health of the community, particularly in an area where there are a large number of young families and schools. It is essential that this are filtered, as is the precedent in other tunnels around the world that are of shorter length than the Beaches Link.
• I object to the current level of planning for the rehabilitation of Flat Rock Gully which should include proper sports facilities for the local community.

3. I object to the lack of regard in the EIS for the scale of disruption this will cause to the local community.
• Government must properly assess and define the business case and the longevity of the traffic flows. Is the time to travel from Mosman to the Fish markets really a priority? How will traffic flows be managed in the longer term?
• Government must implement a bus lane and at least one bus stop on Brook Street. This would both support the use of the tunnel and reduce traffic on Brook St.
• The danger to cars entering and leaving the roads off Brook Street has not been considered sufficiently. The risk of car accidents as residents attempt to exit their streets, carrying young children, is too high. TO increase heavy vehicle traffic in an area that is not used to them, is a known cause of fatality and the lack of proper mitigation is negligent. Workers and heavy vehicles receive traffic lights to get onto the site as outlined in planning. Residents deserve the same . Traffic lights, eg at Slade st, would lessen to danger to residents and the drivers of vehicles that threaten them.

4. I object to the project due to the unreasonable level of impact on the Quality of Life of residents during the tunnel construction and operation because

• Noise from roadworks will have a significant impact on the local community. Proper street-side noise abatement needs to be put in place along Flat Rock Drive and Brook Street. This has not been adequately addressed in the EIS.
• Government must ensure trucks cannot not use air brakes and will receive fines for using them. Air brakes would significantly impact the Naremburn and Nrthbridge communities and should not be allowed.

5. I object to the project as it has a poor climate profile at a time when we should be looking to projects which reduce our emissions
• Government must create a genuine ransport plan and a “future-proffed” city We should be looking to better public transport, bringing Sydney to the level of other major global cities and improving the lifestyle of all residents.
•
6. I object to the project as there has been no publicly published business case and the costs demonstrated in the EIS seem to far outweigh the benefits. The EIS also fails to fully scope many aspects such as utilities and contamination which poses a risk to the project.
• I object to the project as it is a tolled road and there is little evidence that it will alleviate current congestion.
• Government is committing an enormous cost to this project for which there is a poor business case. There are other areas of priority which would better meet the needs of our communities such as public transport, education and health, simultaneously providing stimulus to the economy.


7. I object to the project because the B-Line buses have been successful in reducing congestion and no public transport alternative study has been done with which to compare this project.

• The B-line buses are an example of successful government planning. They are well subscribed thereby reducing traffic congestion and improving transport for all residents. The EIS does not look at the success of other options nor the evidence that suggests that the tunnel will not reduce traffic, it will increase it as has been the case with all other tunnels.

This project is a missed opportunity to transform Sydney into a world class, healthy and sustainable city with a strong public transport system. The EIS demonstrates that this toll road will be extremely expensive to build and high risk with little benefit. I would ask that an alternative public transport feasibility study be published before any further planning occurs so that impacts and outcomes can be fairly compared.

Yours sincerely,

Robyn Townley

Declaration of any reportable political donations
made in the previous 2 years e.g. I have not made any reportable political donations in the past two years.

I would like to take this opportunity to strongly object to the NSW Government’s plans to construct an UNFILTERED Exhaust Stack Tower on the “island” on the Warringah Freeway adjacent to the northern side of the Ernest Street Overpass Bridge given the significant number of schools/child-care centres in the Cammeray/Neutral Bay/North Sydney area.

Exhaust gasses from vehicles using both the Beaches Link Tunnel & Western Harbour Tunnel will be emitted from this combined Exhaust Stack, and not filtering it is not in line with World’s Best Practice for tunnels of similar lengths being constructed elsewhere in the Developed World. Furthermore, Australia has not implemented Euro 6 standard, nor seems to have a plan to adopt the Euro 7 standard for petroleum powered vehicles which would lower the deadly toxic emissions. Added to this there does not appear to be a plan to restrict the use of the tunnel by banning diesel powered vehicles given the high level of toxicity associated with this type of fuel.

