Western Harbour Tunnel EIS map | Transport for NSW

Western Harbour Tunnel

General information

By improving capacity, supporting public transport and providing new direct routes and reliability, this project will improve journey times for freight, public transport and motorists, and alleviate pressure on some of our city’s most critical transport corridors.

We have carried out a detailed traffic and transport assessment to help us make predictions about future traffic conditions. The traffic modelling considers future population growth, land use, and other major road network and public transport projects to anticipate the impact of the project on the transport network.

Our assessments looked at road traffic, local roads and parking, public transport, pedestrians and cyclists, and maritime traffic. In addition to the benefits the project will deliver, we also investigated and assessed the potential impact to the local and wider road network and to vessels on the harbour; both while we are building and when we are open to traffic.

When we are building

Shaping the future of our city is no small task and you may notice some changes to traffic and transport while we are working. We know our work can be disruptive and delays can be frustrating for you and we are committed to reducing our impact wherever we can.

Where possible, our construction sites have been located on motorways or arterial roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

We are not expecting substantial changes to your travel times while we are working.

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

an increase of construction vehicles sharing the road
temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures
temporary changes to speed limits
temporary changes to on street parking.

Our assessment shows we will have a limited impact on the public transport network around our projects, except at Birchgrove, where there will be some temporary impacts to the wharf during construction.

Please explore the map for more information about local traffic impacts.

We will continue to engage with you when we are building. This will include communication before the start of work to keep you informed of what we are doing in your area and on our roads, and any likely impacts.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

Travel time savings

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport

Western Harbour Tunnel

General information

When planning our work we have made reducing the impact of our project, and ensuring safety, to you and our workers our priority.

We will be using roadheader technology similar to WestConnex and NorthConnex tunnel projects currently under construction. Our crossing of Sydney Harbour will use an immersed tube tunnel, which was the same process used for the existing Sydney Harbour Tunnel built between 1988 and 1992. This method is commonly used around the world and is a well understood and safe way to build a tunnel.

Our EIS describes the proposed approach to construction of our project and our timeline, footprint, methodology, working hours, materials, equipment, traffic management, site access routes, and temporary construction sites.

You may see some minor change, once our selected construction contractor carries out detailed planning and design. Any changes will be assessed for consistency with the assessment made in the EIS and if not consistent, a planning modification will be submitted to Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) for their consideration and approval.

If you are interested in additional technical information, we encourage you to read the EIS.

Construction hours

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am until 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
seabed profiling, excavation, some barge movements, worker transport and deliveries will need to be carried out outside of standard construction hours
to keep people moving on the busy Warringah Freeway during peak travelling times, a lot of our work will need to be carried out at night. We will work closely with affected residents to minimise the impact of our work
underground tunnelling will be 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We will generally be tunnelling deep underground with access to the surface enclosed within an acoustic shed designed to minimise noise, dust and light. This will allow us to continue tunnelling at night, with less impact to you
spoil transport will only occur within standard construction hours

We will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

Timing

Subject to planning approval, work is planned to start on both the Western Harbour Tunnel and the Warringah Freeway Upgrade in late 2020 and be finished in 2026. Building has different stages and the impact will change depending on the type of work being completed at the time. Timing will vary depending on where you live.

For more information about the work at each construction site, zoom into the relevant suburb and select "construction" from the categories in the side bar.

If you like lots of technical detail there is more information available in the EIS.

Construction timeline

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Western Harbour Tunnel

General information

We recognise that air quality is important to you. Our commitment is that the tunnels will be built and operated to meet strict air quality standards using modern ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built and operated to strictly comply with any conditions specified in DPIE’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence (EPL) to be issued by the EPA.

You may be interested to know the independent NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer has released a report in relation to road tunnel air quality. The report found emissions from well-designed road tunnels cause a negligible change to surrounding air quality, and as such, there is little to no health benefit for surrounding communities in installing filtration and air treatment systems in such tunnels. You can learn more about how we monitor air quality by visiting the Chief Scientist website.

We have carried out a detailed assessment of air quality in consultation with independent specialist agencies including the EPA, Office of the independent NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Ministry of Health and the Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality (ACTAQ) to ensure our project will meet regulatory requirements and manage the potential impacts on air quality. Our air quality assessment was subject to an independent review by international technical experts, coordinated by the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer. It is now published on DPIE’s website.

When we are building

We know how important it is to protect air quality during construction for your health, and the health of everyone working on site. Dust matters, so we are putting a series of measures in place to suppress it and monitor your air quality every day.

Like any building work, dust is unavoidable. We will have an experienced construction team who will work to minimise dust. They will use dust suppression methods, including stabilising loose material and watering the site and trucks.

Most of the material we excavate will be clean, crushed sandstone. This will be removed in covered trucks to minimise dust falling from trucks.

We will manage potential odours from our excavation work by having experienced construction contractors treat any of those materials and then remove them from site in sealed trucks.

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an EPL, issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

When we are building, we will be monitoring dust around the sites to ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic – surface air quality

Air quality in Sydney has improved over the last few decades due to initiatives which have reduced emissions from industry, motor vehicles, businesses and residences. Motor vehicle emissions are predicted to decrease significantly as a result of improvements in emission control and vehicle engine technology. Overall, traffic emissions in Sydney are predicted to be reduced by up to 50 per cent by 2027 and up to 65 per cent by 2037, when compared to 2016.

You will experience an improvement in air quality along the Western Distributor, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Warringah Freeway as the result of more vehicles using the Western Harbour Tunnel, reducing traffic on these roads.

Our studies have shown there will be a small impact on the local air quality along some of the surface roads we are building and upgrading, as well as some existing roads due to increased local traffic.

Our ventilation facilities use elevated outlets to eject tunnel emissions high into the atmosphere where they mix with the surrounding air, dispersing hundreds of times, quickly becoming indistinguishable from background levels.

Our studies have also shown emissions the ventilation outlets for the project will only have a minimal impact on the surrounding air quality. This impact is negligible and will be generally undetectable. The ventilation outlets will be continuously monitored.

The EPA regulates the ventilation outlets for all current and future operating motorway tunnels to ensure they meet air quality limits.

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

For more information on local impacts please read chapter 12 and 13 of the EIS.

When we are open to traffic – in-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality

based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation

system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

In addition, ambient air quality monitoring will also be carried out for 12 months before, and a set period of time, likely at least 24 months after the tunnel opens to ensure we are meeting air quality standards.

The location of these monitoring stations and duration of monitoring will be determined by the Air Quality Community Consultative Committee (AQCCC), which will comprise of representatives from the tunnel operator, local council and local community. Air quality information will also be available on the tunnel operator’s website.

The AQCCC will be independently chaired by a chairperson appointed in consultation with the DPIE.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

Western Harbour Tunnel

We know open space is important to you, which is why we will be returning the sites we temporarily use as new areas for you to enjoy. We will work with councils, communities and stakeholders to ensure the best possible use of this space once we have finished our work, and we will be seeking your important input to help design these legacy projects.

Given the importance of open space and heritage items to your local community we have developed a design which has no impact to:

Birchgrove Park and Birchgrove Oval
Balls Head Reserve, the Coal Loader facility, Carradah Park in Waverton and the beach next to the quarantine building at Berrys Bay
the football pitch, skate park, croquet club and tennis courts at Cammeray Park
the majority of St Leonards Park, including no impact on the war memorial, ovals, bowling greens, netball courts or gardens and only a temporary impact to the southern corner.

Explore the interactive map to find out more about the open space impacts in your area.

Next — Noise vibration

Western Harbour Tunnel

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

The assessments involved identifying areas which may experience changed levels of noise or vibration as a result of our work, assessing the types and significance of the impact and how we will manage them.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

We are sensitive to vibration and can feel vibration at very low levels. This is why the vibration criteria we need to meet during our work to avoid annoyance to you is more stringent than the criteria to prevent damage to your property.

Our assessment considers the type of work we will be doing and whether there are any properties which may be at risk. Unlike noise, it is difficult to ‘predict’ vibration. There are many variables like soil type and conditions, the type of rock below the surface, building types and foundations, and the plant and equipment being used on site. Because of this, we take a conservative approach in estimating our impact.

Reducing our impact

While we are building we will extensively monitor noise and vibration to make sure it meets the appropriate guidelines. We will be using a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work including:

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles or is enclosed in acoustic sheds
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
staging our work so we are not working near the same residents for large durations of time
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers where required
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
providing alternative accommodation where appropriate.

All our work will be carried out in line with the project’s Conditions of Approval, Environment Protection License and Construction Environmental Management Plan which are overseen by the DPIE and NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We understand there has been a lot of concern about the potential for vibration and settlement when we are tunnelling to cause damage to homes. Our objective is to ensure there are no buildings at risk of damage from vibration while we are building our tunnels.

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

We will establish an Independent Property Impact Assessment Panel (IPIAP) to verify building condition survey reports, resolve any property damage disputes and establish ongoing settlement monitoring requirements. Panel members will be highly qualified in the fields of structural, geotechnical and/or civil engineering and be independent of the government and project.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

The project is predicted to reduce traffic noise for almost 60 per cent of properties near our surface roads.

We have identified and assessed properties which may be affected by noise from the project when it is opened to traffic.

We always try to mitigate traffic noise at the source first, including installing low noise pavement. If this does not reduce the noise enough then we then look at other options for you. This includes measures like building noise walls or providing your property with noise treatments.

If your property is potentially eligible for noise treatment we will be in contact with you soon. We want to start our noise treatment program as early as possible so you will benefit from reduced noise before we start construction.

You do not need to contact us as we will be in touch with you directly, if you are eligible.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

Next — Go to a location

Western Harbour Tunnel

When we are building

Our assessment shows we will have a limited impact on the public transport network around our projects, except at Birchgrove, where there will be some temporary impact to the wharf during construction.

We will need to make some short-term changes to bus stop locations and routes. This may include temporarily moving bus stops by a few hundred metres while work is being carried out or temporarily changing routes to avoid construction work. This may cause some minor increases in bus travel times at certain phases of our work. You will be notified well in advance of any disruptions or changes.

When we are open to traffic

We have designed the project to integrate with the broader public transport network to provide significant travel time savings and reliability benefits
You will experience improved public transport connections with quicker access to interchanges and a new, direct connection to North Sydney
B-Line and bus commuters will be able to interchange with Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains
You will see improvements to walking and cycling routes, providing you with more shared transport options
You will experience faster and more reliable bus journeys across the bridge with a continuous southbound bus lane from Miller Street to the Sydney Harbour Bridge
We will be providing opportunities for new direct bus routes between the Inner West and North Sydney using the Western Harbour Tunnel
Your bus trips on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Anzac Bridge and other surface corridors will be faster and more reliable with reduced congestion on existing roads
We are building a dedicated cycleway between Miller and Falcon Streets at Cammeray to improve safety and journey times for cyclists
The Ernest Street Bridge across the Warringah Freeway will be upgraded to link Cammeray Golf Course with Anzac Park with more room for cyclists and pedestrians
We will be rebuilding the Ridge Street Bridge and upgrading High Street Bridge in North Sydney to provide more room for cyclists and pedestrians.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport

Choose a location

Learn more about the project at a specific location along the alignment by choosing a location below:

Explore Warringah Freeway Upgrade

Journey from Sydney Harbour Bridge
View driver journey
Journey towards Sydney Harbour Bridge
View driver journey
Journey from Sydney Harbour Tunnel
View driver journey
Journey towards Sydney Harbour Tunnel
View driver journey
Journey from Western Harbour Tunnel
View driver journey
Journey towards Western Harbour Tunnel
View driver journey
Journey from Beaches Link
View driver journey
Journey towards Beaches Link
View driver journey
Bus lanes towards city
View driver journey

Back to whole of project

Artarmon

Key features

The motorway control centre will operate 24 hours a day and play a vital role in monitoring our tunnel and surface road connections to ensure they continue to operate safely and efficiently. The motorway control centre will be similar to an office environment and will not generally require any heavy vehicle movements when in operation.

Benefits

In our previous design we proposed to build the motorway control centre with the other permanent facilities at Cammeray. By relocating the control centre to Artarmon we have reduced our permanent impact to Cammeray Golf Course, returning more open space to the community.

Our companion project Beaches Link identifies several areas in the Artarmon industrial area for construction sites and permanent motorway facilities. We are preparing a separate environmental impact statement for the Beaches Link project, click here for more information. We have assessed the cumulative impacts of Beaches Link as part of our Western Harbour Tunnel EIS.

