I strongly object to this project for the following reasons.
Environmental impact - loss of trees, destruction of Burnt Bridge Creek and surounds - bushland, wildlife .
Traffic increasing not decreasing
Construction impact will impact North Balgowlah with dust, noise, vibration and heavy vehicle traffic in the area and the roads are not made for this additional traffic.
Ventilations stacks are a huge concern and we have so many schools, child care centres in this area and increased level of pollution is a huge worry considering residents already dealing with allergy/respiratory diseases.
Loss of recreational activities

please refer attachment for the topics closest to me. there are other topics, just to mention a few:
- I cannot comprehend how the now "more normal than new" working from home arrangements have not been considered
- The expected toll charges seem extremely high and financially impacting many families - without sufficient alternatives through public transport
- if the tunnel is to support the increase of people living in the Northern Beaches - how is this supported by other infrastructure projects to cope with the addition of more vehicles
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE TRUE CONSULTATION OF THE COMMUNITY AND EFFORT TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES

Further to my previous submission,
I would like to specifically call out my objection to any dredging done in and around middle harbour as a result of the projects construction. My children and I regularly frequent Northbridge baths and the resulting contamination from the dredging – due to toxic sediment being stirred up and re-distributed – is projected to make the baths unusable for months if not years. This potential ramification – along with the general devastation to the green areas, waterways, and local flora and fauna, needs to be heavily taken into consideration as it devalues the suburb I live in and personally affects my property price.
Sincerely,
Michael Hearle

The Beaches Link Tunnel is proposed to solve a long term problem that will not exist because of changes to the work/life balance following the broader adoption of Work-from Home (WFH) and investment in WFH Hubs in the northern beaches.
Fewer people will need or want to drive to the city (and beyond) during the morning peak. Many will drive to the office on the days they are required during non-peak times.
As a consequence, there will be a big reduction in the peak morning traffic flow.
• Having more residents in the northern beaches working from home, presents opportunities
to increase local public transport options and active transport possibilities like walking and
bike riding.
• Despite the overall reduction of commuter traffic, induced demand and funnelling effects
will result in more congestion and longer delays on local roads around the tunnel entrances,
eliminating travel time savings in the tunnel.
• The Beaches Link Tunnel will have a disastrous impact on the lifestyle of residents and
during the construction phase and cause long term irreparable damage to our precious
environment and green spaces.
There are better options available, I'm for progress but not at the detriment to our health, our living conditions, sanity and more importantly to the beautiful environment I use every day. Manly Dam must be protected at all costs, the current proposal does not have enough controls and protections to ensure the safety of our waterways and wildlife. Please look to cities like Stockholm, Singapore and see how they have prioritised public transport, pedestrians and cycle lanes.
The Northern Beaches Hospital underpass is a case in point, such optimism for cutting traffic congestion, yet I'm experiencing the traffic queues and delays similar to the disruption caused by the construction period. Please rethink this plan.

I am a parent within the community of North Balgowlah and am very concerned about the proposed changes to our community and surrounds. We moved to this area for the local school, safety and access to green space. We do not want 7 years of construction and increased traffic and noise for an outcome of more cars and no public transport option. The green environment, the animals, habitats and flora and fauna that will be destroyed and the the destruction of manly dam, let alone the impacts it will have on our children with the exhaust fumes and chances of risk with increase traffic on our quiet community 40km streets.
Please consider the local families, the environment and whether this tunnel is really producing the best possible outcome for this area? We appreciate you reviewing our request. Monique

As a sufferer of bronchial problems, and the owner of a property within 350 metres, above a stack, I am concerned with the increased unfiltered concentrated emissions that will affect me, my family and the local community and the long term carcinogenic issues that are unstudied.
As the mother of 3 young children, I am concerned for their safety on the roads in our suburb, including outside our own house, that will see increased traffic during the 7 years construction and as future rat runs as people try to avoid the cost of the tunnel that they will not pay on a daily basis.
I am also concerned about the increased development that will follow in order to justify spending $16 billion +, on a tunnel to a finite peninsular, rather than look at alternative transport solutions. This will result in further destruction of the fragile environment that can’t be replaced.
As a psychologist, I am concerned with the effect that ongoing construction for a prolonged period of time will have on myself, my family and my community through increased stress levels, due to noise, vibration, dust and particles, and inability for traffic to move freely in and out of my community with the excessive 24hr construction schedule.
While transport solutions do need to be found, limiting our options and forcing people who may suffer from phobias, into one of the longest tunnels in the world (& therefore long term effects again untested) is not a great solution. It is a disaster waiting to happen. Let alone the situation it is creating in placing more traffic into a confined space should problems arise.
In a period now, post a pandemic, I am interested to know where this traffic is going. If you look at other major cities of the world, solutions to decrease traffic and concentrate people in a central city are what are required and being looked into. Why are we disturbing and destroying the natural beauty and environment to increase this? Once it is gone, there is no getting it back and as the mother of 3 young children, born on the Northern Beaches but citizens of the world, I find this tragic.

I object to the overall Beaches Link tunnel project as well as to specific environmental impacts at the Beaches end of the project.

Overall sustainability and climate impacts
In a time of unprecedented species extinction and dangerous global climate change the tunnel is a politically aggressive, short sighted and outdated transport solution which will wrought permanent and terrible damage on our local Northern Beaches environment. It will ultimately encourage more vehicles onto roads and into the Northern Beaches area while lining the pockets of giant toll road network operators to the detriment of the citizens, local ecosystems and waterways of the Sydney area. Further to that it will also markedly decrease the quality of life experienced by the local communities of North Balgowlah, Seaforth and Balgowlah in particular.