A simple method of protecting our most vulnerable would be to filter the combined Exhaust Stack which would represent a very small percentage of the overall Beaches Link Tunnel/Western Harbour Tunnel/Warringah Freeway Upgrade project.

I look forward to your response,

Kind regards,


Jon. DUGGAN

Submission regarding the development of the Northern Beaches tunnel. There are significant measures that would need to be introduced regarding the construction. My concerns are as follows:
1) Noise - The method used to mitigate construction noise are not fully transparent in the EIS. “Reasonable and feasible” noise mitigation is too vague and not clear around what will be done. Construction 6 days a week with vague commitments to noise is not acceptable. There needs to be both air quality and noise management tracking's put in place at the corner of Audrey St and Wanganella, and Audrey St and Maritemo St, with mitigation strategies ready to go if noise exceeds reasonable levels.
In addition, we expect an independent assessment of noise and vibration prior to the commencement of the construction. Mitigation strategies must be put in place, with alterative construction methods introduced if a feasible solution cannot be found

Tunnelling works -there is a proposal for tunnelling to continue 24/4. I would like consideration to be made for tunnelling outside of the acoustic sheds to be done outside standard construction hours. There should be no exceptions to this

2) Increased traffic and parking- During the construction approximately 2000 extra vehicles are expected in the area and this will have a flow on impact to all neighbouring streets. This is not acceptable, and we need guarantees to ensure workers are not parking in local streets.

3) Air Quality - I cannot believe the government refuses to consider having filtration in the ventilation stack that is so close to Balgowlah Boys, St Cecilia’s, Seaforth Public School, and Kinder Haven. The data in the EIS does not clearly explain the reason for this omission and there does not seem to be a clear understanding of a safe level – this could impact children for years to come. The emission stacks need to be filtered. Anything less is unacceptable.

4) Impact to working-from-home – there is a considerable increase in the number of people now working from home due to Covid 19. This is not expected to change soon. More people at home (not requiring the use of a tunnel) and being impacted by the noise, pollution, and air quality from the tunnel. Assumptions thigs will revert to previous experiences are not valid

5) Destruction of bushland and open spaces - My concern is both to the reduction in groundwater flows into the Burnt Bridge Deviation (expected up to 80% reduction); the impact to the grey-headed flying fox colony; and the destroying of bushland, including the removal of Balgowlah Oval for some period of time. The EIS does not address any of these concerns convincingly and all will have significant negative impacts on these areas.

6) Specific to Audrey St - We need measures to prevent Audrey St turning into a rat run and construction side hub – resident traffic must only be allowed with measures put in place to prevent parking from workers, impact of construction noise must be transparent; air quality measures need to be put in place on Corner of Audrey & Maritemo, and Audrey and Wanganella St. Anything less is unacceptable

End of submission

I have strong objections to the Beaches Link Tunnel project on a number of grounds which are set out in the attached document.

I have written before, and been ignored like most people. I live in Naremburn on the corner of Brook Street and your plans will make my life a nightmare for years, as well as lower the value of my property. It will also put my life at severe risk, for the following reasons:
Heavy trucks will be coming along Brook Street past my house for years. This will damage my house from vibration, cause me trauma from noise and lack of sleep, and risk my life whenever I have to enter or exit Brook Street from my house in Rhodes Avenue. There is no option for me since Rhodes Avenue has no other exit and it is dangerous now with normal traffic. At the least you need to limit all truck movements to 5 days only between the hours of 8am to 6pm, and you need to install traffic lights on the corner of Rhodes Avenue and Brook Street. If I have an accident entering or leaving Brook Street, rest assured I will sue the government for everything I can get. The pollution from the trucks will also badly affect my health, as I already suffer from some breathing difficulties. You also need to provide some noise abatement measures along Brook Street. Since the value of my property will drop dramatically for the years that this disaster will take, I also expect you to compensate me financially. I may need to move out and rent my house for the duration, and you need to compensate me for loss of rent and moving costs if I am forced to do this.