Artarmon

General information

When we are building

Where possible, our construction sites have been located on motorways or main roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

Please explore the map for information about traffic changes in your area during construction.

Reducing our impact

We will continue working closely with the Transport for NSW Sydney Coordination Office, local councils, emergency services and bus operators to ensure we work together to minimise traffic and transport impact. This includes:

working with other transport projects to coordinate our work
minimising construction vehicle movements during peak traffic times
minimising heavy vehicle movements on local roads
managing vehicle access to construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
using clear signage and line markings to make it easier for you to navigate around our construction sites
carrying out partial or full road closures outside peak times or during the night where possible
making information available to help you plan your journey.

Our priority during construction is to ensure you can move safely around the area.

When we are open to traffic

Our assessment found the Western Harbour Tunnel would not provide any improvements to traffic in the Artarmon area.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months after the project is open to see if any further adjustments to the road network are needed.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Artarmon

General information

We have carefully selected our construction site to limit our impact on you. Our priority will be to ensure you can move safely around the area. We will use the Waltham Street construction support site for building and housing the motorway control centre for the Western Harbour Tunnel. The motorway control centre will operate 24 hours a day and play a vital role in monitoring and responding to conditions in our tunnels and on surface roads.

While we are building the motorway control centre, the site will also be used for equipment laydown, car parking for our construction vehicles and temporary site office buildings. Details of the site are outlined below and on the map.

Construction timeline

Waltham Street construction site timeline

Key activities

Excavating and installing the footing and base slab
Building concrete columns, deck and roof
Internal fitout of control rooms, computer rooms, offices and workshop and associated worker amenities
Installing security fencing
Landscaping and planting around the site.

Construction hours

Our general site activities and spoil haulage will be carried out during standard construction hours. There may be occasional deliveries and some light vehicle movements outside of standard construction hours.

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Artarmon

General information

When we are building

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic

There is no ventilation outlet for Western Harbour Tunnel located in Artarmon. The Western Harbour Tunnel motorway control centre will have no operational impacts to air quality.

The Beaches Link ventilation outlet will be located in the Artarmon industrial area, on the corner of Punch Street and Lambs Road. We are preparing a separate environmental impact statement for the Beaches Link project which will include an assessment of the air quality impacts and improvements. Please click here for more information on the Beaches Link project.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

Artarmon

We know open space is important to you and that is why we’ve carefully selected our construction site to minimise impacts to open space.

There will be no impacts to Artarmon Reserve as part of the project and it will remain open for recreational use when we are building and when we are open to traffic.

Artarmon

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we're building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Note: impacts from the construction of the proposed Beaches Link in Artarmon have not been assessed as part of the Western Harbour Tunnel EIS.

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming noisy work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours, wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
wherever possible, we will stage our work to avoid extended periods of consecutive night work in one area to manage our impact on our neighbours
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers, where required
providing alternative accommodation, where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

The project is predicted to reduce traffic noise for almost 60 per cent of properties near our surface roads.

We acknowledge there will be some parts of the community who live near our permanent facilities and surface road upgrades who may notice some more noise as a result of an increase in traffic going in and out of the tunnels. During operation, we do not expect the motorway control centre will contribute to ongoing noise levels.

We have identified and assessed properties which may be affected by noise from the project when it is opened to traffic.

You do not need to contact us as we will be in touch with you directly, if you are eligible.

There may be changes in road traffic noise in Artarmon as a result of the Beaches Link project. We are preparing a separate EIS for the Beaches Link project which will include an assessment of the noise and vibration impacts and improvements. Please click here for more information on the Beaches Link project.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

Artarmon

When we are building

There will be no impacts on public or shared user transport in the Gore Hill Freeway and Artarmon area during the operation of the Waltham Street construction site.

When we are open to traffic

There will be no major changes to bus travel times along the key routes through the Gore Hill Freeway or Artarmon as a result of Western Harbour Tunnel. As part of the Warringah Freeway Upgrade, a continuous, free-flowing bus lane from Miller Street, Cammeray to the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be provided. There will be no changes to the shared user transport network within the Gore Hill Freeway and Artarmon area as part of the Western Harbour Tunnel.

As part of the Beaches Link project, there may be changes to the public and shared user transport networks. We are preparing a separate EIS for the Beaches Link project which will include an assessment of the public and shared user transport impacts and improvements. Please click here for more information on the Beaches Link project.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Artarmon

General information

We understand the character and visual amenity of your local area is important to you. We carried out an urban design, visual and landscape character assessment, which considered the potential for impact to the overall landscape, and visual amenity as a result of our project.

Our project has been designed to make the most of existing transport corridors and built-up urban areas and is largely built underground to minimise impacts on the surface. This is so our project can blend into the surrounding environment and reduce the character and visual impact in local areas where possible.

We will be further developing the urban design as part of the detailed design with the construction contractor. We will seek your important input to ensure our project integrates with the unique character of your surrounding land and creates spaces which match the aspirations of local communities.

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we are building

Due to the large scale of our project, there will be some impact to the local landscape and visual amenity.

We may need to remove some trees and plants along the eastern road edge of Waltham Street to allow for construction. We will replace any trees and plants that we remove.

When we are open to traffic

There will be some permanent impact to the local landscape and visual amenity. The most noticeable visual change will be the new motorway facility.

We will ensure the new motorway facility is well designed and matches the existing industrial and commercial character of the area. The building will have minimal impacts on the existing landscape character.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

Cammeray

Key features

Southbound movements towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge from Ernest Street will be changed. The Ernest Street ramps will provide access to and from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel only. Access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be available at Miller Street and Falcon Street
Relocating existing bus layover facility on the Warringah Freeway, north of Ernest Street slightly to the east of the existing Warringah Freeway
New tunnels surface within the Warringah Freeway corridor north of the existing Ernest Street overpass
The Warringah Freeway is reconfigured in this area to allow the new connection to the Western Harbour Tunnel and make it easier to access and use the harbour crossings. This includes local widening into the Cammeray Golf Course to create space for the new tunnel entry and exits
Stub tunnels beneath the Warringah Freeway for future underground connections to the proposed Beaches Link tunnels
Ventilation outlet for the Western Harbour Tunnel and the proposed Beaches Link tunnel (if approved) within the Warringah Freeway corridor
Motorway operations facilities next to the Warringah Freeway north of Ernest Street next to the Cammeray Golf Course
New and upgraded pedestrian and cyclist facilities including:
- A new bridge between Cammeray Park and Anzac Park
- Upgraded cycleway facilities between Cammeray and Neutral Bay.
The existing on-ramp from Miller Street will be placed on a bridge structure to enable the southbound bus lane to move to the outside lane of the Warringah Freeway without weaving
A new underpass at the eastern end of the Ernest Street bridge to enable the southbound bus lane to pass through without impacting the existing structure.

Our companion project Beaches Link and Gore Hill Freeway Connection (Beaches Link) identifies several areas in Cammeray for construction sites and permanent motorway facilities. We are preparing a separate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Beaches Link project, click here for more information. We have assessed the cumulative impacts of Beaches Link as part of our Western Harbour Tunnel EIS.

Changes led by your feedback

We are keeping the Ernest Street ramps at Cammeray. These will provide access to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel instead of the Harbour Bridge
We have moved the motorway control centre for Western Harbour Tunnel to Artarmon to minimise the permanent impacts to the Cammeray Golf Course and provide efficiencies by co-locating the centre with permanent infrastructure proposed for the Beaches Link project.

Benefits for Cammeray

Benefits for Cammeray

Reduced congestion on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Harbour Tunnel, and the Warringah Freeway south of Ernest Street
Greater access to shared user paths and better connectivity to existing cycle and pedestrian routes by upgrading cycling and pedestrian infrastructure between Cammeray and North Sydney
Improved efficiency, safety and connectivity for bus services along the Warringah Freeway through upgrades to the existing southbound bus lane on the Warringah Freeway
Proposed tunnel entry and exit location within the Warringah Freeway:
- Minimises private property acquisition
- Enables us to build the tunnel entry and exit while keeping the critical Warringah Freeway operational
- Enables us to carry out some construction work during the day and reduce noisy work at night for local residents.

Cammeray

General information

To inform planning and design for the project, we carried out a detailed traffic and transport assessment. Our assessments looked at road traffic, local roads, parking, public transport, pedestrians and cyclists. In addition to the benefits the project will deliver, we also investigated and assessed the potential impacts to the local and wider road network both while we are building and when we are open to traffic.

When we are building

We have located our construction sites on motorways or arterial roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

While we will be encouraging our workers to use public transport to access the worksites, the nature of work carried out by our workers and the tools they need to carry, means they will still need to use vehicles for site access at times.

We will work closely with the community to minimise the impact of our project on local streets, where possible.

Please explore the map for information about traffic changes in your area during construction.

Reducing our impact

We will manage the potential impact of our construction traffic on the road network by:

Continuing to consult with the Sydney Coordination Office, the Port Authority of NSW, local councils, emergency services and bus operators to minimise traffic and transport impacts
Notifying you in advance of any proposed changes or maritime restrictions
Managing traffic to minimise movements during peak periods
Managing vehicle access to and from construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
Providing signage and line marking to direct and guide road users, cyclists and pedestrians past our construction sites and around the local road network
Minimising potential truck queueing near our construction sites, where possible
Carrying out partial or full road closures outside of peak periods or at night to minimise the impact for road users, where possible.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces. The continuous, free-flowing southbound bus lane on the Warringah Freeway will remove weaving between buses and other traffic.

We will be providing greater access for pedestrians and cyclists with:

New shared user bridge to the north of Ernest Street, connecting Anzac Park to Cammeray Park
New dedicated cycleway on the Eastern side of the Warringah Freeway between Ernest Street and Miller Street connecting Neutral Bay and Cammeray.

Based on community feedback, the Ernest Street ramps to and from the Warringah Freeway will be maintained. Movements will change and allow access to and from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel only. Access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge will be available at Miller Street and Falcon Street.

Transforming the way people travel on the network requires us to make significant changes to the existing road network. Please explore the map for information about traffic changes in your area.

We will carry out a review of the operational network about 12 months after the tunnel is open to see if any further adjustments are needed.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Cammeray

General information

We’ve carefully selected each of our sites to limit our impact on you. Our priority will be to ensure you can move safely around the area.

Construction timeline

Cammeray Golf Course

Key activities

Setting up the site, including removing vegetation and carrying out earthworks
Constructing the acoustic shed for Western Harbour tunnelling work
Excavating the tunnel access
Tunnelling, including the main tunnel towards Waverton, ventilation tunnels, cross passages and ramps
Building the motorway facilities, including the electrical substation and fan rooms
Relocating utilities
Construction of cut and cover structures for the Western Harbour Tunnel and the proposed Beaches Link (within the Warringah Freeway corridor)
Supporting construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel and the proposed Beaches Link (subject to a separate environmental assessment and approval) ventilation outlets (located within the Warringah Freeway corridor)
Treating wastewater from tunnelling activities for reuse and disposal offsite
Storing, handling and transporting materials, including tunnel spoil
Finishing work on the tunnel like electrical and mechanical fit outs
Relocating the existing water harvesting dam within the Cammeray Golf course, which forms part of the North Sydney Council stormwater harvesting scheme
Local widening of the Warringah Freeway to make space for the Western Harbour Tunnel portals
Testing and commissioning of the tunnel and facilities and site rehabilitation for return to Cammeray Golf Club after construction.

Construction hours

Up to 24 hours per day, seven days per week to support tunnelling activities.
Spoil removal will be carried out during standard construction hours only. Some night time deliveries will be required to support the tunnelling activities.

The Warringah Freeway Upgrade will also require work outside of standard construction hours to allow us to keep Warringah Freeway open during the day. We will notify you in advance when out of hours work is required.

Rosalind Street east support site

Key activities

Removing existing kerbs and pavement
Carrying out earthwork including excavation and preparation of the foundations of the road by placing and compacting materials and rock
Building retaining walls to hold back soil and earth
Building and diverting drainage including adjusting existing and building new drains and pits and installing pipes and culverts
Laying pavement, this generally includes a couple of layers of base foundations with a top of either asphalt or concrete
Carrying out finishing work (including line marking, installing signage and road furniture like lights and landscaping)
Relocating traffic, pedestrian and cyclist lanes and installing traffic and environmental controls.

Construction hours

General site activities will be carried out during standard construction hours.

