Great Western Highway Blackheath to Little Hartley

Submission attached

I object to the project based on the information below.

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Blackheath to Little Hartley Tunnel Project says there will be a "construction site" with a 22 to 23 hectare footprint near the corner of Great Western Highway and Evan's Lookout Rd. (see first map below from the EIS).

THIS SITE IS WHOLLY WITHIN THE BLACKHEATH SPECIAL CATCHMENT AREA - see photos below. The EIS tells us that at this site “vegetation would be cleared”, “topsoil would be levelled and compacted”, “site access tracks would be established” and “water quality controls such as water quality and sediment basins would be installed”. The site will be cleared and levelled at the start of the Katoomba to Blackheath upgrade and will be used for both that upgrade and then for the Blackheath tunnel construction. In other words this site will be operational for 9 years.

The EIS says that the Blackheath to Little Hartley tunnel works will “generate 7.8 million tons of spoil” (300,000 to 350,000 truck loads – based on 20 tonne truck) and the Blackheath construction site will house a spoils pile of up to 5000 cubic metres which will NOT be covered. The EIS predicts that during construction of the Blackheath tunnel portal there will be up to 260 truck movements per hour.

We are also told that during construction the peak water inflow level will reach 750 to 1850 cubic metres/day (750,000 to 1.85 million litres per day) ie. water which will not be going into the environment (including Greaves Creek and associated swamps).
The BLACKHEATH SPECIAL CATCHMENT AREA protects Greaves Creek Dam on Greaves Creek, and Lake Medlow on Adams Creek. Residents living between Medlow Bath and Mt Victoria depend on these dams for their water supply. The Blackheath construction site will be located right at the headwater for Greaves Creek (see maps below) which flows through the Walls Cave Aboriginal Area, into Lake Greaves, on into the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, through the iconic Grand Canyon into Govetts Creek and then into the Grose River.

The threat of sedimentation (and weeds) entering the Blackheath Special Catchment Area and the downstream World Heritage Area from both the initial clearing of the site and the 9 years of road widening and portal/tunnel construction is very real. Not only is this our drinking water, it helps feed hanging swamps which are nationally endangered and which are home to a unique range of fauna including the endangered Giant Dragonfly and Blue Mountains Water Skink.

Good Morning
Warrabinga is disappointed in the lack of consultation with us during the entire process, we have only come into project after attending online information session that was provided. After attending the session and hearing the concerns raised by other Aboriginal Parties involved in the project our concerns are very similar but not limited to their scope. Primarily there are three concerns. Environmental impacts and if enough has been done to protect the natural waterway in and surrounding the area. Flora and fauna and the loss of habitats in the works area through loss of vegetation and the ongoing disturbance of construction etc. Rehabilitation of the affected work areas and those of cultural Significance

The Blue Mountains should be treated as a heritage environment which should not be tempered with in order to maintain nature's very delicate and frail balance.
I believe that a lot of the plant and animal species in the mountains will suffer with this project. The Great Western Highway is not the busiest in NSW and should be left alone.
The Blue Mountains should be left alone from any projects that would affect them. Haven't we done enough damage to the environment already.

Thank you for considering.

I support the project for the following reasons:
Traffic flow will be vastly improved,
Blackheath will be saved,
Safety vastly improved,
Tunnel's gentle gradient will result in less emissions.
Victoria Pass will be saved.

However, I have concerns about the lack of filtration for the ventilation stacks. Hopefully by then, we will have mostly electric vehicles.

I support the project however I strongly believe stronger erosion and sediment controls must be in place around the water courses near to the project. Not only do we have a platypus population in this area but previous works around Clarence which ran into the Clarence Dams(Dam Cliffs), while it had controls that look to meet Blue Book guidelines, the fact remains that this water body is still heavily affected by high recordings for turbidity and TDS years after these works. What used to be a relatively clear dam to swim in is now still a chocolatey brown colour and this level of control would not be sufficient for a platypus habitat. I believe the conditions for erosion and sediment control for this project must be oversized significantly in order to adequately protect this precious habitat.

Will the project be still going ahead if there is a change of Govt in NSW on March 25. Or will be put on hold. The project could face cost blowouts due to the length of tunnels involved in the project.

Thank you for your community consultation to date. It has been very comprehensive. Please now get on with the construction of the highway upgrade as soon as possible!

