New terminal port to be built at Glebe Island
SYDNEY’S massive roads and rail build — including the WestConnex and a second harbour tunnel — is so huge the State Government will construct the special port at Rozelle just to ship in all the concrete. But locals are not impressed.
NSW
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SYDNEY Harbour will be transformed into a working harbour again with a new terminal port to be built at Glebe Island to handle concrete for new infrastructure projects — while cruise ship passengers still wait for a new port.
The city’s massive roads and rail build — including the WestConnex and a second harbour tunnel — is so huge the State Government will construct the special port at Rozelle just to ship in all the concrete, budget papers reveal.
Inner west residents are already up in arms about possible noise and dust from construction zones around Balmain and White Bay to build the $14 billion WestConnex project and the underwater Western Harbour tollway.
Many residents who’ve bought into new developments at Pyrmont aren’t happy with plans to turn the harbour back into a working zone.
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Pyrmont Action Group’s Elizabeth Elenius said while some residents were actually in favour of continuing the working tradition of Glebe Island, another group was strongly opposed, raising issues of noise, visual pollution and air quality.
“Our residents are either dead opposed to it — or for a working harbour,” she said. “Many just don’t want heavy industry close to residential areas, but I remember 10 years ago many large ships using Glebe Island.”
Sydney MP Alex Greenwhich said while people living near Glebe Island knew they live in a working harbour, they held concerns about the operation of a 24-hour port.
“This will have a continuing impact on residents in the most densely populated area of Australia, in Ultimo and Pyrmont,” he said.
“There will need to be careful restrictions around it.”
More than $550 million over four years has been allocated for early works on the Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link, it was announced in the budget, which will include a new tollway running underground between Rozelle and Waverton.
All up, a record amount will be spent on transport, including more than $9.1 billion building roads, maritime and freight and another $14.4 billion on public transport.
The Port Authority of NSW will spend between $20 to $30 million building a 13,000 square metre “multi-user terminal” at Glebe Island to import bulk materials such as sand and gravel.
A total of $465,000 has been allocated for the preliminary work at the deep water wharf site, which will open late next year. The site had previously been a car import terminal.
“Currently, most materials involved in concrete production are delivered to Sydney by road,” NSW budget papers report.
“With demand for concrete in Sydney expected to continue to increase as a result of large infrastructure projects including WestConnex and Sydney Metro West, the new facility will improve supply chain efficiency and lower the number of trucks on the road, helping to reduce congestion on the road network.”
Meanwhile, the booming cruise ship industry is still waiting for a third cruise terminal to be built in Sydney, with Botany Bay now being explored as a possibility.
Sydney Business Chamber Patricia Forsythe said while it made sense for Glebe Island to “play an important role” as an industrial port for the infrastructure projects, the issue of finding a deepwater cruising port “still needed to be fixed”.
“The reality is we are over capacity for a period of time every year and no new site has been identified,” she said.
The existing Overseas Passenger Terminal, located at Circular Quay, will also have its gangways replaced in order to improve the flow of passengers from 500 to 1200 passengers every 30 minutes.
Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said the money spent on roads in the budget would help families beat traffic jams, including boosting traffic flows on the M4 from Parramatta to the Blue Mountains, and major arterial routes such as King Georges Road, Henry Lawson Drive and Heathcote road.
“Never before has NSW seen such investment in bold infrastructure,” Ms Pavey said. “We are delivering substantial benefits allowing commuters to spend less time in traffic and more time doing things they love.”
Major infrastructure projects include $4.3 billion towards building the Sydney Metro Northwest and Sydney Metro City and Southwest
It also includes the $75 million for major road upgrades around Sydney airport, including fixing Wentworth Avenue and widening Joyce Drive to reduce congestion.