Some construction activities will require out of hours work up to 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The community will be notified well in advance of out of hours work.

Construction timeline

Rosalind Street construction site timeline

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Cammeray

General information

We understand air quality is a key community concern. Our commitment to you is our tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using state-of-the-art ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built to comply with any conditions specified in the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence to be issued by the Environment Protection Authority. The air quality assessments we completed included:

Identifying potential dust impacts during our work
Assessing the tunnel ventilation to ensure the strict in-tunnel air quality standards are maintained during operation
Understanding the potential changes to local and regional air quality during operation.

When we are building

We know how important it is to protect air quality during construction for your health, and the health of everyone working on site. We are putting a series of measures in place to suppress it and monitor your air quality every day.

Like any building work, dust is unavoidable. We will have an experienced construction team who will work to minimises dust to protect everyone. They will use leading dust suppression methods, including stabilising loose material and watering the site and trucks.

Most of the material we excavate will be clean, crushed sandstone. This will be removed in covered trucks to minimise dust falling from trucks.

We will manage potential odours from our excavation work by having experienced construction contractors treat any of those materials and then remove them from site in sealed trucks.

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the Environment Protection Authority, which will include limits relating to air quality, dust and water run-off.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic

Air quality in Sydney has improved over the last few decades due to initiatives which have reduced emissions from industry, motor vehicles, businesses and residences. Motor vehicle emissions are predicted to decrease significantly by 2036 as a result of improvements in emission control and vehicle engine technology. Overall, traffic emissions in Sydney are predicted to be reduced by up to 50% by 2027 and up to 65% by 2037, when compared to 2016.

You will experience an improvement in air quality along the Western Distributor, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Warringah Freeway as the result of more cars using the Western Harbour Tunnel and reduced traffic on these surface roads.

Our studies have also shown the ventilation outlets for the project will only have a minimal impact on the surrounding air quality. This impact is negligible and will be generally undetectable.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

In tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out comprehensive modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

Expected traffic volumes
Maximum traffic volumes
Breakdown or major incident in the tunnels

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations. We will continue monitoring the tunnel air quality 24 hours per day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

Cammeray

We know open space is important to you and that’s why we will be returning the sites we temporarily use as new areas for you to enjoy. We will work with councils, communities and stakeholders to ensure the best possible use of this space once we have finished our work, and we will be seeking your important input to help design these legacy projects.

We understand open space is a key concern for the Cammeray community. To minimise the number of private properties which will be acquired, we will be using part of the Cammeray Golf Course during construction and for some permanent facilities.

We have also changed the design by moving our motorway control centre from the site to minimise our footprint and leave as much open space as we can once the tunnel is operational. We are working closely with the Cammeray Golf Club to develop a strategy that will minimise impact to the people who use the course. We have adjusted our sites and included provisions for the golf course to remain open as a compliant nine-hole course, which will be decided by the golf club.

We have worked to consolidate construction activity at the Golf Course site to minimise impacts at Anzac Park and avoid impacts to the football pitch, skate park, croquet club and tennis courts at Cammeray Park. Community members may experience some noise and vibration impacts at these facilities during construction. We will work to reduce this impact wherever possible.

Cammeray

General information

We have assessed the possible noise and vibration impact when we are building and when we are open to traffic. Once open to traffic some areas will benefit from less noise due to reduced traffic on the surface and the new noise walls and property treatments we will install. We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites. What you will hear will depend on the type of work we are doing and what time of the day or night we are carrying out the work. How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

The map shows the predicted noise impacts at each construction site during construction.

Vibration

We are sensitive to vibrations and can feel vibration at very low levels. This is why the vibration criteria we need to meet during our work to avoid annoyance to you is many times more stringent than the criteria to prevent damage to your property. Our assessment considers the type of work we will be doing and whether there are any properties which may be at risk. Unlike noise, it is difficult to ‘predict’ vibration. There are many variables for example soil type and conditions, the type of rock below the surface, building types and foundations, and the plant and equipment being used on site.

As part of our assessment we looked at a large area surrounding our construction sites in Cammeray to determine which buildings may possibly be impacted by noise and vibration. This area was determined by recommended minimum working distances that should be maintained between plant and equipment and buildings while we are working. Site-specific vibration assessments have been carried out for Cammeray to determine how many receivers may be within the potential worst-case minimum working distances.

We will work closely with the owners and residents of the properties identified in the EIS to ensure we have as little impact as possible. We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of the property’s condition before our work starts. If our work is found to have damaged any property we will ensure our contractor repairs the damage at no cost to the owner.

More information on the specific buildings identified in the assessment is available in Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration.

When we are open to traffic

Some areas where you are will benefit from a reduction in noise as the result of reduced traffic on surface roads and new noise walls we will build as part of the project.

We acknowledge there will be some of you who will live near our permanent facilities and new surface road upgrades who may notice some more noise as a result from an increase in traffic leading to and out of the tunnels.

We have identified and assessed properties which may be affected by noise from the project when it is opened to traffic.

We always try to mitigate traffic noise at the source first, including installing low noise pavement. If this does not reduce the noise enough we then look at other options for you. This includes measures like building noise walls or providing your property with noise treatments.

You do not need to contact us as we will be in touch with you directly, if you are eligible.

The map shows the noise walls proposed in the Cammeray area.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

Next — Community

Cammeray

When we are building

We know our work can impact the local community in many ways and we will minimise these impacts where possible.

We will engage directly with key stakeholders, nearby businesses and residents who will be most affected and work together to develop the best outcome.

Changes to the Cammeray Golf Course may impact on the use of the golf course for some members. Cammeray Golf Course is likely to have important social networks and be an important meeting place for members, particularly playing and life members, as well as volunteers, and these changes may impact on some social networks associated with the club.

We are consulting with the club directly to identify specific potential construction impacts to the business. We have already reduced the size of our impact to the golf course by relocating one of the permanent facilities to Artarmon. We will continue to work with the golf club on minimising our impact.

When we are open to traffic

During operation, shared user paths will benefit pedestrians, cyclists and dog walkers in the area and local business will benefit from reduced congestion on local roads. Cammeray Golf Course will continue to operate after the project is open to traffic.

Download Chapter 7: Stakeholder and community engagement Download Chapter 21: Socio-economics

Cammeray

When we are building

Public transport

We will be carrying out extensive community and stakeholder consultation. This will include communications before the start of works to keep all road users including commuters and bus operators informed of the upcoming network changes and any proposed detour routes.

Shared user transport

The shared user path along Warringah Freeway near Cammeray Golf Course will be realigned to travel along the rear of the construction site to the Ernest Street/Merlin Street intersection, to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe.

When we are open to traffic

Public transport

The Warringah Freeway Upgrade will provide a continuous, free-flowing bus lane from Miller Street, Cammeray to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This dedicated bus lane will improve bus travel times and reliability. Direct bus access to North Sydney will be provided via upgrades to High Street interchange.

New bus bays and an amenity block will be built as part of the relocated bus layover on the Warringah Freeway, North of Ernest Street.

Shared user transport

As part of the project, we will be providing greater access for pedestrians and cyclists with:

A new bridge between Cammeray Park and Anzac Park
Upgraded cycleway facilities between Cammeray and Neutral Bay.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Cammeray

General information

We understand the character and visual amenity of your local area is important to you. We have carried out an urban design, visual and landscape character assessment, which considered the potential for impact to the overall landscape and visual amenity as a result of our project.

When we are building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts at Cammeray will be due to the construction site, building equipment and vehicle movements.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

Tunnelling underground with associated surface activities enclosed in an acoustic shed
Locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
Regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
Designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
Setting up hoardings and noise barriers as early as possible to provide screening
Designing our noise barriers to blend into the environment and reduce overshadowing
Using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces
Retaining and protecting trees near our work where possible
Restoring landscapes and vegetated areas disturbed by our work
Considering how we can reduce impacts on local trees and plantings.

When we are open to traffic

The most noticeable visual changes at Cammeray will be the ventilation facility, other visible project elements around Cammeray and landscape changes to Cammeray Golf Course.

We will work to minimise impacts by:

Following the design vision and objectives outlined in the Strategic Urban Design Framework. This document will inform the urban design process and provide the guiding principles for its ongoing development
Investigating measures to reduce the visual impact of permanent facilities on the surrounding landscape
Using high quality finishes and appropriate colours and materials to help our infrastructure blend in and match the character of the surrounding landscape
Ensuring all our new bridge elements are considered together to ensure our design is consistent and cohesive
Where possible, planting mature and semi-mature trees to provide screening, shade, and a desirable canopy
Selecting durable plants which require minimal disturbances on surrounding areas for ongoing maintenance
Improving open space
Considering early planting where possible so trees and vegetation are able to mature before the project opens to traffic.

Please click on the map to see artist impressions of the permanent facilities.

Next steps

We will be further developing the urban design as part of the detailed design with the construction contractor.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

Cammeray

General information

Sydney has a rich blend of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultural heritage. We know that there are significant heritage items along the project and are committed to preserving this heritage as a legacy for future generations.

Aboriginal Heritage

Our studies confirm evidence of Aboriginal occupation along and around the project area. There are no verified Aboriginal heritage sites located within the surface construction footprint, so no sites will be directly impacted by the project. There are also no verified Aboriginal heritage sites within 50 metres of the project footprint or tunnel alignment in the Cammeray area. For more information on all Aboriginal heritage items identified across the project alignment in our assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items and conservation areas, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around Cammeray.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and/or we identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing the impact of our work

Given the rich history of the areas within the alignment of the Western Harbour Tunnel a range of mitigation and management approaches will put in place to protect each heritage site and item:

Adjust our work methods to prevent vibration levels from exceeding 2.5 millimetres per second at Aboriginal sites
Carry out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites. Use photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
Manage unexpected discoveries of potential archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Roads and Maritime Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)
Ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction wherever possible
Ensure all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Warringah Freeway - Overview

General information

Permanent tunnel support facilities and ventilation facilities will be built at the Cammeray site, near the Warringah Freeway. These permanent facilities are shown on the map.

Benefits for Warringah Freeway

Streamlining of Warringah Freeway will make journeys safer and easier to navigate
Improved active transport with a decidated cycleway between Miller Street, Cammeray Park and Falcon Street
Reduced congestion on Warringah Freeway Bridge and in Warringah Freeway Tunnel
Faster public transport trips with a dedicated, uninterrupted bus lane on Warringah Freeway from Miller Street to Warringah Freeway Bridge
Permanent facilities within the road corridor and golf course minimise the impact to private property
The golf course will remain open throughout construction and any unused land will be returned to Council for evitalisation after the project is complete.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Air quality

Warringah Freeway - Traffic

General information

We are committed to safeguarding the air we all breathe from project impacts.

The Western Harbour Tunnel & Beaches Link will play a role in improving ambient air quality for communities in WFU by removing vehicles from surface roads and helping traffic to travel smoothly.

While we're building

In WFU, our work site at the WFU Golf Course will have a comprehensive Construction Air Quality Management Plan in place to protect surrounding communities. The plan will include measures to minimise dust, reduce vehicle emissions and modify dust generating activities during dry and windy weather conditions.

When we're open to traffic

Analysis shows the tunnel ventilation system meets in-tunnel air quality criteria for all expected traffic scenarios.

The ventilation outlets will require an Environmental Protection Licence issued by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority to regulate any emissions against strict controls and criteria.

Under expected traffic conditions, the predicted contribution of tunnel ventilation outlets to local air quality is negligible. Any predicted changes in concentrations were driven by changes in the traffic volumes on the modelled surface road network, not by the tunnel ventilation outlets.

Explore the map to see where the project is expected to change air quality. You can explore our Air Quality Portal for more information or for the full assessment please see the EIS Chapter.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Construction

Warringah Freeway - Construction

General information

Construction in WFU will take about XXX years to complete, weather permitting.

Before tunnelling and surface eWFUhwork stWFUs we would set up the sites and carry out additional investigations and service and utility relocation.

Hours of work

Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm

Saturdays 8am to 1pm

Some construction activities need to be carried out outside of these hours. This includes 24 hour a day tunnelling as well as other work for safety reasons, to prevent traffic congestion on major roads during peak periods, or for pWFUicular construction requirements.