What provision is being made for cyclists between Blackheath and Hartley? Until the closure of Berghofers Pass in May 2023, that pass was the safest and most negotiable way for cyclists to move between the Lithgow area and the Blue Mountains. Berghofers is currently in a very poor condition after the recent years of heavy rain. Without Berghofers there are no reasonable and safe ways to cycle between Lithgow and the Blue Mountains. The proposed tunnel is not likely to be an acceptable cycle route. Victoria Pass, even with reduced traffic, is very difficult to cycle up and is unsafe. Hartley Vale Road is also difficult, and leads cyclists onto the Darling Causeway which is also veru unsafe. Chifley Road has no shoulder. What do you have in mind for cyclists?

I am 100% in support of a tunnel option.
One area that I would like to see improvement in is the above existing road section to Blackheath .
Is it be modified to have traffic calming devices like activated footpath by widening and providing for landscape zones and encourage retailers to open to the street , bike lanes ,car parking to be angled on the north side and remove parking from the west .
Introduce 40 KMHR speed zone.
The objective should be to use this opportunity to bring back Blackheath to a village feel for the locals and a tourist destination.
Is the proposal for Transport NSW to do this or provide $ to Council so they can implement it once a management plan of Blackhealth Village is adopted .

Yours

In overall terms I support the project concept, although very concerned about costs to the public and can't see economic impact through cost/benefit. Also what are the full costs to ensure environmental protection to the highest standards of global best practice? On page 2 of Fact Sheet Booklet (January 2023) there is an emphasis on "time savings" for road users and "more reliable connection" etc. However, this should not alone be justification for the huge public costs for construction. Improved road safety should be primary goal along with environmental outcomes and benefits for local communities along the route including noise, congestion and amenity. This road project must be complemented with a commitment to greatly improve public rail transport on the Blue Mountains line including more frequent services outside so called peak hours and on weekends. 'Active transport' (including cycling and pedestrian routes and wide sealed pathways separated from roads) also need to be better covered in the EIS and opportunities provided for using greatly increased public funds.

We support the tunnel from Blackheath to Little Hartley and do not have any objections with proposal.

I support the GWH Blackheath to Little Hartley project as this is vital infrastructure to the area, reducing travel times and increasing safety.

This project will save lives.
It will by-pass one of the most notorious stretches of road in the country that is designated a highway.
The Mt Victoria pass has seen numerous accidents and fatalities over the decades.
Even at present, lanes have been closed for months because of land slips.
This stretch of road is continually closed due to accidents, truck break downs or land slips.
On busy weekends a make shift traffic light system is used to slow and control the flow of traffic going up the pass.
Traffic congestion stretches from Medlow Bath, Blackheath and down into the Hartley valley on any Sunday for travelers trying to get back to the city.
This project is long overdue.
It is the safest and most environmentally friendly solution.
The residents of Mt Victoria, Blackheath and Medlow Bath deserve better than what they have had to put up with for over 50 years.
The project will open up the Central West to industry and tourism and give people from the Sydney basin affordable living options.
The dual lanes over the mountains have taken 60 years to get to this stage.
The final sections of dual lanes must be completed to save lives, to save frustration, to give residents the security of a safe road and to bring sustainability west of the divide.

We experience significant road noise at our property from the trucks on the highway as they approach/enter Blackheath from the South.
A tunnel from Katoomba rather than Blackheath would thus be preferable but failing this could attention pls be given to noise suppression on the approaches and entrance to the proposed tunnel on the south side of Blackheath.

1 Has a Cost/ Benefit study been made on this project and has it been confirmed as positive? Over what time period has the cost benefit been taken over?
2 Will a rail (with or without upgrade) alternative be more cost efficient?
3 Will a rail alternative be more energy efficient , total energy or electrically, or otherwise?
4 Would a road widening with increased rail usage be more socially beneficial?
5 If this is to proceed, are the cross passage spaced at the 250m distances as per rail safety requirements and required by Fire Rescue Services?
6 Are there safety refuges attached to each of the cross passages?
7 Smoke and fire management - are the cross passages and refuges sized for the potential numbers of people trapped in the inter cross passage distance?
8 Has smoke management in the ventilation system been designed to be able to handle a 2 electric car or truck collision with Li-Lon battery fire toxic smoke emission? The battery pack fire (in previous cases in USA vehicle battery packs have exploded sending burning batteries in all directions) has a high probability to set fire to adjacent petrol vehicles in the confined tunnel space.
Scenario - 2 electric cars or electric trucks collide heading to Lithgow/down hill near the tunnel exit or air extraction point, blocking both lanes and fire starts from one of the battery packs. Toxic smoke will travel uphill against modest air flow (the fan's response time to the air compressibility from the smoke emission point). Cars already in the tunnel will pile up against blockage, such as occurred in Mt Blanc Tunnel (between France and Italy) fire 24/3/99 trapping occupants against the blockage , in this proposal up to 11 kms., choking occupants in the toxic smoke and possible spreading fire.
Li-Lon battery fires are self sustaining and resistant to water deluges .
(re recent Tesla battery fire at VBB in Geelong Victoria in 2021)
This has severe implications for the cross passages/refuges. As this is a twin tunnel proposal, procedural steps or layout design will have to be in place to stop escaping personnel from exiting the other side of the refuge into other still active tunnel and running into the other still active traffic stream.

