An environmental review,which will be released on Tuesday,has found the majority of the project’s impacts will happen during construction and be temporary,and that measures taken to offset them meant that most would be “minor or negligible”.
The review by Transport for NSW found that the ramp’s construction will have a “minor to moderate impact” on the bridge’s heritage,while direct effects on heritage-listed items will be “minor to negligible”.
About eight metres of barrier will need to be removed to allow the new ramp to be connected to the existing Harbour Bridge cycleway,which is one of Sydney’s busiest bike paths,averaging almost 2000 riders each weekday. Earthworks will be limited to “relatively shallow excavation”.
Once completed,the ramp will partially obstruct the Burton Street archway and entrance to Milsons Point station. However,the “direct visual impact” on the two heritage features is deemed minor to negligible.
The review’s release by Transport for NSW comes seven months after an elevated pathway was confirmed as thefinal design,following years of delay and community opposition. About 30 ramp options have been considered since 1999.
The report says the Harbour Bridge’s design and status as an “iconic cultural landmark” will be “respected and not diminished” by the Milsons Point ramp.