Construction on the multibillion-dollar Beaches Link is likely to begin before 2023,according to Transport Minister Andrew Constance. The project is slated for completion by 2028,about
The Beaches Link is a proposed tunnel linking the Northern Beaches to the Warringah Freeway in North Sydney.
And while the mega project is expected to improve travel across the city’s north-east as it winds beneath Cammeray towards Balgowlah and Seaforth,an environmental impact statement has warned residents above its path could experience vibration levels “above the human comfort criteria”.
The said rock blasting may also be used at points during the project.
Construction will be limited to between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday,and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays,but tunnelling will occur 24 hours a day.
The report also said several heritage listed structures could experience “cosmetic damage” during the use of large rock hammers below the surface.
Ventilation outlets will be built within the Warringah Freeway at Cammeray,near the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon,the Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation at Balgowlah and within the Wakehurst Parkway at Killarney Heights.
Similarly to the NorthConnex and WestConnex motorways,the ventilation outlets will not be filtered but adhere to strict air quality standards,according to a government spokesman.
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“Our commitment is that the tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using state-of-the-art ventilation and tunnel design,” the spokesman said.
More than 15 hectares of native vegetation will be removed around Seaforth and Frenchs Forest,according to the report,which said the project would remove a “small number” of threatened flora species.
That would impact on potential habitat for threatened animal species,the report said.
“Potential underwater noise impacts on marine fauna may occur as a result of dredging and piling activities in Middle Harbour,” the report also warns.
The tunnels will reach depths of 108 metres below Northbridge before crossing Middle Harbour.
The harbour-crossing section will be constructed from prefabricated immersed tunnel sections which will be lowered into place from the surface.
North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson said she personally supported the project and anticipated it would ease congestion through much of the lower north shore.
“It should take a lot of traffic off Military Road which will quiet down and enhance our Cremorne and Neutral Bay villages,” Cr Gibson said.
“Of course there’s some concern in the community like any major project,some are embracing the change and look forward to the benefits it will bring,others are worried about the effects on their amenity and properties through the construction process.”
But councillor MaryAnn Beregi said there was a"huge amount of public land being acquired and built on".
Cr Beregi said business cases for both projects should be reworked to take into account changes to peak hour traffic and other data"which is clearly obsolete as it is based on pre-COVID-19 traffic data when working from home and remotely was less common".
Mr Constance on Wednesday indicated the seven kilometre tunnel would likely need to be tolled in order to pay for its construction.
“We will work through the tolling strategy as we make the investments and the financing decision which will happen next year,but you can’t build this kind of infrastructure without having tolling concessions in place,” he said.
The government said last year 35 homes would be acquired for the Beaches Link,the vast majority of which are next to Balgowlah Golf Course.
Labor's road spokesman John Graham said the delay to the major project was evidence the government had"run out"of cash to pay for its plethora of transport projects.
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