As residents of Katoomba (Blue Mountains LGA), me and my family are totally opposed to this project. Unfortunately, the project disregards the entire Blue Mountains community by ignoring our safety and wellbeing. Building a tunnel from Blackheath to the Little Hartley Vale, will result in exponential increase of heavy vehicle traffic (such as trucks, semi-trailers, B-Doubles and other vehicles carrying hazardous materials), which will now pass through our towns and villages BOTH WAYS in order to reach the tunnel on their way to Lithgow (and beyond) and the return trip back to the Greater Sydney Area. This exponential increase in heavy vehicles travelling through our towns poses a MAJOR THREAT to the safety of the entire community. It is likely to result in exponential increase of serious accidents happening on our roads. It will significantly increase levels of noise and air pollution in our towns and villages, increase traffic congestion on the highway leading to the tunnel (BOTH WAYS). Other than exposing the entire community to major safety hazards, the project will also harm the local tourist industry (a major source of income of the entire LGA). After the tunnel is constructed, it will be far more dangerous and difficult for tourists to reach this area, as they will have to navigate the local roads along with many heavy, long and dangerous vehicles passing through the Blue Mountains LGA on their way to the tunnel.

THIS IS NOT A WAY TO EXECUTE PROJECTS IN A DEVELPOED NATION.
NO CITIZEN OF A COUNTRY LIKE SWITZERLAND OR NORWAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED SUCH A PROJECT.

Furthermore, we are opposed to this project because it DOES NOT create any jobs nor does it bring any economic benefit to our community. It will create a huge corridor of trucks and other dangerous vehicles PASSING THROUGH our community without bringing any benefit to it.

To remove any doubt, we are NOT political people. We are a family of five people (including three young girls). We love our community and care about it. We DO NOT belong to any political party. We are NOT against development. On the contrary, we are all for jobs and economic growth. Unfortunately, the current project fails to create any safety nor provide any other (even slight) benefit to the community.

If you are keen to build a tunnel, then it should be built from the PENRITH AREA TO THE LITHGOW AREA. The current project WASTES 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS without bringing any benefit to anyone at all. That is wrong. That is corrupt.

Another alternative is to invest 2.5 billion dollars in order to develop the railway infrastructure in the Lithgow and Blue Mountains LGA's. For example, to build new, electrified railway lines to serve the entire region and expand the current network also to remote NSW country areas.

Another alternative, is to invest this money to fix the heavily damaged roads that we have across the state. Some of these roads are dangerous and should be closed until fixed. You can also invest the money to seal unsealed roads that we have in the LGA. This could be very beneficial for emergency services vehicles and, of course, for the local community.

Finally, we hope that common sense shall prevail and this money will be invested in projects which will genuinely benefit the community.

I support this tunnel but am concerned that it will increase the traffic on the dirt road called Station Street between Medlow Bath and Blackheath. Currently there are three houses along this public thoroughfare and Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) are refusing to maintain the dirt road. BMCC state this should be done by any of the other stakeholders such as the three landowners along the road, Sydney Trains or the Rural Fire Service. As a result the dirt road is now dangerous and difficult to use and becoming 4wd usable only.
As part of the project could you please upgrade and seal Station Street, the dirt road section between Medlow Bath and Blackheath. This will also provide an alternative route through the Blue Mountains in case a motor vehicle accident blocks The Great Western Highway.
BMCC state that when the road is sealed and guttered they will then take control of maintaining the road.
Thank you.

Great Western Highway Upgrade Program
To Whom It May Concern,
I cannot agree with the proposed upgrade for the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Blackheath. This view is shared with friends and residents I have spoken with in my area.
1/ I feel this section should be in the form and continuation of the proposed tunnel from Blackheath to Little Hartley.
2/ This would start on the rise to Nellies Glen Road leading west out of Katoomba and link with the existing four lanes of the Great Western Highway that now finish at the base of that rise.
3/ Tunnel boring Machines will already be in place for the section from Blackheath to Little Hartley.
4/ The proposed above ground upgrade to four lanes with two bridges will have a detrimental impact on the environment. It would be an eyesore.
5/ An above ground upgrade with two bridges to complete could take years and the disruption to the environment and people would be most unsatisfactory.
Yours sincerely,
CN