NorthConnex – the freeway standard tunnel linking the M1 at Wahroonga with the M2 at Pennant Hills - is going ahead. The NSW Government has approved the project and it is expected to open in 2019. NorthConnex will bring significant benefits to Bradfield residents. It will markedly reduce pressure along Pennant Hills Rd and offer a faster, safer trip for those using the motorway. It will also relieve pressure on the Pacific Highway which today carries a heavy load of traffic from the city heading north to join the M1 bound for the Central Coast or points further north. In future, some of this traffic will divert to an alternative route from the city via the M2 and NorthConnex. Today heavy congestion along Pennant Hills Road has a very serious impact on communities such as Wahroonga, Normanhurst and Thornleigh. Once NorthConnex is built it will offer significant benefits for community amenity in these areas. NorthConnex will be a nine kilometre long tunnel, running under the existing route of Pennant Hills Road, linking the M1 and M2 motorways to reduce congestion, shorten travel times and improve safety. The project has been backed with a commitment of $405 million by the Abbott Government federally as well as $405 million from the Baird Government in NSW. I am pleased that a number of conditions have been attached to the approval in response to community concerns raised during the consultation process. For example, the Secretary of the NSW Department of Planning has new powers to intervene if the air quality levels reported live and made publicly available, exceed limits to the conditions of approval. The approval conditions include: • Monitoring air quality before and after the project’s completion, including inside and outside the tunnel • Designing the ventilation system to be upgradable if required in the future • Submissions of plans covering traffic management, spoil disposal, water and soil protections and other issues relevant to the construction. I support this project and welcome the fact that planning approval has now been secured; this means the project can now proceed to the construction phase.
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 07:10:20 +0000