When we're building

Changes to traffic

There will be some changes to the traffic arrangements and road use during the construction:

Ernest Street/Merlin Street intersection modified to include a north approach, providing access to the WFU Golf Course construction support site
Removal of up to 10 parking spaces on Ernest Street to provide suitable access to the WFU Golf Course site
Some impacts to pedestrian and cyclist paths including the temporary realignment of the shared use path along the Warringah Freeway.

Due to the safety risks associated with working adjacent to live traffic, full closure of the Warringah Freeway would be necessary during off-peak periods between 10pm and 5am.

WFU Golf Course

WFU Golf Course is proposed as a temporary construction site that will support tunnelling and surface works for the new Western Harbour Tunnel, Beaches Link tunnel, and the upgrade of the Warringah Freeway.

Construction activities have been consolidated into the golf course site to ensure the space is used as efficiently as possible. Utilising this site will minimise the number of private properties required to deliver a project of this size, and minimise impacts on other areas including Anzac Park, WFU and St Leonards Park, North Sydney.

We have been working closely with WFU Golf Club to allow the golf course to remain open throughout construction and to reduce the permanent impacts.

Anzac Park

Some construction work will take place at Anzac Park to support drainage and local road work as pWFU of the Warringah Freeway upgrade. Work will be contained to the eastern side of the park beside the Warringah Freeway and will allow for the upgrade of a drainage line. This will be a minor construction site only.
There will be no impact to the Anzac Memorial or Anzac Park Public School and the site will be fully restored once the work is complete.

Rosalind Street east

There will be a construction site on Rosalind Street to support the Warringah Freeway Upgrade and local road and intersection work. General site activities would be carried out during standard contruction hours, with some out of hours work required to support the tunnel construction.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Air quality

Warringah Freeway - Air quality

General information

We are committed to safeguarding the air we all breathe from project impacts.

The Western Harbour Tunnel & Beaches Link will play a role in improving ambient air quality for communities in WFU by removing vehicles from surface roads and helping traffic to travel smoothly.

While we're building

When we're open to traffic

Analysis shows the tunnel ventilation system meets in-tunnel air quality criteria for all expected traffic scenarios.

The ventilation outlets will require an Environmental Protection Licence issued by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority to regulate any emissions against strict controls and criteria.

Explore the map to see where the project is expected to change air quality. You can explore our Air Quality Portal for more information or for the full assessment please see the EIS Chapter.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Open space

Warringah Freeway - Open space

General information

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When we're building

The WFU Golf Course will be a construction site to support Western Harbour Tunnel, Warringah Freeway Upgrade and Beaches Link.

The location and layout of the construction site has been designed to minimise disruption to users of the golf course. It is anticipated that WFU Golf Club will continue to operate as a nine hole golf course during construction, with a revised layout and reductions to the length of some of the fairways.

WFU Park sportsground, tennis club, croquet club and skate park will remain open for use during construction and will not be directly impacted.

There will also be minor impacts to ANZAC Park, but these will not substantially limit public use of the park.

When we're open to traffic

There will be permanent impacts to the WFU Golf Course to support permanent motorway facilities for both Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link. We have refined the project design and relocated the Western Harbour Tunnel motorway control centre to Warringah Freeway, reducing the permanent impact on the golf course.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Noise and vibration

Warringah Freeway - Noise and vibration

General information

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When we're building

Our work will be noisey some times and if you live close to the tunnels you may be able to feel ground born noise and some vibration when we are working underground. We will work closely with residents before stWFUing work in your area.

While tunnelling will be 24 hours a day, seven days a week, we will be moving spoil within standard construction hours wherever possible. Traffic noise while we move materials and construction equipment will be minimal.

To minimise the impact of our work we will:

work during the day, wherever possible
stage our night work so we are only near residents for up to XX nights at a time, allowing for respite
include respite periods for very noisey work like piling during the day
ensure all machinery and equipment is serviced and maintained
carry out property condition surveys to ensure there is a record of conditions before we stWFU work
etc etc

When we're open to traffic

A detailed noise assessment has been carried out to investigate the impact of the project on residents and sensitivie receivers like schools around our permanent facilities. In alot of places, the new tunnels will result in reductions in noise, as alot of the traffic will be moved underground.

The potential impacts to residents near the surface work has been assessed and identified a number of properties which would be potentially eligible for at-property treatment including for example sealing gaps and providing additional window fittings. We will be in touch with potentially eligible residents directly. There are also some noise walls proposed..... see map.

We will compare noise levels with the predicted noise within **** 12 months **** of the tunnel opening. This will identify if any additional noise mitigation or management measures are needed.

Next — Community

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Air quality

Warringah Freeway - Community

General information

We are committed to safeguarding the air we all breathe from project impacts.

The Western Harbour Tunnel & Beaches Link will play a role in improving ambient air quality for communities in WFU by removing vehicles from surface roads and helping traffic to travel smoothly.

While we're building

When we're open to traffic

Analysis shows the tunnel ventilation system meets in-tunnel air quality criteria for all expected traffic scenarios.

The ventilation outlets will require an Environmental Protection Licence issued by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority to regulate any emissions against strict controls and criteria.

Explore the map to see where the project is expected to change air quality. You can explore our Air Quality Portal for more information or for the full assessment please see the EIS Chapter.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Public and shared user transport

Warringah Freeway - Public and active transport

General information

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When we're building

Public transport

We will carry out a Community and Road User WFUpaign which would be implemented before the stWFU of work to inform all road users including bus operators of the upcoming network changes and proposed detour routes.

Active transport

The shared user path along Warringah Freeway near WFU Golf Course will be realigned to travel along the rear of the construction site to the Ernest Street/Merlin Street intersection, to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe.

When we're open to traffic

Public transport

The Warringah Freeway Upgrade will provide a continuous bus lane from Miller Street, WFU to the Warringah Freeway Bridge.

Active transport

New shared user bridge about 10 metres wide, to the north of Ernest Street, WFU and connect the WFU Golf Course with ANZAC Park. A new dedicated cycleway on the eastern side of Warringah Freeway between Miller Street and Ernest Street will also be provided.

Download EIS Chapter XXXX – Urban design and visual amenity

Warringah Freeway - Visual amenity

General information

We know it is important to you that the local character of WFU is maintained while we're building and any new infrastructure is consistent with the look and feel of the area.

When we're building

Community members and local residents will see changes to the local landscape due to the WFU Golf Course construction site and construction activities such as vegetation removal, noise barriers, fencing, heavy and light vehicles, stockpile and laydown areas, operating equipment, lighting, and construction of permanent project facilities.

Whilst there will be some visual and landscape impacts during construction, we will work to minimise these by:

XXXX
XXXX
XXXX

When we're open to traffic

There will be permanent changes to the visual amenity and landscape at WFU Golf Course and along the Warringah Freeway. Any permanent features we build will be in the look and feel of the local area. The map shows an indicative layout and vegetation of WFU. Click on the various locations to see WFUist impressions of the permanent facilities.

North Sydney

Key Features

Upgrades to Falcon Street, High Street and Mount Street interchanges to improve efficiency and connections to the upgraded Warringah Freeway.
An overpass on the Alfred Street North off ramp to enable the continuous southbound bus lane along Warringah Freeway.
Upgraded Warringah Freeway to streamline traffic movements and make your trip safer and simpler.
Upgraded bridge for pedestrians and cyclists across the Warringah Freeway at Ridge Street.
Upgraded path for pedestrians and cyclists across the Warringah Freeway at High Street.
Tunnel ramps providing access from:
- the Western Harbour Tunnel to Falcon Street
- North Sydney and the Pacific Highway (via Berry Street) to the Western Harbour Tunnel southbound.

Benefits

Customers will enjoy direct access to the Western Harbour Tunnel which will provide a western bypass of the Sydney CBD, providing reduced travel times to Western Sydney.Improves the traffic flow of the three harbour crossings, making the network more efficient.
Greater access to shared transport and better connectivity to existing cycle and pedestrian routes by upgrading cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
Reducing congestion on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Warringah Freeway south of Ernest Street, will make travel easier, faster and safer.
Customers will enjoy improved efficiency, safety and connectivity for bus services along the Warringah Freeway through upgrades to the existing southbound bus lane on the Freeway.

North Sydney

General information

When we are building

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

An increase of construction vehicles sharing the road.
Temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures.
Temporary changes to speed limits.
Temporary changes to on-street parking.

Reducing our impact

We will continue working closely with the Transport for NSW Sydney Coordination Office, Port Authority of NSW, local councils, emergency services and bus operators to ensure we work together to minimise traffic and transport impact. This includes:

working with other transport projects to coordinate our work
minimising construction vehicle movements during peak traffic times
minimising heavy vehicle movements on local roads
managing vehicle access to construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
using clear signage and line markings to make it easier for you to navigate around our construction sites
carrying out partial or full road closures outside peak times or during the night where possible
making information available to help you plan your journey.

Our priority during construction is to ensure you can move safely around the area.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

North Sydney

General information

We have carefully selected each of our temporary construction sites to limit our impact on you while we are working and to keep your neighbourhoods and streets safe during construction.

There are construction sites proposed at Rozelle Rail Yards and Victoria Road to support the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel. Details of these sites are outlined below and on the map.

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
to keep people moving on the busy Warringah Freeway during peak travelling times, a lot of our work will need to be carried out at night. We will work closely with affected residents to minimise the impact of our work
underground tunnelling will be 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We will generally be tunnelling deep underground with access to the surface enclosed within an acoustic shed designed to minimise noise, dust and light. This will allow us to continue tunnelling at night, with less impact to you
spoil transport will only occur within standard construction hours
we will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

Warringah Freeway minor sites

We will be establishing a number of temporary construction sites along the Warringah Freeway. Most of these sites will be small support sites to store materials and equipment and include construction worker amenities.

Our sites will provide support for:

bridgework
general road work including widening of existing roads and building new pavement
upgrades to local roads and intersections.

Our set-up of these sites will vary slightly, and may include:

site offices
staff amenities
car parking for construction vehicles
laydown facilities
space for storage of plant, materials and equipment.

Because a lot of the work along the Warringah Freeway will need to be carried out at night to minimise disruption to this critical transport link, these sites will be operational outside of standard construction hours.

Construction timeline

Warringah Freeway minor sites construction sites timeline

Ridge Street North

Key activities

building a Western Harbour Tunnel off ramp to Falcon Street. This is a cut and cover and trough structure we will be building by digging a rectangular hole and covering with with concrete or steel.
surface work to integrate the Falcon Street off ramp
supporting the upgrade of the Ridge Street shared user bridge.

Hours of work

Our general site activities including cut and cover work will be carried out during standard construction hours.

There may be occasional activities, such as the connection of the new road works to the existing network, which occur outside of standard construction hours.

Construction timeline

Ridge Street North construction site timeline

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

North Sydney

General information

We recognise that air quality is important to you. Our commitment to you is that the tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using modern ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built to strictly comply with any conditions specified in the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence to be issued by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA).

We have carried out a detailed assessment on air quality in consultation with independent specialist agencies including the EPA, Office of the independent NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, Ministry of Health and the Advisory Committee on Tunnel Air Quality (ACTAQ) to ensure our project will meet regulatory requirements and manage the potential impacts on air quality.

The air quality assessments we completed included:

identifying potential dust impacts during our work
assessing the tunnel ventilation to ensure the strict in-tunnel air quality standards are maintained during operation

When we are building

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic

Surface air quality

You will experience an improvement in air quality along the Western Distributor, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Warringah Freeway as the result of vehicles using the Western Harbour Tunnel and reducing traffic on these roads.

The EPA regulates the ventilation outlets for all current and future operating motorway tunnels to ensure they meet air quality limits.

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

In-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

In addition, ambient air quality monitoring will also be carried out for 12 months before, and a set period of time, likely at least 24 months after the tunnel opens to ensure we are complying with our Conditions of Approval and meeting air quality standards.

Air quality information will also be available on the tunnel operator's website.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

North Sydney

Given the importance of open space and heritage items to your local community we have developed a design which has no impact to the majority of St Leonards Park, including no impact on the war memorial, ovals, bowling greens, netball courts or gardens and only a temporary impact to the southern corner.

North Sydney

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles or is enclosed in acoustic sheds
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
staging our work so we are not working near the same residents for large durations of time
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers where required
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
providing noise reduction property treatments to eligible properties
providing alternative accommodation where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

The project is predicted to reduce traffic noise for almost 60 per cent of properties near our surface roads.

We have identified and assessed properties which may be affected by noise from the project when it is opened to traffic.