I object to the Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Connection Project.

I object to the increased pollution that the exhaust stacks at Balgowlah and Seaforth will cause to our area. Health experts from across the world agree that traffic exhaust pollution poses serious health risks and numerous independent studies have proven that inhalation of emissions can cause respiratory diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and cancer. There is no safe level of exposure to these types of cancer-causing emissions.

At the very least we should be doing everything we can to eliminate these harmful emissions. However, the stock standard official response seems to be that filtration is unnecessary because the expenditure is not justified. This is not acceptable. There is no safe level of exposure to these types of cancer-causing emissions. My children attend Seaforth Public School (~450metres from the Balgowlah exhaust stack), we live on Serpentine Crescent (~350metres from the Balgowlah exhaust stack) and regularly play soccer at Seaforth Oval (~600metres from the Seaforth exhaust stack) and I fear for the health of my children growing up in this area and for future generations.

In a 2008 speech to NSW parliament Gladys Berejiklian slammed the then Labor Government for proposing unfiltered exhaust stacks for the Lane Cove Tunnel. She said, "World's best practice is to filter tunnels”, “Why won't they allow people sleep at night, knowing their children aren't inhaling toxins that could jeopardise their health now or in the future?". So what has changed, why has the Liberal viewpoint now changed?

Why was Balgowlah Boys High School not included as a community receptor for modelling in the EIS? The school is within 300metres of the Balgowlah exhaust stack yet was not deemed important enough to be included? As a condition of approval, the EIS should be amended and republished ensuring this school is included.

I object to the 5+ years of construction and let’s not kid ourselves that this will take anywhere near 5 years. Every major construction project in NSW is over budget and over time so we’ll realistically be looking at closer to 7 years of construction. I object to the noise and dust pollution that residents will have to endure over this period which will have a detrimental effect on physical and mental health. As a condition of approval, night work should not be at the discretion of the contractors, but the community should be informed of the full list of conditions that determine when night work can be conducted.

As a condition of approval, restrictions must be placed on the volume, timings and direction of truck movements carrying spoil from the Balgowlah work site. I have great concern regarding these massive trucks navigating around the local area, especially through Seaforth. TfNSW have recently made major changes to the bus timetables and routes in this area and Seaforth high street is now seeing an increase in bus traffic and pedestrians waiting on connecting services. The roundabout at Locals Corner, Seaforth is notoriously busy at all times of the day and regularly experiences near misses and prangs. The gradient, curve and layout at the Frenchs Forest Road / Brook Road intersection must also be considered dangerous for trucks of this size to safely navigate. Not to mention that this area has high levels of pedestrian activity due to the school, kindergartens and shops.

As a condition of approval, no tunneling works should be conducted outside of the acoustic sheds and within the standard construction hours. As a condition of approval, TfNSW must inform the community now what the strategies to mitigate construction noise are. Rather than a sort it out later attitude. Independent assessments of noise and vibration impacts from construction on all properties with noise and vibration above management levels should be completed and provided to property owners before construction commences. Any exceedances found should then be mitigated prior to construction beginning. TfNSW, or an independent body, must also be responsible for monitoring contractor compliance on construction noise and breaches met with appropriate penalties.

I object to the destruction of the environment. We live in a beautiful suburb which will be irrevocably destroyed by this project. Water flow in Burnt Bridge Creek will reduce by up to 96% after completion of the project. Ninety Six Percent. You might as well just drive a bulldozer along the creek at the start of the project and save the suffering of the flora and fauna.

The NSW Government promised that the land at the Sydney Water site at Kirkwood Avenue was to be returned to the Manly Warringah War Memorial Park. This promise now appears to be meaningless as the area will be amongst the 12ha of bushland to be destroyed to widen the Wakehurst Parkway. This is unacceptable and makes you wonder if the Government can break this promise, what other promises about this project will be broken?

The potential contamination of water quality in Manly Dam and run off to Queenscliff beach are also of great concern. Not only to the destructive effect on the local flora and fauna but also to the many thousands of people who use the Dam socially and swim at Queenscliff.

