Beaches Tunnel Link proposes to get commuters from the peninsula to North Sydney in 14 minutes
IT’S THE $8 billion dollar project that is intended to slash travel times for commuters. But it’s not good news for everybody. Here is a breakdown of the positives and negatives for those affected by the major infrastructure plan.
Manly
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RESIDENTS living near the proposed Beaches Link tunnel have claimed some “wins” over the NSW Government after design plans for the underground motorway were released this week.
Ventilation stacks for the $8 billion, 7km, underground toll road have been moved further away from schools and the number of homes to be bulldozed has dropped.
And locals will be able to get from Dee Why to the airport in just over 30 minutes.
But concerns remain that construction zones — which could be in place for five years — will be too close to houses and schools and that car parking at Seaforth Oval will be reduced.
And the Balgowlah Golf Club course is set to be taken over for tunnelling works and the land turned into parkland or sports fields.
Residents are also worried about the amount of exhaust emissions that will settle in the “Balgowlah basin”.
The plan confirmed that a ventilation stack would be built within the golf course grounds, but bushland along Burnt Bridge Creek would be protected.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who released the Beaches Link design plan on Thursday, said the number of properties that would be acquired for the project, which includes the Western Harbour Tunnel from the inner west to North Sydney, was now 37.
Roads and Maritime Services officers have already doorknocked residents in Burnt St, North Balgowlah, and Serpentine Cres, Seaforth, to tell them their homes would now not be bulldozed.
“Proposed ventilation stacks are now away from schools, away from where people live,” Ms Berejiklian said.
She promised that the state’s chief scientist would be asked to comment on the locations of the stacks.
On the North Balgowlah Tunnel Information Facebook site, Ian Dunn wrote that the community group had achieved improvements at the Wakehurst Parkway end of the motorway by “having the entrance portal and smoke stack a little further north than originally proposed”.
“But it’s very unfortunate the work zone still stretches for a large distance directly behind Kirkwood St residents,” Mr Dunn wrote.
He was also concerned that a tunnelling dive site would be located in the carpark of Seaforth Oval.
“That will mean a Bunnings-sized shed located there and endless numbers of trucks rattling down from Warringah Rd into the residential area to cart away a million tonnes of rock over a few years duration,” he said.
Northern Beaches councillor Sarah Grattan said while she was pleased with a commitment to keep large trucks off local roads there were still concerns about construction traffic movements near Balgowlah Boys High School.
Cr Grattan said she would push for the Wakehurst Parkway entrance to be moved at least 500m north of Kirkwood St, Seaforth.
The design plan is open until November for community input.
An environmental-impact statement is expected by the end of the year and, subject to planning approvals and financing, major construction is due to begin in 2020 with the tunnels expected to be open by 2026.