You do not need to contact us as we will be in touch with you directly, if you are eligible.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

North Sydney

When we are building

Public transport

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

An increase of construction vehicles sharing the road.
Temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures.
Temporary changes to speed limits.
Temporary changes to on-street parking.

Shared user transport

We expect to have minimal impacts to the shared user transport network during construction.

The main change in North Sydney will be the removal of the cycleway underpass beneath the eastern side of the Falcon Street Bridge during the early stages of the Warringah Freeway Upgrade construction.

Please explore the map for more information.

When we are open to traffic

Public transport

We have designed the project to integrate with the broader public transport network to provide significant travel time savings and reliability benefits.
You will experience improved public transport connections with quicker access to interchanges and a new, direct connection to North Sydney.
We will be providing opportunities for new direct bus routes between the Inner West and North Sydney using the Western Harbour Tunnel.
You will experience faster and more reliable bus journeys across the bridge with a continuous southbound bus lane from Miller Street to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
We will be providing opportunities for new direct bus routes between the Inner West and North Sydney using the Western Harbour Tunnel.
Your bus trips on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Anzac Bridge and other surface corridors will be faster and more reliable with reduced congestion on existing roads.

Shared user transport

You will see improvements to walking and cycling routes, providing you with more shared transport options.
The dedicated cycleway between Miller and Falcon Streets at Cammeray will improve safety and journey times for cyclists.
The Ernest Street Bridge across the Warringah Freeway will be upgraded to link Cammeray Golf Course with Anzac Park with more room for cyclists and pedestrians.
The rebuilt Ridge Street Bridge and upgraded High Street Bridge in North Sydney will provide more room for cyclists and pedestrians.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

North Sydney

General information

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we are building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts at North Sydney will be due to the construction sites, building equipment, vehicle movements, removal of existing trees and plants, the replacement of the Ridge Street shared use bridge and construction of the overpass at Alfred Street North.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

tunnelling underground with associated surface activities enclosed in an acoustic shed
locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
setting up hoardings and noise barriers as early as possible to provide screening
designing our noise barriers to blend into the environment and reduce overshadowing
using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces
retaining and protecting trees near our work areas where possible
restoring landscapes and vegetated areas disturbed by our work
considering how we can reduce impacts on local trees and plantings.

When we are open to traffic

Whilst visually, Warringah Freeway and North Sydney CBD will have some significant changes with surface road changes and new structures, this will have minimal impact on the overall character of the area.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

North Sydney

General information

Sydney has a rich blend of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal cultural heritage. We know that there are significant heritage items along the project corridor and are committed to preserving this heritage as a legacy for future generations.

Aboriginal Heritage

The boundaries of the project are within the lands of the Cammeraygal people (also known as the Gamaraigal and Kameragal) in the Waverton to Cammeray area and the Darug language group in the Rozelle to Birchgrove area.

We have engaged with local Aboriginal parties throughout development of our design and assessments. We held two Aboriginal focus groups to seek input. This input has been invaluable to the development of our management measures.

Our studies confirm evidence of Aboriginal occupation along and around the project area, particularly relating to historical areas of plentiful food resources, movement pathways, and meeting and camping sites located near locations such as Berrys Bay, Yurulbin Park and the Sydney Harbour foreshore.

For more information about Aboriginal heritage items listed in the assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Aboriginal Heritage

We are committed to understanding and mitigating any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and will continue to work with Aboriginal stakeholders throughout the life of our project.

While no sites are directly impacted by our project we will ensure to protect vulnerable sites, by:

adjusting our work methods to prevent damage at Aboriginal sites
carrying out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites
using photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
managing unexpected discoveries of potential Aboriginal archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)
ensuring all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around North Sydney.

Our project has been assessed as having a minor non-Aboriginal heritage impact. This is because we are building underground tunnels which avoid impacting heritage items above ground, and using existing road infrastructure.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and have been identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We recognise heritage preservation goes beyond physical protection and we will be using photographic and digital technologies to capture archival recordings of key sites on the land and in the water for future generations. Other strategies we will have in place include:

ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction where possible
managing potential archaeological or heritage items we find during construction in accordance with the standard procedures
adjusting our work methods to prevent damage to heritage structures
seeking advice from a heritage conservation architect if any at-property treatment is required at heritage listed properties
carrying out building condition surveys for any heritage items at risk from vibration
ensuring our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Waverton

Key features

Underwater tunnel connection between Birchgrove and Waverton using an immersed tube tunnel
Underground tunnel from Waverton to Cammeray
Redeveloped community open space at Berrys Bay after construction.

Benefit

Improving performance and reliability of Anzac Bridge, Western Distributor and the Sydney Harbour corridor
Reducing the surface impacts to the local communities on Sydney Harbour by building the tunnel under water.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport

Waverton

General information

Traffic and vehicle movements

Where possible, our construction sites have been located on motorways or main roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

We are not expecting substantial changes to your travel times while we are working.

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

an increase of construction vehicles sharing the road
temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures
temporary changes to speed limits
temporary changes to on street parking.

Maritime vessel movements

You will notice some increase in harbour maritime traffic when we are building the immersed tube tunnels for the harbour crossing.

We will manage our work to minimise interruptions to port operations and the navigation of ships and ferries within Sydney Harbour.

If you spend time on the water you may notice us:

moving around on barges, tugboats and smaller sea vessels
temporarily restricting maritime speeds around construction areas and our sites
temporarily relocating swing moorings at Berrys Bay and using the mooring at Snails Bay for our immersed tube tunnel units
establishing and operating construction sites at Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay
establishing two cofferdams, one off Yurulbin Point at Birchgrove and one off the Coal Loader at Waverton
implementing exclusion zones around the north and south cofferdams at Birchgrove and Waverton – reducing navigational width
seabed profiling activities in preparation for the installation of immersed tube tunnel units
partially closing Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton for a period of up to 48 hours at a time when we install the immersed tube tunnel units.

Reducing our impact – Road traffic

working with other transport projects to coordinate our work
minimising construction vehicle movements during peak traffic times
minimising heavy vehicle movements on local roads
managing vehicle access to construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
using clear signage and line markings to make it easier for you to navigate around our construction sites
carrying out partial or full road closures outside peak times or during the night where possible
making information available to help you plan your journey.

Our priority during construction is to ensure you can move safely around the area.

Reducing our impact – Maritime traffic

We will work closely with recreational users, community groups, cruise traffic, commercial enterprises, water taxis, ferry services, Royal Australian Navy, and other government agencies while we build on the water. We will:

operate our vessels to minimise wash to areas of shoreline
schedule our activities to avoid times and locations where there is high recreational marine traffic for example on weekends, Australia Day and New Year’s Eve
manage our vessel movements so they do not interfere with port operations or the navigation of seagoing ships and ferries
carry out harbour closures scheduling in consultation with the Port Authority of NSW, Sydney Ferries and other relevant stakeholders
temporarily relocate impacted moorings so everyone will still have access to a mooring while we work. No one will lose their mooring
reinstate impacted moorings as close as possible to their current location when we are finished.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Waverton

General information

We have carefully selected each of our temporary construction sites to limit our impact on you while we are working and to keep your neighbourhoods and streets safe during construction.

There are three construction sites proposed around Waverton. There will be two within Sydney Harbour and one at Berrys Bay. Details of the sites are outlined below and on the map.

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
seabed profiling, excavation, some barge movements, worker transport and deliveries will need to be carried out outside of standard construction hours
underground tunnelling will be 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We will generally be tunnelling deep underground with access to the surface enclosed within an acoustic shed designed to minimise noise, dust and light. This will allow us to continue tunnelling at night, with less impact to you
spoil transport will only occur within standard construction hours
we will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

Sydney Harbour temporary cofferdams

Key activities

building the temporary cofferdams including ground treatment, piling and removing the water from inside the cofferdam so we can work in dry conditions
excavating rock within the cofferdam to reach the level of the tunnel
building the interface structure (the connection between the tunnels built underground and the immersed tube tunnels)
removing the cofferdam
seabed profiling to form the trench for the immersed tube tunnel
placing the gravel bed for the immersed tube units to sit on
installing the immersed tube tunnel units
backfilling around and over the immersed tube units
rehabilitation of the area.

Hours of work

Our general site activities will be carried out during standard construction hours.

Some activities may take place outside of standard construction hours including:

dewatering the cofferdams
seabed profiling work
removal of the cofferdam structures
installation of the immersed tube tunnel.

Berrys Bay construction site

Key activities

setting up the site, including removing some structures and building a new wharf and acoustic shed. We will retain and reuse as many of the structures as possible, including the Woodley’s boatshed
building temporary wharves to support transporting materials via the water and reduce the numbers of trucks needed on local roads
building the tunnel access
tunnelling, including the tunnels towards the Warringah Freeway, cross passages and breaking through to the cofferdam for connection to the immersed tube tunnel
storing, handling and transporting materials via barge to the White Bay site
finishing work on the tunnel like electrical fit out and lighting
testing, commissioning and site rehabilitation
rehabilitating the site to provide new public open space.

Hours of work

We will be tunnelling 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once we are tunnelling, the majority of the work will take place underground and activity on the surface will reduce. Based on our planned tunnelling rate we expect the impact from tunnelling to be minimal for residents as we will only be working under each property for about one week.

When tunnelling, our work will be as deep as 39 metres (11 storeys) at Balls Head Drive.

The majority of our work on the surface takes place inside the acoustic shed, which manages the potential impacts of noise, dust and light. These sheds are also closed at night to further reduce noise. There may be occasional deliveries and some light vehicle movements outside of standard construction hours.

Construction timeline

Download Chapter 12: Air quality

Waverton

General information

We recognise that air quality is important to you. Our commitment to you is that the tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using modern ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built to strictly comply with any conditions specified in the DPIE’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence to be issued by the EPA.

When we are building

Most of the material we excavate will be clean, crushed sandstone. This will be removed in covered trucks to minimise dust falling from trucks.

We will manage potential odours from our excavation work by having experienced construction contractors treat any of those materials and then remove them from site in sealed trucks.

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic – Surface air quality

Our studies have also shown emissions from the ventilation outlets for the project will only have a minimal impact on the surrounding air quality. This impact is negligible and will be generally undetectable. The ventilation outlets will be continuously monitored. The EPA regulates the ventilation outlets for all current and future operating motorway tunnels to ensure they meet air quality limits.

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

When we are open to traffic – In-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

The AQCCC will be independently chaired by a chairperson appointed in consultation with DPIE.

Download Chapter 13: Human health

Waverton

We know open space is important to you, which is why we will be returning the sites we temporarily use for construction as new areas for you to enjoy. We will work with councils, communities and stakeholders to ensure the best possible use of this space once we have finished our work, and will be seeking your valuable input to help design these legacy projects.

Given the importance of open space and heritage items to your local community we have developed a design which has no impact to Balls Head Reserve, the Coal Loader facility, Carradah Park in Waverton and the beach next to the quarantine building at Berrys Bay.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration

Waverton

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming noisy work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours, wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
wherever possible, we will stage our work to avoid extended periods of consecutive night work in one area to manage our impact on our neighbours
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers, where required
providing alternative accommodation, where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

During operation, the tunnel will be underground at Waverton and underwater in Sydney Harbour, so it is not anticipated that the project will contribute any changes to ongoing noise levels.

Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

Download Chapter 7: Stakeholder and community engagement

Waverton

When we are building

We know our work can impact the local community in many ways and we will minimise these impacts wherever possible.

When we are open to traffic

Our tunnel will be under the water and will have no impacts on the community surrounding Waverton during operation.

We are committed to returning the Berrys Bay area as public open space once the Western Harbour Tunnel project is completed. We will have a dedicated consultation period seeking your input on the future development of the Berrys Bay site.

Download Chapter 21: Socio-economics

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport

Waverton

When we are building

There are no direct impacts planned to public or shared user transport routes in Waverton during construction.

If any changes are required, we will be carrying out extensive community and stakeholder consultation. This will include communications before the start of work to keep all road users including commuters and bus operators informed of the upcoming network changes and proposed detour routes.

When we are open to traffic

There will be no impacts to public or shared user transport in Waverton once the project is open to traffic. The redevelopment of Berrys Bay may open up opportunities for further a shared user routes. We will have a dedicated consultation period seeking your input on the future development of the Berrys Bay site.

Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

Waverton

General information

Due to the large scale of our project, there will be some permanent impact to the local landscape and visual amenity.