I object to the increased traffic congestion this project will cause to the local area during construction and after completion. Current quiet local roads will become rat runs as motorists try to find ways to get into the tunnel or avoid it. It doesn’t seem right that this project can cause such disruption to local traffic and the official response is that it is up to Northern Beaches Council to fix the problem. As a condition of approval, TfNSW must work with Northern Beaches Council to remedy all issues that the project causes to the local traffic network.

During construction, our streets are likely to be impacted not just by increased traffic but also parking by contractors trying to access the work sites. As a condition of approval, contractors should not be permitted to park on local streets but should be encouraged to use public transport or shuttle buses to access the work site.

I object to the fact that the business case for this project has never been released to the public, and as a condition of approval, it should be. The business case should show evidence of the travel time savings that are constantly quoted, the benefits to congestion and how the $14+ billion to be spent on this project will benefit our area. I would also suggest that the modelling previously conducted on traffic volumes is now completely out of date given the increase in people working from home. The adoption of this work methodology has been a necessity of COVID but it is here to stay as employees and employers see the benefits of a better work/life balance.

We should be looking at ways of improving and increasing public transport to and from the city, the B Line bus service being an excellent example, not implementing a multibillion-dollar project that will only increase car usage and congestion whilst destroying the lives of those living within the local area and causing irreparable damage to our environment. I object to the Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Connection Project.

To Whom It May Concern,
I am a resident of Naremburn and a concerned citizen regarding the construction of the Beaches Tunnel and Gore Hill extension.
Chief areas of concern go to the disruption of the neighbourhood and safety matters.
How will noise, excessive traffic ,vibrations from construction , pollution be handled?
Why isn’t the tunnel for public transport eg a train link rather than another toll road?
There a no specific plans describing times and duration of disruptions to local residents eg. hours of noisy construction, safety to local children with increased construction traffic, speed limits to mitigate danger to pedestrians.There is no word of improvements to local area facilities, parks or public transport to compensate for disruption caused by the project.
Excessive spending to provide improved transport times to a limited population on the Northern Beaches.
Local residents experiencing the “pain but no gain “ for considerable and lengthy disruptions .
Noise, air and potential toxic water pollution from disturbing previous refuse sites.
The above outline just a few of my
concerns.
Yours sincerely,
James Townley

I am a resident of North Balgowlah with a young family who all cherish the unique and very special ecological environment within the Manly Dam and Garigal Natonal Park.
I wish to make a submission in response to the EIS for the Beaches Tunnel Link. The EIS presents many complex, serious and potentially irreversible environmental impacts that will affect the local ecology, biodiversity, water quality, air quality and future use of this land and will be to the detriment of future generations.

The impacts during construction on the local environment have the potential to wipe out local endangered species, destroy significant artefacts of human history on this land, pollute the water of Manly Dam (Sydney’s last inland body of water that is considered healthy enough for humans to swim in) and remove significant old growth trees at a time when we need them more than ever.

I ask that the government take this opportunity to design a future-focused transport solution that we can all be proud of and one that allows us to pass this precious environment onto the next generation. Should we fast-track this project for a 10-12minute travel time saving at the risk of the irreversible destruction of this land, we will all be forever accountable.

I am lucky enough to live close enough to enjoy Manly Dam’s beauty on a weekly basis. Each time I enter the bushland and swim in the water, I marvel at the amazing wildlife abundant in the middle of a city. The local wallabies, bird life, fish, echidnas, turtles, reptiles and majestic trees and flora are a treasure and a gift. The local community currently work hard to preserve this piece of paradise. It was passed onto us to enjoy and we need to speak up and act to ensure we do not lose this for future generations.

Not only will the impacts during construction affect this environment, but the long-term environment impacts of the project, particularly the exhaust stacks, have the potential to devastate the local health of our environment, wildlife and community members. We have been acting to demand clean water and clean oceans, and we all need to act to demand clean air as well. There is no point in building a motorway tunnel if no one is well enough to use it.

