By Megan Gorrey
A continuous shared path winding 80 kilometres along Sydney's waterfront would link the Opera House and Parramatta's CBD, under a proposal to boost jobs and the tourism sector following the coronavirus crisis.
The path for pedestrians and cyclists would run past 18 suburbs along Sydney Harbour and the Parramatta River, taking in 22 kilometres of foreshore open to the public and aiming to unblock the rest of the waterfront route.
The blue dotted line shows the current foreshore route from Woolloomooloo to West Concord, while the black line shows areas of the foreshore that are currently restricted access. Credit: The McKell Institute
The multimillion-dollar proposal is outlined in a discussion paper from the Labor-aligned think tank The McKell Institute, which says Sydney's foreshore, particularly along the river, has "considerable untapped potential".
But it admits construction of the project – estimated to cost between $200 million and $300 million – would face significant hurdles along sections of the route where dozens of private homeowners have waterfront access.
"Of the 80 kilometres of foreshore from Woolloomooloo to Parramatta, only 22 kilometres has been developed into pedestrian infrastructure," the paper says.
"This project could help shape Sydney’s economic resurgence, creating immediate opportunities for local workers, help deliver productivity enhancing infrastructure that improves the long-term health of Sydneysiders, and provide a new attraction and experience for tourists."
The path would link the Sydney Opera House in the heart of the city with fast-growing western Sydney. Credit: James Brickwood
Senior NSW government ministers, including Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, are understood to have received the proposal and are broadly supportive of the idea, although a decision has not yet been made on adopting the plan.
The institute's paper suggests the shared pathway could be built in phases, starting with the construction of two new waterfront routes in Rozelle Bay and Canada Bay, which would then connect to the Homebush Bay Circuit.
A 5.5 kilometre section of the shared route from Pyrmont to Balmain is already in the works, under the state government's broader plans to redevelop the Blackwattle Bay precinct surrounding the new Fish Market site.
The institute says this section of the route should include a $43.6 million project to reopen Glebe Island Bridge as a path between Pyrmont and Balmain, and a greenway between Wentworth Park and the Rozelle Rail Yards.
The path would take in sections of the foreshore that are already publicly accessible - such as the popular Bay Run route in Sydney's inner west. Credit: Louise Kennerley
The next phase of the project would involve extending the path to loop around Canada Bay between Abbotsford and Breakfast Point, allowing it to be connected to the popular Bay Run track around Iron Cove.
But the $110 million section of the route would be "complicated by private residences that may be impacted by this phase of the project".
"There are 75 homes in this section of construction with private access to the waterfront that need to be negotiated with to unlock over 10 kilometres of foreshore."
Another 6.3 kilometre section of pathway could then be built to link the path to the Homebush Bay Circuit and Parramatta River Walk into the heart of Sydney's fast-growing second CBD.
The completed track would cover the same distance as the Bondi to Manly walking track.
The institute is pushing the plan as a way to "expedite the economic recovery in NSW after COVID-19, providing an immediate stimulatory affect [sic] in the construction industry, [and] creating long-term productive infrastructure that will make Sydney more competitive".
The paper says it would draw tourists and create between 1645 and 3145 jobs.
More than 90,000 residents live in the suburbs adjoining the route and, if one quarter of those who walk or jog regularly traversed the path, it would be used by about 19,000 local visitors a week, the report suggests.
Institute chief executive Sam Crosby said the landmark project would "capitalise on Sydney’s natural advantages to deliver improved tourism and active transport infrastructure for visitors and residents".