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we are building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts around Waverton and Berrys Bay will be due to the construction site, building equipment, and vehicle and vessel movements.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

tunnelling underground associated with surface works enclosed in an acoustic shed
locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
setting up hoardings and noise barriers as early as possible to provide screening
designing our noise barriers to blend into the environment and reduce overshadowing
using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces
retaining and protecting trees near our work wherever feasible
restoring landscapes and vegetated areas disturbed by our work.

When we are open to traffic

We are committed to returning as much of the open space we use through construction to the community as we can. We will engage with the community this year to deliver new public open space at Berrys Bay once the project is complete.

Download Chapter 17: Hydrodynamics and water quality

Waverton

General information

Our assessments considered how the project may impact on hydrodynamics, such as tidal and current movements within Sydney Harbour, and water quality in waterways and marine environments.

Site investigations and hydrodynamic modelling has been completed to assess and refine our approach to building the immersed tube tunnels on the bed of Sydney Harbour.

Our proposed methodology is similar to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel when it was built between 1988 and 1992 and leverages experience from that project and many others constructed since that time.

The assessments show our proposed management controls and procedures will prevent major impact on hydrodynamics and water quality while we are building and operating the tunnel.

When we are building

Our construction activities within and close to the harbour have the potential to impact the marine water quality. These activities include:

vessel movements
potential spills or leaks of fuels and chemicals from maintenance or re-fuelling of construction plant and equipment
land based activities involving the exposure or handling of soils.

We will manage potential impacts to water quality by:

installing appropriate erosion and sediment control at work sites such as silt curtains and sediment basins
developing emergency spill procedures to avoid and manage any accidental spills
environmental management plans
construction wastewater treatment plants
water quality monitoring.

When we are open to traffic

Once the tunnel is open to traffic, no impacts to marine water quality are expected.

The tunnels will have drainage installed to capture any groundwater or stormwater, spills, maintenance wastewater and other potential water sources. The water captured would be treated at the Rozelle operational wastewater treatment plant. There are strict environmental requirements that we will follow for the treatment and release of wastewater captured in the tunnel.

For more information, please read the EIS chapter on hydrodynamics and water quality (Chapter 17).

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage

Waverton

General information

Aboriginal Heritage

For more information about Aboriginal heritage items listed in the assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Aboriginal Heritage

We are committed to understanding and mitigating any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and will continue to work with Aboriginal stakeholders throughout the life of our project.

While no sites are directly impacted by our project we will ensure to protect vulnerable sites, by:

adjusting our work methods to prevent damage at Aboriginal sites
carrying out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites
using photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
managing unexpected discoveries of potential Aboriginal archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)

ensuring all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around Waverton.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and have been identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Non-Aboriginal Heritage

ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction where possible
managing potential archaeological or heritage items we find during construction in accordance with the standard procedures
adjusting our work methods to prevent damage to heritage structures
seeking advice from a heritage conservation architect if any at-property treatment is required at heritage listed properties
carrying out building condition surveys for any heritage items at risk from vibration
ensuring our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Download Chapter 19: Biodiversity

Waverton

Sydney has a rich biodiversity with a multitude of native plants and animals that form thriving ecosystems both on land and in the water. We are committed to minimising the project’s impact, protecting the local plant and animal life and implementing monitoring programs.

We have carried out extensive surveys in the study area and a detailed Biodiversity Development Assessment Report to understand the biodiversity impact of the project.

Please click on the map to find out which species were identified in our assessments around Waverton.

We understand the importance of the natural environment to you and are committed to minimising our impact, protecting the local plant and animal life and implementing monitoring programs.

Before we start building a detailed Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) will be developed to detail how the project will preserve, protect and manage any potential impact to the local environment. The CEMP will need to be approved by DPIE before we can start any major construction work.

We will continue to have a dedicated team of environmental specialists who oversee this process.

Sydney Harbour

General information

Western Harbour Tunnel will travel under Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton. We will be building and placing an immersed tube tunnel across the Harbour which will connect to the land tunnels. These types of tunnels have been constructed many times before and we will be using techniques similar to the ones used to build the existing Sydney Harbour Tunnel. There will be two temporary cofferdams in Sydney Harbour to help construct the tunnel across the Harbour.

Key features

Underwater tunnel connection between Birchgrove and Waverton using an immersed tube tunnel
Redeveloped community open space at Yurulbin Park and Berrys Bay after construction.

Benefits

Improve performance and reliability of ANZAC Bridge, Western Distributor and the Sydney Harbour corridor
Reducing the surface impacts to the local communities on Sydney Harbour by building the tunnel under water.

Sydney Harbour

General information

When we are building

Traffic and vehicle movements

Where possible, our construction sites have been located on motorways or main roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

We are not expecting substantial changes to your travel times while we are working.

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

an increase of construction vehicles sharing the road
temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures
temporary changes to speed limits
temporary changes to on street parking.

Maritime vessel movements

You will notice some increase in harbour maritime traffic when we are building the immersed tube tunnels for the harbour crossing.

We will manage our work to minimise interruptions to port operations and the navigation of ships and ferries within Sydney Harbour.

If you spend time on the water you may notice us:

moving around on barges, tugboats and smaller sea vessels
temporarily restricting maritime speeds around construction areas and our sites
temporarily relocating swing moorings at Berrys Bay and using the mooring at Snails Bay for our immersed tube tunnel units
establishing and operating construction sites at Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay
establishing two cofferdams, one off Yurulbin Point at Birchgrove and one off the Coal Loader at Waverton
implementing exclusion zones around the north and south cofferdams at Birchgrove and Waverton – reducing navigational width
seabed profiling activities in preparation for the installation of immersed tube tunnel units
partially closing Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton for a period of up to 48 hours at a time when we install the immersed tube tunnel units.

Reducing our impact – Road traffic

working with other transport projects to coordinate our work
minimising construction vehicle movements during peak traffic times
minimising heavy vehicle movements on local roads
managing vehicle access to construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
using clear signage and line markings to make it easier for you to navigate around our construction sites
carrying out partial or full road closures outside peak times or during the night where possible
making information available to help you plan your journey.

Our priority during construction is to ensure you can move safely around the area.

Reducing our impact – Maritime traffic

operate our vessels to minimise wash to areas of shoreline
schedule our activities to avoid times and locations where there is high recreational marine traffic for example on weekends, Australia Day and New Year’s Eve
manage our vessel movements so they do not interfere with port operations or the navigation of seagoing ships and ferries
carry out harbour closures scheduling in consultation with the Port Authority of NSW, Sydney Ferries and other relevant stakeholders
temporarily relocate impacted moorings so everyone will still have access to a mooring while we work. No one will lose their mooring
reinstate impacted moorings as close as possible to their current location when we are finished.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Sydney Harbour

General information

We have carefully selected each of our temporary construction sites to limit our impact on you while we are working and to keep your neighbourhoods and streets safe during construction.

There are three construction sites proposed around Waverton. There will be two within Sydney Harbour and one at Berrys Bay. Details of the sites are outlined below and on the map.

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
seabed profiling, excavation, some barge movements, worker transport and deliveries will need to be carried out outside of standard construction hours
underground tunnelling will be 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We will generally be tunnelling deep underground with access to the surface enclosed within an acoustic shed designed to minimise noise, dust and light. This will allow us to continue tunnelling at night, with less impact to you
spoil transport will only occur within standard construction hours

we will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

Sydney Harbour temporary cofferdams

Key activities

building the temporary cofferdams including ground treatment, piling and removing the water from inside the cofferdam so we can work in dry conditions
excavating rock within the cofferdam to reach the level of the tunnel
building the interface structure (the connection between the tunnels built underground and the immersed tube tunnels)
removing the cofferdam
seabed profiling to form the trench for the immersed tube tunnel
placing the gravel bed for the immersed tube units to sit on
installing the immersed tube tunnel units
backfilling around and over the immersed tube units
rehabilitation of the area.

Hours of work

Our general site activities will be carried out during standard construction hours.

Some activities may take place outside of standard construction hours including:

dewatering the cofferdams
seabed profiling work
removal of the cofferdam structures
installation of the immersed tube tunnel.

Construction timeline

Berrys Bay construction support site

Key activities

setting up the site, including removing some structures and building a new wharf and acoustic shed. We will retain and reuse as many of the structures as possible, including the Woodley’s boatshed
building temporary wharves to support transporting materials via the water and reduce the numbers of trucks needed on local roads
building the tunnel access
tunnelling, including the tunnels towards the Warringah Freeway, cross passages and breaking through to the cofferdam for connection to the immersed tube tunnel
storing, handling and transporting materials via barge to the White Bay site
finishing work on the tunnel like electrical fit out and lighting
testing, commissioning and site rehabilitation
rehabilitating the site to provide new public open space.

Hours of work

When tunnelling, our work will be as deep as 39 metres (11 storeys) at Balls Head Drive.

Yurulbin Point construction support site

Key activities

Removing some trees as part of early work and site establishment
Constructing temporary wharves for transport of tunnel spoil material by barge so we can avoid heavy vehicle movements on Louisa Road
Excavating the tunnel access
tunnelling, including the main tunnels towards Rozelle, cross passages and breaking through to the cofferdam for connection to the immersed tube tunnel
Treating wastewater from tunnelling activities
Storing, handling and transporting materials via barge to the White Bay site
Accessing the tunnel underground to do finishing work on the tunnel, like electrical and mechanical fit out
Testing, commissioning and site rehabilitation.

Hours of work

When tunnelling, our work will be as deep as 42 metres (12 storeys) at Yurulbin Park.

Spoil transport via barges will only take place during standard construction hours.

White Bay construction support site

Key activities

setting up the site, including removing some structures and building a new temporary wharf, moorings, a casting and fitout facility and setting up a treatment area for seabed materials
construction and fitout of the immersed tube tunnel units
transporting the immersed tube tunnel units to Snails Bay (near Birchgrove) for temporary storage before they are placed in position
treating and transferring materials removed from the seabed during seabed profiling which are not suitable for offshore disposal
handling and transferring tunnel spoil on barges from the Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay sites direct to trucks for haulage on to arterial roads
storage and transport of equipment, plant and personnel for Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay construction sites and the two cofferdams.
providing support facilities for the Rozelle Rail Yards construction site like worker parking and storage areas.

Hours of work

Our general site activities and spoil haulage will be carried out during standard construction hours.

There may be occasional deliveries and some light vehicle movements outside of standard construction hours to support shift changes on the other water based sites.

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Sydney Harbour

General information

We recognise that air quality is important to you. Our commitment to you is that the tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using modern ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built to strictly comply with any conditions specified in the DPIE’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence to be issued by the EPA.

When we are building

Most of the material we excavate will be clean, crushed sandstone. This will be removed in covered trucks to minimise dust falling from trucks.

We will manage potential odours from our excavation work by having experienced construction contractors treat any of those materials and then remove them from site in sealed trucks.

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic – Surface air quality

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

When we are open to traffic – In-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

The AQCCC will be independently chaired by a chairperson appointed in consultation with DPIE.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

Sydney Harbour

During community consultation for the proposed reference design, we heard that retaining as much open space as possible is important to the community. There will be no impacts to:

Birchgrove Park
Birchgrove Oval
Balls Head Reserve
Coal Loader facility
Carradah Park
The beach next to the quarantine buildings at Berrys Bay.

Explore the interactive map to find out more about the open space impacts around Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Harbour

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming noisy work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours, wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
wherever possible, we will stage our work to avoid extended periods of consecutive night work in one area to manage our impact on our neighbours
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers, where required
providing alternative accommodation, where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

During operation, the tunnel will be underground at Waverton and Birchgrove and underwater in Sydney Harbour, so it is not anticipated that the project will contribute any changes to ongoing noise levels.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

Sydney Harbour

When we are building

We will need to temporarily close Birchgrove Wharf for the duration of construction on the harbour.

Before we close the wharf we will work with local residents to understand how it is used and investigate

how we can best help users continue to get to their destination while we are building. For example this

could include relocating the wharf or providing transport services to another nearby wharf. Before work

starts we will inform wharf users of the proposed alternative travel arrangements.

When we are open to traffic

There will be no impacts to public transport once the project is open to traffic. The Birchgrove Ferry terminal will be reopened after construction is complete.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Sydney Harbour

General information

Due to the large scale of our project, there will be some permanent impact to the local landscape and visual amenity.