The concerns listed below, as detailed on the EIS are significant and should be enough information to pause the project and consider future-focused alternatives:
“The potential impacts to water quality from these operational activities could include:
• Potential increase in scouring from increased road runoff
• Change in flow and velocity leading to stagnation of a waterway or an increase in turbidity and nutrient concentrations from increased sediment loads
• Increased impervious surfaces which can increased levels of heavy metals and other toxicants
• Spills/leaks of fuels or oils from vehicles
• Discharge of poorly treated tunnel wastewater
• Scour or mobilisation of sediments at outlet locations
• Impacts to baseflow of surface creeks due to groundwater drawdown.”

I wish to ask the government to prioritise public transport solutions over motorways. This is our time to make future focused decisions that become a positive legacy for our future generations. We must get this right and preserve our amazing environmental assets while also building livable and functional cities that help everyone, not just those with cars. Failing to do so will be a failure of our local people and of our generation. If Manly Dam’s precious and delicate ecological environment is destroyed, this government and the individuals responsible for pushing ahead with this project will be forever remembered.

It is imperative that this project make the preservation of the local environmental a priority and not to take any risks that may result in extinction or permanent relocation of local wildlife species, irreversible pollution and contamination of waterways and destruction of Aboriginal heritage, which is the most significant human history of the land in existence.

We request that the following very basic & beneficial project measures are established to minimise risk to locals wellbeing and health:
Build public transport, not more toll roads, to support a long-term solution. This is a fundamental and basic flaw in the entire project. It is one of the world’s most expensive tunnels, planned to be built to support an area that for decades has said they don’t want public access to the rest of Sydney. If public transport isnt resolving traffic issues both within the beaches/Balgowlah and to and from - it shouldn’t be built.

In your vision for the Northern Beaches, it repeatedly claims planning that supports Climate change adaptation and resilience, lesser car dependence, which is at complete odds with putting in place a road that doesn’t support efficient public transport. (See here: https://shared-drupal-s3fs.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/master-test/fapub_pdf/Local+Strategic+Planning+Statements/LSPS+2020/Northern+Beaches+Council%2427s+LSPS+Towards+2040+v5+12+March+2020+-+low+res+%2428for+sharing%2429+-+uplodaded+27+March+2020_S-1026.pdf)

