I would like to lodge my objection to the proposed modification works for the Rozelle Interchange at Johnston St/The Crescent in Annandale.
It is a gross overdevelopment of our historic, village-like suburb and the overpass will be an eyesore of Cahill Expressway proportions.
I also have grave concerns that the increase in traffic this will generate along Johnston St will have a disastrous impact on the children who attend Annandale North Public School in particular, but also those attending Annandale Public School, St Brendan’s Public School, the daycare centres along Johnston St and the numerous nursing homes.
The 400 children who attend Annandale North Public School will now be forced across four crossings to access Bicentennial Park where they attend sporting and other functions. This will be dangerous for the students and accompanying teachers and parents. Residents must be able to access this park directly and not be put in increased danger by having to cross multiple crossings.
Another concern is the removal of the right-hand turn from Johnston St into The Crescent – this will cause an increase in traffic and rat-runs through local roads, in particular Nelson St, Trafalgar St, Trafalgar Lane and View St. In fact View St will be the only street where motorists will be able to turn right into The Crescent and it is ill-equipped to handle extra traffic as it is a single-lane road in this section.
Your current plan will have nothing but a negative impact on our community and I would urge your planners to go back to the drawing board and come up with something that does not destroy the amenity of our neighbourhood and put the lives of our children at risk. Alternatively, the only way forward is the original plan of a tunnel that does not destroy our heritage neighbourhood and put our children in increased danger from the extra traffic your planned modification will generate on our roads.

Refer attached for comments , objections and suggestions

I am objecting to the proposal to replace a tunnel with an overpass contained in The Crescent Overpass and Active Transport Links Modification Report, August 2019, (the Current Proposal), on the following grounds:

Relocation of the Green Link

The original proposal included a tunnel and featured a Green Link, which was to connect the new parklands of the Rozelle Goods Yard directly to the Rozelle Bay foreshore and Bicentennial Park. The Current Proposal re-locates this Green Link and replaces it with ramps and bridges alongside a new motorway overpass. There is no direct connection between the Rozelle Goods Yard and the Rozelle Bay foreshore. In addition, pedestrian and cycle access from the northern end of Johnston Street to the Glebe foreshore will require crossing four sets of traffic lights, as opposed to the current one. Families from Annandale and Lilyfield currently use this crossing at The Crescent as their main access point to the foreshore parkland. This new proposal will make the crossing more time consuming and less safe for children, essentially cutting the suburb off from the foreshore. The Current Proposal lacks real consideration for pedestrians, cyclists and residents, prioritising motorists above all other users of this public space.

Visual impact

The modifications in the Current Proposal will result in a significant and negative visual impact on this area of Annandale. The proposed overpass will dominate and destroy the local landscape—a landscape listed as a heritage conservation area, according to Inner West Council. Such modifications go far beyond the conditions of the original consent.

Noise pollution

The Current Proposal will result in significant noise pollution to people and property across a large area. With prevailing westerly and northerly winds, this will particularly affect a large part of northern Annandale and its many residents.

Removal of right turn out of Johnston St into the Crescent

The current right turn from Johnston St into the Crescent allows motorists to travel from Annandale and surrounding suburbs to Glebe, without using Booth Street, which is already very congested at peak times. Removing this right turn will mean increased traffic through local streets, particularly Booth Street, resulting in increased noise and vehicle emissions throughout Annandale.

Destruction of community

Annandale is a village-like suburb, with a quiet atmosphere and a strong sense of community. Construction of an inherently noisy overpass will have a significant adverse impact on the area. It is a healthy, friendly and supportive community with values the government should be fostering. We believe the proposed modifications will change this detrimentally in every way.

I understand that the reason for modifications to the original proposal are financial. However, a proper cost/benefit analysis that fails to account for the above objections will give a flawed result. The loss of property values and lifestyle of thousands of people in Annandale and its environs seems to have been omitted from these calculations.

For the reasons detailed above, I oppose the Current Proposal and ask that it be modified to encompass a more human-centred design—a design that would allow the construction of a much needed piece of Sydney infrastructure to proceed without unnecessarily destroying so much of what makes this part of Sydney such a wonderful place to live.

I object to The Crescent overpass for the following reasons:
- Unnecessary congestion on The Crescent, Johnston St, Kentville Ave and surrounding neighborhood streets. This will create pollution, traffic noise and a loss of neighborhood amenities;
- No consideration has been given to pedestrian access to Bicentennial Park - the modification means 4 extra road crossings to access Bicentennial Park, this is does not make sense. Priority should be given to pedestrians and cyclists so they can easily and safely access the Park area by crossing at Johnston St/The crescent intersection as we currently do;
- Massive disruption to me and my family as well as other residents during construction. This negatively impacts on our quality of life we currently enjoy;
- The overpass is a visual blight on the landscape and blocks sight lines to the waterfront.
I believe proper consideration has not been given to the Rozelle Interchange Modification and the impact of the proposed overpass at Annandale will have on the neighborhood. Priority should not be given to motorists and their desire to bypass traffic lights at the expense of the local community.

I believe this plan lacks foresight, not only for the present community but more importantly for generations to come.

My Key Concerns are ,

Reduced safety and increased risk for pedestrians and cyclists with removed access over the crescent to bicentennial park as a result of increased traffic flow along Johnston street.
Removal of direct link to the foreshore , cutting the community off from the area.

Requesting RMS to explore alternate design options to the proposed new over car pass design and the changed pedestrian and cyclist links.
Seeking to consider or reinstate link to create a continuous open green space from Rozelle yards , Annandale to Glebe foreshore parkland.
Requesting RMS to modify the plan as laid out in TfNSW future strategy 2056.

My comments are in the attached. And I Strongly Object to this project!