Also in light of our recent and ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, we have, both at the greater metro Sydney and suburb level, been reminded of how precious our local green spaces and remnant wild places are in the areas where we live. We have also been reminded at how quickly things can change and how working from home options and reduced commutes are going to be an increasing trend in our communities. I suggest that the business case and traffic modelling for the tunnel are deeply flawed and look with cynicism at the recent cuts to bus routes servicing the area forcing people into cars.

Cities world wide are reducing car use and promoting local living and green space options. What are the politicians and planners in Sydney thinking?

Manly Dam (Manly Warringal Memorial Park)
I object to the ecological damage that will occur to the Manly Dam park and on the other side of the Wakehurst Parkway too into Garigal National Park.

I object to 20.92 hectares of threatened species habitat including endangered Duffy’s Forest habitat will be destroyed including the removal of some 2000 trees.

It is unacceptable that the ex Sydney Water site at Seaforth, that was promised to be returned to Manly Dam, is earmarked for “grubbing, topsoil stripping and bulk earthworks” as a construction support area and then later remediation for return to Manly Dam. This is the equivalent of borrowing someone’s family member for a while and then returning their limp and flayed body after torturing them. There will be nothing of the original biodiversity value left.

I object to earth works and clearing at the top of sensitive water catchments feeding Manly Dam and associated creeks threatening water quality in the last place humans in Sydney can go safely swimming in a freshwater lake as well as threatening the fauna such as the Climbing Galaxis fish.

The construction and operation of a 4 lane, 40 m wide freeway (Wakehurst Parkway) across a ridge that is not wide enough to accommodate it will lead to increased nutrient, sediment and chemical loads, increased turbidity which also leads to increased algal blooms and eutrophication in the Manly Dam waterways. This catchment drains to the local beaches, Queenscliff and these impacts will travel down the catchment.

Not considered in the EIS is the issue of increased microplastic load in the catchment. It is estimated that microplastics associated with the wear and tear of synthetic rubber of vehicle tyres could account for some 40% of microplastic loads in waterways – we do not understand the impacts associated with these styrene – butadiene rubber particles.


Manly Dam was gazetted as a State Park in 2017 in order to strengthen it’s conservation values. This project does nothing but denigrate and destroy conservation values of the park.

It is a living War Memorial and the tunnel construction and ongoing operation will be a grave desecration of this site. The Northern Beaches Council is currently nominating the Manly Warringah Memorial Park for National Heritage listing due to it’s cultural and environmental values.

The 40m wide 4 lane extension of the Wakehurst Parkway is also untenable in terms of dividing fauna and to a lesser extent flora populations either side, effectively genetically isolating them and thereby weakening their genetic resilience – a few fauna tunnels under the road will not suffice as an ecological bridge and either large scale over passes (wildlife movement systems) such as those used by the Brisbane City Council in the Compton Road project. Even better – pay the money and tunnel straight through to the intersection of Warringah Road and Wakehurst Parkway and reduce the speed on the existing stretch of 2 lane Wakehurst Parkway between dawn and dusk.


Burnt Bridge Creek

I object to the destruction of the Burnt Bridge Creek.
The value of green sites, remnant bushland, trees and the green lungs of our city is only increasing. The proposed damage to the Burnt Bridge Creek will be irreparable and impact not only the local people and bike commuters that use and love the area but also the flora and fauna which depend on this wildlife corridor and reliable source of water to survive. Projected waste water flows are unacceptable as is the water draw downs that will see the creek effectively dry up with baseflow reduction of 69-96% modelled. This effectively leaves the creek as a stormwater drain that only has water in it after large rainfall events.

On a personal note, this creek and its walking bike path may not seem like much but people can walk through the beautiful, vegetated area in shade during summer. Our summers are getting hotter too so having these cool shaded areas to walk through, take our dogs, teach our kids to ride a bike or scooter, show them native animals such as Eastern Water Dragons, Flying Foxes, possum dreys, eels and ducks along the way is such as special thing for a community to have access to.




Middle Harbour and Clontarf

I object to the dangerous plumes of contaminated sediments that have been modelled to impact Middle harbour, Spit West and Clontarf areas of the harbour. This is unacceptable, as is the lack of detail about how these sediments will be dealt with. People use these waters (in and on them via sailing, paddling, swimming, dog swimming) and fish from these waters. Flora and fauna live in or visit these waters – even a whale visited a few years ago.



Construction Noise and Traffic Impacts

I object to the 6 year plus construction noise and local traffic impacts that the tunnel construction is going to have in particular on the people of North Balgowlah who are effectively surrounded by the project on both sides.



There are many other areas I also object to as well, for example, unfiltered emissions stacks and no dedicated bus lanes proposed for the tunnel. With the printed EIS documents weighing in at some 22kg of documentation I have not had the time or access to the expertise to fully understand the implications of the project in all the various impact areas.

Please do not go ahead with this project - particularly in it’s current design and plan. We have too much to lose and we need to protect the environment and think more strategically than just building a bigger, very expensive and destructive pipe to handle more traffic.

Yours sincerely

I strongly object to the removal of trees on the Balgowlah golf course. Every tree proposed for removal should be fully reviewed and substantial reasons given in writing to state why they should be removed.
Specifically Tree numbers 765, 20322, 20321, 20320, 20323, 20325, 20330, 20331, 20332 - please provide a full explanation as to why these need to be removed as quoted in your design documentation, "avoid locating infrastructure including ancillary facilities adjoining residential areas and justify where this cannot be achieved". I object to the removal of these trees. We are impacted local receivers of the project, retention would contribute to the reduction in impact of construction and traffic noise and provide continued privacy for residential housing.

I strongly object to the project as it is a serious threat to the ecosystem and the environmental impacts as per the EIS are grave. Please read the attached letter to understand various points I disagree with.