Limit truck movements to weekday working hours, 7am-6pm. Current advertising attempts to mislead people stating very specific ‘soil filled trucks’ will limit movements within work hours. This doesn’t tell the full story, which is that “There may be occasional deliveries and some movements outside of standard construction hours” (See: https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/01documents/western-harbour-tunnel-beaches-link/whtbl-noise-and-vibration.pdf. ) Please define what ‘occasional’ means and the types of trucks involved and ensure that noise levels for those living on Brook Street and Sailors Bay or other Northbridge, Naremburn, Artarmon and Cammeray roads are measured and trucks are all limited to working hours. It is not fair to subject residents on Sailors Bay, Brook Street, Artarmon, Cammeray and other roads to 24 hr a day movements of frequent trucks on a road that does not normally carry this type of traffic - as RMS themselves have in community consultations confirmed.
Adequately, transparently & publicly monitor noise, vibration and pollution (including water and diesel in particular) before and during the works. This has not been done adequately in the area, because the negative outcome is expected. RMS members have also stated at council sessions that they know some of the biggest risks to health and safety will be diesel fumes from trucks. This is a risk to Cammeray, Naremburn, Northbridge and Artarmon residents as truck numbers increase to transport concrete, workers, equipment and remove tunnel fill.
Implement a 50 km/h zone on Flat Rock Drive and Brook Street before work starts & safety measures for all trucks travelling along Sailors Bay Road, Brook Street and in Cammeray, to improve both the safety being put in place for truck drivers and workers (40 km/h) and precedents on state roads Ernest Street and River Road.
The RMS Beaches Tunnel states the need for Truck drivers and workers on site to have traffic lights and 40 km/h zone on site for safety. There is no reason why truck drivers would need this level of safety, yet local school children and the local community do not. Many driveways onto Brook Street are very short and cars need to reverse in or out of their own driveways - not to mention the risk to cyclists. The very few large trucks heading down or uphill at speed that are currently on the road have already caused numerous crashes or near misses (many not recorded on the RMS websites). There is precedent for State roads being lowered to 50km/h including Ernest Street and River Road, where locals have significantly more turning space and less safety issues currently on Flat Rock and Brook Street.
This also further supports use of the tunnel & is a basic, cost free safety measure that there is no excuse not to implement.
Install traffic lights across Slade Street and Grafton Avenue, to protect (i) residents and importantly (ii) the thousands of school children who live in the area and/or cross over Flat Rock in order to get to their appointed school in their catchment area. You are putting in place traffic lights for the truck drivers so that they can enter the work site. It is entirely illogical that truck drivers would require this safety measure, while local residents and school children leaving their home every single day do not.
Proper street-side noise abatement program to be put in place, for those around the site as well as those who are subject to significantly increased traffic noises due to truck movements, both during and outside of work hours. This is along Flat Rock Drive and Brook Street, the South facing streets of Northbridge and should include proper noise abatement walls (not just timber). Flat Rock Drive and Brook Street while ‘State roads’ on paper, were designed as temporary roads, through an existing federation home area and haven’t been made to accommodate high truck volumes.
Compensate local businesses & communities that are forced to shut down, move out of their home, are unable to rent their home, have damaged homes (e.g. due to vibrations or toxicity of water or air) or need to spend on their properties (e.g. window glazing and other noise treatments) in able to have a liveable, safe space or viable business due to tunnel impacts. No compensation is currently proposed, yet some residents may not be able to live in their homes for up to 8 years safely due to impacts.
Ensure trucks cannot use air brakes and receive fines for using them. Air brakes would significantly impact Naremburn and Northbridge communities and should not be allowed for use.
Implement safe roads & crossings for children and residents - offering residents the same safety measures that workers and truck drivers are being offered and need. Some key areas of concern include: the intersection between Rosalind Street and Miller Street, where significant numbers of primary children from Anzac Park Public School in an already dangerous area, with 6 directions of traffic and the threat of heavy vehicles, known to significantly increase the risk of accident and death; Sailors Bay Road toward the dive site; and on Brook Street where the road does not currently take the extent of heavy vehicles and has significant safety issues. The Cammeray Public and Anzac Park Catchment areas cross Brook Street and many children walk to school and are in danger.
This question was posted at an RMS community meeting & ignored, to focus on truck driver inductions on site and worker safety.
Why would truck drivers require safety measures that school children walking to and from school do not? Slow the road down to 50 km/h, implement traffic lights and proper protocols so that accidents don’t occur. Loss of life has hamstrung Infrastructure projects in the past - why would the govt not put in these correct safety measures, when they have already made it clear they are needed, as truck drivers will be provided with them?
Install cameras to monitor the speed limits on Flat Rock and Brook Street. This both drives Govt revenue and encourages use of the tunnels. Govt Infrastructure projects often run overtime & over budget putting stress on contracting companies to rush work, placing greater danger on local (and what you call ‘state’ roads.
Publicly release the traffic impact on local streets in Naremburn, Northbridge, Cammeray and even Mosman for the 8+ years the project is going ahead. 1,000s of daily truck movements on Naremburn (1 a minute or more) - will create traffic chaos on Strathallen, Small Street, Willoughby Road and other areas.
Properly assess and define the business case and the longevity of the traffic flows. Traffic count is a known area of critical error and poor investment decisions in previous Sydney toll roads. Are the traffic flows permanent? Are they driven by temporary building construction in Western Sydney or the Beaches? Is cutting down the time from Mosman to the Fish Markets (as advertised on project flyers) really what $14bn should be spent on? The beaches are a known area where local residents have said they don’t want increased access from greater Sydney. Is this the area money should be spent on, when 3-4 other Infrastructure projects connecting greater Sydney (or even Sydney to Brisbane!) could or have been built for this same amount of money? The Pacific Highway from Sydney to Brisbane and entire NorthConnex cost a fraction of the Beaches tunnel.
Implement a bus lane and at a minimum, bus stop on Brook Street. There are buses that routinely are routed to go along Flat Rock. Implementing a bus lane would both support the use of the tunnel and reduce traffic further on the street & build a responsible city.
Be transparent about Asbestos and tip refuse treatment and explain how this will be safely contained. Flat Rock Gully is known to contain asbestos that will be dug up. Current plans indicate it will be kept on site - what are the containment measures if held on site? While it is being dug up how will residents be protected? How are you measuring where asbestos fill ends? If anything is trucked out, how are you containing dust in general and measuring the toxicity? How are you measuring the air toxicity risk?
What is the risk of these to locals? What independent testing is being undertaken and who will the results be released to?
How will you protect the marine environment, Northbridge Baths and river systems from toxic sediments brought up by dredging and run-off?
Northbridge Baths will likely be unable to be used for years during & after the project.
Develop plans for the Flat Rock Gully rehabilitation and future. The area is a current cycle, walking and community area that will be taken over by the project and unusable for almost a decade. What are the plans for redevelopment and rehabilitation of the area?