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we are building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts around Sydney Harbour will be due to the construction site, building equipment, and vehicle and vessel movements.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

tunnelling underground associated with surface works enclosed in an acoustic shed
locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
setting up hoardings and noise barriers as early as possible to provide screening
designing our noise barriers to blend into the environment and reduce overshadowing
using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces
retaining and protecting trees near our work wherever feasible
restoring landscapes and vegetated areas disturbed by our work.

When we are open to traffic

We are committed to returning as much of the open space we use through construction to the community as we can. We will:

engage with the community this year to deliver new public open space at Berrys Bay once the project is complete
work with the original architect for Yurulbin Park to bring his original vision to life.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

Sydney Harbour

General information

Our assessments considered how the project may impact on hydrodynamics, such as tidal and current movements within Sydney Harbour, and water quality in waterways and marine environments.

Site investigations and hydrodynamic modelling has been completed to assess and refine our approach to building the immersed tube tunnels on the bed of Sydney Harbour.

Our proposed methodology is similar to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel when it was built between 1988 and 1992 and leverages experience from that project and many others constructed since that time.

The assessments show our proposed management controls and procedures will prevent major impact on hydrodynamics and water quality while we are building and operating the tunnel.

When we are building

Our construction activities within and close to the harbour have the potential to impact the marine water quality. These activities include:

vessel movements
potential spills or leaks of fuels and chemicals from maintenance or re-fuelling of construction plant and equipment
land based activities involving the exposure or handling of soils.

We will manage potential impacts to water quality by:

installing appropriate erosion and sediment control at work sites such as silt curtains and sediment basins
developing emergency spill procedures to avoid and manage any accidental spills
environmental management plans
construction wastewater treatment plants
water quality monitoring.

When we are open to traffic

Once the tunnel is open to traffic, no impacts to marine water quality are expected.

For more information, please read the EIS chapter on hydrodynamics and water quality (Chapter 17).

Download Chapter 17: Hydrodynamics and water quality

Sydney Harbour

General information

Aboriginal Heritage

For more information about Aboriginal heritage items listed in the assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Aboriginal Heritage

We are committed to understanding and mitigating any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and will continue to work with Aboriginal stakeholders throughout the life of our project.

While no sites are directly impacted by our project we will ensure to protect vulnerable sites, by:

adjusting our work methods to prevent damage at Aboriginal sites
carrying out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites
using photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
managing unexpected discoveries of potential Aboriginal archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)
ensuring all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around Sydney Harbour.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and have been identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Non-Aboriginal Heritage

ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction where possible
managing potential archaeological or heritage items we find during construction in accordance with the standard procedures
adjusting our work methods to prevent damage to heritage structures
seeking advice from a heritage conservation architect if any at-property treatment is required at heritage listed properties
carrying out building condition surveys for any heritage items at risk from vibration
ensuring our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Sydney Harbour

We have carried out extensive surveys in the study area and a detailed Biodiversity Development Assessment Report to understand the biodiversity impact of the project.

Please click on the map to find out which species were identified in our assessments around Waverton.

We understand the importance of the natural environment to you and are committed to minimising our impact, protecting the local plant and animal life and implementing monitoring programs.

We will continue to have a dedicated team of environmental specialists who oversee this process.

Download Chapter 19: Biodiversity

Balmain/Birchgrove

Key features

Underwater tunnel connection between Birchgrove and Waverton using an immersed tube tunnel
Underground tunnel from Birchgrove to Rozelle
Redeveloped community open space at Yurulbin Park after construction.

Benefits

Improve performance and reliability of ANZAC Bridge, Western Distributor and the Sydney Harbour corridor
By building a tunnel under the water and underground we are reducing the surface impact to local communities in Balmain and Birchgrove.

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

When we are building

Maritime vessel movements

You will notice some increase in harbour maritime traffic when we are building the immersed tube tunnels for the harbour crossing.

We will manage our work to minimise interruptions to port operations and the navigation of ships and ferries within Sydney Harbour.

If you spend time on the water you may notice us:

moving around on barges, tugboats and smaller sea vessels
temporarily restricting maritime speeds around construction areas and our sites
temporarily relocating swing moorings at Berrys Bay and using the mooring at Snails Bay for our immersed tube tunnel units
establishing and operating construction sites at Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay
establishing two cofferdams, one off Yurulbin Point at Birchgrove and one off the Coal Loader at Waverton
implementing exclusion zones around the north and south cofferdams at Birchgrove and Waverton – reducing navigational width
seabed profiling activities in preparation for the installation of immersed tube tunnel units
partially closing Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton for a period of up to 48 hours at a time when we install the immersed tube tunnel units.

Reducing our impact – Maritime traffic

operate our vessels to minimise wash to areas of shoreline
schedule our activities to avoid times and locations where there is high recreational marine traffic for example on weekends, Australia Day and New Year’s Eve
manage our vessel movements so they do not interfere with port operations or the navigation of seagoing ships and ferries
carry out harbour closures scheduling in consultation with the Port Authority of NSW, Sydney Ferries and other relevant stakeholders
temporarily relocate impacted moorings so everyone will still have access to a mooring while we work. No one will lose their mooring
reinstate impacted moorings as close as possible to their current location when we are finished.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

We have carefully selected each of our temporary construction sites to limit our impact on you while we are working and to keep your neighbourhoods and streets safe during construction.

There are three construction sites proposed around Waverton. There will be two within Sydney Harbour and one at Berrys Bay. Details of the sites are outlined below and on the map.

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
seabed profiling, excavation, some barge movements, worker transport and deliveries will need to be carried out outside of standard construction hours
underground tunnelling will be 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We will generally be tunnelling deep underground with access to the surface enclosed within an acoustic shed designed to minimise noise, dust and light. This will allow us to continue tunnelling at night, with less impact to you
spoil transport will only occur within standard construction hours

We will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

Sydney Harbour temporary cofferdams

Key activities

building the temporary cofferdams including ground treatment, piling and removing the water from inside the cofferdam so we can work in dry conditions
excavating rock within the cofferdam to reach the level of the tunnel
building the interface structure (the connection between the tunnels built underground and the immersed tube tunnels)
removing the cofferdam
seabed profiling to form the trench for the immersed tube tunnel
placing the gravel bed for the immersed tube units to sit on
installing the immersed tube tunnel units
backfilling around and over the immersed tube units
rehabilitation of the area.

Hours of work

Our general site activities will be carried out during standard construction hours.

Some activities may take place outside of standard construction hours including:

dewatering the cofferdams
seabed profiling work
removal of the cofferdam structures
installation of the immersed tube tunnel.

Yurulbin Point construction support site

Key activities

removing some trees as part of early work and site establishment
constructing temporary wharves for transport of tunnel spoil material by barge so we can avoid heavy vehicle movements on Louisa Road
excavating the tunnel access
tunnelling, including the main tunnels towards Rozelle, cross passages and breaking through to the cofferdam for connection to the immersed tube tunnel
treating wastewater from tunnelling activities
storing, handling and transporting materials via barge to the White Bay site
accessing the tunnel underground to do finishing work on the tunnel, like electrical and mechanical fit out
testing, commissioning and site rehabilitation.

Hours of work

When tunnelling, our work will be as deep as 42 metres (12 storeys) at Yurulbin Park.

Spoil transport via barges will only take place during standard construction hours.

Construction timeline

Yurulbin Point construction site timeline

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

We recognise that air quality is important to you. Our commitment to you is that the tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using modern ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built to strictly comply with any conditions specified in the DPIE’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence to be issued by the EPA.

When we are building

Most of the material we excavate will be clean, crushed sandstone. This will be removed in covered trucks to minimise dust falling from trucks.

We will manage potential odours from our excavation work by having experienced construction contractors treat any of those materials and then remove them from site in sealed trucks.

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic – Surface air quality

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

When we are open to traffic – In-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

The AQCCC will be independently chaired by a chairperson appointed in consultation with DPIE.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

Balmain/Birchgrove

During community consultation for the proposed reference design, we heard that retaining as much open space as possible is important to the community. There will be no impacts to:

Birchgrove Park
Birchgrove Oval.

Explore the interactive map to find out more about the open space impacts around Sydney Harbour.

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming noisy work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours, wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
wherever possible, we will stage our work to avoid extended periods of consecutive night work in one area to manage our impact on our neighbours
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers, where required
providing alternative accommodation, where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

During operation, the tunnel will be underground at Birchgrove and underwater in Sydney Harbour, so it is not anticipated that the project will contribute any changes to ongoing noise levels.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration Download Chapter 11: Operational noise and vibration

Balmain/Birchgrove

When we are building

We will need to temporarily close Birchgrove Wharf for the duration of construction on the harbour.

Before we close the wharf we will work with local residents to understand how it is used and investigate

how we can best help users continue to get to their destination while we are building. For example this

could include relocating the wharf or providing transport services to another nearby wharf. Before work

starts we will inform wharf users of the proposed alternative travel arrangements.

When we are open to traffic

There will be no impacts to public transport once the project is open to traffic. The Birchgrove Ferry terminal will be reopened after construction is complete.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

Due to the large scale of our project, there will be some permanent impact to the local landscape and visual amenity.

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we're building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts around Birchgrove will be due to the construction site, building equipment, and vehicle and vessel movements.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

tunnelling underground associated with surface works enclosed in an acoustic shed
locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
setting up hoardings and noise barriers as early as possible to provide screening
designing our noise barriers to blend into the environment and reduce overshadowing
using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces
retaining and protecting trees near our work wherever feasible
restoring landscapes and vegetated areas disturbed by our work.

When we are open to traffic

We are committed to returning as much of the open space we use through construction to the community as we can. We will work with the original architect for Yurulbin Park to bring his original vision to life.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

Our assessments considered how the project may impact on hydrodynamics, such as tidal and current movements within Sydney Harbour, and water quality in waterways and marine environments.

Site investigations and hydrodynamic modelling has been completed to assess and refine our approach to building the immersed tube tunnels on the bed of Sydney Harbour.

Our proposed methodology is similar to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel when it was built between 1988 and 1992 and leverages experience from that project and many others constructed since that time.

The assessments show our proposed management controls and procedures will prevent major impact on hydrodynamics and water quality while we are building and operating the tunnel.

When we are building

Our construction activities within and close to the harbour have the potential to impact the marine water quality. These activities include:

vessel movements
potential spills or leaks of fuels and chemicals from maintenance or re-fuelling of construction plant and equipment
land based activities involving the exposure or handling of soils.

We will manage potential impacts to water quality by:

installing appropriate erosion and sediment control at work sites such as silt curtains and sediment basins
developing emergency spill procedures to avoid and manage any accidental spills
environmental management plans
construction wastewater treatment plants
water quality monitoring.

When we are open to traffic

Once the tunnel is open to traffic, no impacts to marine water quality are expected.

For more information, please read the EIS chapter on hydrodynamics and water quality (Chapter 17).

Download Chapter 17: Hydrodynamics and water quality

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

Aboriginal Heritage

For more information about Aboriginal heritage items listed in the assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Aboriginal Heritage

We are committed to understanding and mitigating any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and will continue to work with Aboriginal stakeholders throughout the life of our project.

While no sites are directly impacted by our project we will ensure to protect vulnerable sites, by:

adjusting our work methods to prevent damage at Aboriginal sites
carrying out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites
using photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
managing unexpected discoveries of potential Aboriginal archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)
ensuring all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around Sydney Harbour.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and have been identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Non-Aboriginal Heritage

ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction where possible
managing potential archaeological or heritage items we find during construction in accordance with the standard procedures
adjusting our work methods to prevent damage to heritage structures
seeking advice from a heritage conservation architect if any at-property treatment is required at heritage listed properties
carrying out building condition surveys for any heritage items at risk from vibration
ensuring our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Balmain/Birchgrove

General information

We have carried out extensive surveys in the study area and a detailed Biodiversity Development Assessment Report to understand the biodiversity impact of the project.

Please click on the map to find out which species were identified in our assessments around Birchgrove.

We understand the importance of the natural environment to you and are committed to minimising our impact, protecting the local plant and animal life and implementing monitoring programs.

We will continue to have a dedicated team of environmental specialists who oversee this process.

Download Chapter 19: Biodiversity

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

When we are building

Traffic and vehicle movements

Where possible, our construction sites have been located on motorways or main roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

We are not expecting substantial changes to your travel times while we are working.

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

an increase of construction vehicles sharing the road
temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures
temporary changes to speed limits
temporary changes to on street parking.