I object to building a road tunnel which will increase traffic due to induced demand. I understand there will not be a dedicated bus lane. In a modern city why are we not building infrastructure for mass transport? Making tunnels for more cars is unfathomable.

The government has a policy for retaining green space, encouraging public transport usage and reducing car usage. All of which are in complete contrast to building a new road tunnel especially when the experience of sydney has shown new road tunnels create more traffic and very soon become congested. Therefore eliminating all the supposed benefits of a tunnel.

I understand there is a substantial projected population increase for the northern beaches. Surely this provides more reason to build public transport solutions rather than encouraging even more car usage.

Having unfiltered stacks close to where I live placed in the only green open space for miles. There is no safe levels of pollution, so concentrating a whole tunnel’s length of exhaust fumes several metres from where many young families live - not to mention the local school and daycare centers, is unconscionable.

Judging by the stacks on other Sydney tunnels the Balgowlah stack will be very high and be an eyesore in our residential area. Why in all the lovely “after” pictures can it hardly be seen?

Construction period - this will not be a short period. With trucks leaving and returning every minute, how are the surrounding local roads going to cope? I cannot understand how a car park on the construction site will be big enough for all the construction workers. It will become impossible to park on our local streets - for years.

There is no guarantee that the golf course will be returned to open green space/sporting fields once construction is complete. So how can we agree to the tunnel without certainty of what will be replaced?

The link road to the tunnel entrance creates problems. Traffic lights at the entrance/exit to a tunnel is unsafe. They will create tailbacks in the tunnel whilst cars are whizzing by to go straight on.

The water flow of the creek will be dramatically reduced which will have a negative impact on the fauna downstream.

As a member and regular sailor at the Northbridge Sailing Club, I am very concerned about the potential restrictions to navigation on middle harbour during the period of construction. The club is a vital part of the local community that provides clear head space for adults working in our city, and wonderful training and mentoring for a broad spectrum of boys and girls from all walks of life. The viabilty of this important resource will be threatened by prolonged restriction to navigation and the potential loss of club membership. I urge you to liaise closely with the Northbridge Sailing Club to minimise impact of the construction on these important activities.

I live directly behind Brook Street and I'm already concerned about entering Grafton Street from Brook Street. Could you put a set of lights in whilst construction is in development? For the safety of my family, at least.

My objections are based on the following points:
!) The congestion of traffic coming off the Warringah Freeway at Willoughby Rd is concerning, especially with no option to exit at Brooke Street, especially taking into account the extra traffic already predicted with the construction of 470 apartments being built on the old Channel 9 site.
2) The number of trees and green spaces that will be diminished, and contamination of Flat Road Creek is worrying. Why dig up a toxic tip site and put our environment, waterways and health at risk?
4) More sustainable transport options are better long term - get cars off the roads not induce more reliance on car travel and parking problems.
5) It is expensive enough living in Sydney - why make it harder for people to live here? The tolls are manic and come at a huge cost to honest hard working people.