Maritime vessel movements

You will notice some increase in harbour maritime traffic when we are building the immersed tube tunnels for the harbour crossing.

We will manage our work to minimise interruptions to port operations and the navigation of ships and ferries within Sydney Harbour.

If you spend time on the water you may notice us:

moving around on barges, tugboats and smaller sea vessels
temporarily restricting maritime speeds around construction areas and our sites
temporarily relocating swing moorings at Berrys Bay and using the mooring at Snails Bay for our immersed tube tunnel units
establishing and operating construction sites at Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay
establishing two cofferdams, one off Yurulbin Point at Birchgrove and one off the Coal Loader at Waverton
implementing exclusion zones around the north and south cofferdams at Birchgrove and Waverton – reducing navigational width
seabed profiling activities in preparation for the installation of immersed tube tunnel units
partially closing Sydney Harbour between Birchgrove and Waverton for a period of up to 48 hours at a time when we install the immersed tube tunnel units.

Reducing our impact – Road traffic

working with other transport projects to coordinate our work
minimising construction vehicle movements during peak traffic times
minimising heavy vehicle movements on local roads
managing vehicle access to construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
using clear signage and line markings to make it easier for you to navigate around our construction sites
carrying out partial or full road closures outside peak times or during the night where possible
making information available to help you plan your journey.

Our priority during construction is to ensure you can move safely around the area.

Reducing our impact – Maritime traffic

operate our vessels to minimise wash to areas of shoreline
schedule our activities to avoid times and locations where there is high recreational marine traffic for example on weekends, Australia Day and New Year’s Eve
manage our vessel movements so they do not interfere with port operations or the navigation of seagoing ships and ferries
carry out harbour closures scheduling in consultation with the Port Authority of NSW, Sydney Ferries and other relevant stakeholders
temporarily relocate impacted moorings so everyone will still have access to a mooring while we work. No one will lose their mooring
reinstate impacted moorings as close as possible to their current location when we are finished.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

We have carefully selected each of our temporary construction sites to limit our impact on you while we are working and to keep your neighbourhoods and streets safe during construction.

There is a construction site proposed at White Bay to support the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel. Details of the site are outlined below and on the map.

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
seabed profiling, excavation, some barge movements, worker transport and deliveries will need to be carried out outside of standard construction hours
we will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

White Bay construction support site

Key activities

setting up the site, including removing some structures and building a new temporary wharf, moorings, a casting and fitout facility and setting up a treatment area for seabed materials
construction and fitout of the immersed tube tunnel units
transporting the immersed tube tunnel units to Snails Bay (near Birchgrove) for temporary storage before they are placed in position
treating and transferring materials removed from the seabed during seabed profiling which are not suitable for offshore disposal
handling and transferring tunnel spoil on barges from the Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay sites direct to trucks for haulage on to arterial roads
storage and transport of equipment, plant and personnel for Yurulbin Point and Berrys Bay construction sites and the two cofferdams.
providing support facilities for the Rozelle Rail Yards construction site like worker parking and storage areas.

Hours of work

Our general site activities and spoil haulage will be carried out during standard construction hours.

There may be occasional deliveries and some light vehicle movements outside of standard construction hours to support shift changes on the other water based sites.

Construction timeline

Download Chapter 12: Air quality

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

We recognise that air quality is important to you. Our commitment to you is that the tunnels will be built to meet strict air quality standards using modern ventilation and tunnel design. All ventilation systems will be built to strictly comply with any conditions specified in the DPIE’s planning approval, and the Environment Protection Licence to be issued by the EPA.

When we are building

Most of the material we excavate will be clean, crushed sandstone. This will be removed in covered trucks to minimise dust falling from trucks.

We will manage potential odours from our excavation work by having experienced construction contractors treat any of those materials and then remove them from site in sealed trucks.

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic – Surface air quality

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

When we are open to traffic – In-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

The AQCCC will be independently chaired by a chairperson appointed in consultation with DPIE.

Download Chapter 13: Human health

White Bay/Glebe Island

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming noisy work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours, wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
wherever possible, we will stage our work to avoid extended periods of consecutive night work in one area to manage our impact on our neighbours
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers, where required
providing alternative accommodation, where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

The project is predicted to reduce traffic noise for almost 60 per cent of properties near our surface roads.

White Bay will only be used during construction, so it is not anticipated that the project will contribute any changes to ongoing noise levels at White Bay during operation.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

Due to the large scale of our project, there will be some permanent impact to the local landscape and visual amenity.

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we are building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts at White Bay will be due to the construction site, building equipment and vehicle movements. This site will be open and most likely will be visible to the residents in tall residential and commercial towers within Pyrmont and Darling Harbour, as well as from Anzac Bridge.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

Locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
Regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
Designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
Setting up hoardings as early as possible to provide screening
using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces.

When we are open to traffic

White Bay will only be used during construction; there will be no landscape or visual amenity impacts in this area after the project is open to traffic.

Download Chapter 17: Hydrodynamics and water quality

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

Our assessments considered how the project may impact on hydrodynamics, such as tidal and current movements within Sydney Harbour, and water quality in waterways and marine environments.

Site investigations and hydrodynamic modelling has been completed to assess and refine our approach to building the immersed tube tunnels on the bed of Sydney Harbour.

Our proposed methodology is similar to the Sydney Harbour Tunnel when it was built between 1988 and 1992 and leverages experience from that project and many others constructed since that time.

The assessments show our proposed management controls and procedures will prevent major impact on hydrodynamics and water quality while we are building and operating the tunnel.

When we are building

include:

vessel movements
potential spills or leaks of fuels and chemicals from maintenance or re-fuelling of construction plant and equipment
land based activities involving the exposure or handling of soils.

We will manage potential impacts to water quality by:

installing appropriate erosion and sediment control at work sites such as silt curtains and sediment basins
developing emergency spill procedures to avoid and manage any accidental spills
environmental management plans
construction wastewater treatment plants
water quality monitoring.

When we are open to traffic

Once the tunnel is open to traffic, no impacts to marine water quality are expected.

For more information, please read the EIS chapter on hydrodynamics and water quality (Chapter 17).

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage

White Bay/Glebe Island

General information

Aboriginal Heritage

For more information about Aboriginal heritage items listed in the assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Aboriginal Heritage

We are committed to understanding and mitigating any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and will continue to work with Aboriginal stakeholders throughout the life of our project.

While no sites are directly impacted by our project we will ensure to protect vulnerable sites, by:

adjusting our work methods to prevent damage at Aboriginal sites
carrying out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites
using photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
managing unexpected discoveries of potential Aboriginal archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)
ensuring all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around White Bay.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and have been identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Non-Aboriginal Heritage

ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction where possible
managing potential archaeological or heritage items we find during construction in accordance with the standard procedures
adjusting our work methods to prevent damage to heritage structures
seeking advice from a heritage conservation architect if any at-property treatment is required at heritage listed properties
carrying out building condition surveys for any heritage items at risk from vibration
ensuring our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Download Chapter 19: Biodiversity

White Bay/Glebe Island

We have carried out extensive surveys in the study area and a detailed Biodiversity Development Assessment Report to understand the biodiversity impact of the project.

Please click on the map to find out which species were identified in our assessments around White Bay and Sydney Harbour.

We understand the importance of the natural environment to you and are committed to minimising our impact, protecting the local plant and animal life and implementing monitoring programs.

We will continue to have a dedicated team of environmental specialists who oversee this process.

Rozelle/Lilyfield

Key features

Tunnel ramps surfacing at City West Link, providing access to and from the Western Harbour Tunnel.
Underground tunnel connection to M4-M5 Link, providing direct access to the new M4 and M5 tunnels.

Benefits

With seamless underground connections to the New M4 and M8 you can bypass the Anzac Bridge, Western Distributor and Sydney Harbour Bridge corridor, improving travel speeds and reliability for these journeys. You will also experience improved travel times on these surface roads, including around 149,000 bus passengers, each day.
Providing a new harbour crossing link for areas including Leichhardt, Annandale, Campberdown, Lilyfield and Rozelle to the new harbour crossing.
Improving connectivity from the north to key employment areas in the Inner West, North West, South West and Western suburbs of Sydney.
Improving Sydney’s road freight, directly connecting with WestConnex and the broader Sydney motorway network. You will notice a reduction of heavy vehicle movements on many surface roads, reducing traffic and noise impact and improving ambient air quality.

Rozelle

General information

When we are building

Where possible, our construction sites have been located on motorways or main roads, to minimise the use of local streets for trucks moving materials to and from the sites.

We are not expecting substantial changes to your travel times while we are working.

Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

an increase of construction vehicles sharing the road
temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures
temporary changes to speed limits
temporary changes to on street parking.

Reducing our impact

working with other transport projects to coordinate our work
minimising construction vehicle movements during peak traffic times
minimising heavy vehicle movements on local roads
managing vehicle access to construction sites to ensure pedestrian, cyclist and motorist safety
using clear signage and line markings to make it easier for you to navigate around our construction sites
carrying out partial or full road closures outside peak times or during the night where possible
making information available to help you plan your journey.

Our priority during construction is to ensure you can move safely around the area.

When we are open to traffic

Once open you will benefit from improved traffic conditions, improved travel times, less congestion, improved safety, as well as better pedestrian and cycle paths and open spaces.

As well as helping motorists, the reduced congestion and travel times will improve travel times for bus commuters, providing you with more options to choose how you move around Sydney.

We will carry out a review of the operational road network about 12 months and again at five years after the project is open to confirm the operational impact of the project.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Rozelle

General information

We have carefully selected each of our temporary construction sites to limit our impact on you while we are working and to keep your neighbourhoods and streets safe during construction.

There are construction sites proposed at Rozelle Rail Yards and Victoria Road to support the construction of the Western Harbour Tunnel. Details of these sites are outlined below and on the map.

Our standard construction hours will be:

Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm
Saturday 8am to 1pm
generally no work on Sundays or public holidays
underground tunnelling will be 24 hours per day, seven days a week. We will generally be tunnelling deep underground with access to the surface enclosed within an acoustic shed designed to minimise noise, dust and light. This will allow us to continue tunnelling at night, with less impact to you.
spoil transport will only occur within standard construction hours
we will notify affected residents before starting any work outside of standard construction hours.

Rozelle Rail Yards construction site

Key activities

building and fitting out the Western Harbour Tunnel motorway facilities at the Rozelle Interchange
fitting out and commissioning the ventilation facilities (built as part of the WestConnex M4-M5 Link Rozelle Interchange)
completing the mechanical and electrical fitout of the Western Harbour Tunnel
treating wastewater from construction activities
connecting the Western Harbour Tunnel on and off ramps to City West Link.

Construction timeline

Rozelle Rail Yards construction site timeline

Victoria Road construction site

Key activities

removing existing buildings
setting up the site ready for construction
excavating the tunnel access
excavation and civil fitout of the tunnel
excavating, handling and stockpiling tunnel spoil (within an acoustic shed)
treating wastewater from tunnelling activities
finishing work on the tunnel including mechanical and electrical fitout.

Hours of work

Our general site activities and spoil haulage will be carried out during standard construction hours.

We will be tunnelling 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once we are tunnelling, the majority of the work will take place underground and activity on the surface will reduce. Based on typical tunnelling rates we expect the impact from tunnelling to be minimal for residents as we will only be working under each property for about one week.

When tunnelling, our work will be as deep as 76 metres at Victoria Road.

Construction timeline

Victoria Road construction site timeline

Download Chapter 6: Construction work

Rozelle

General information

The air quality assessments we completed included:

identifying potential dust impacts during our work
assessing the tunnel ventilation to ensure the strict in-tunnel air quality standards are maintained during operation
understanding the potential changes to local and regional air quality during operation.

When we are building

Construction activity at each site is carried out under an Environmental Protection Licence (EPL), issued by the EPA, which will include limits relating to air quality and dust.

While we are building, we will monitor the air quality around our sites to help us ensure our methods are allowing us to meet the terms of our EPL and inform us if we need to make changes.

When we are open to traffic – Surface air quality

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

When we are open to traffic – Surface air quality

Our ventilation system is also designed to ensure there are zero emissions from the tunnel exits.

The map shows the predicted changes in air quality in 2027 and 2037 with the project.

When we are open to traffic – In-tunnel air quality

While motor vehicle emissions are a source of air pollution, modern tunnel ventilation design ensures sufficient air flows within the tunnel to meet strict air quality requirements.

We have carried out modelling on in-tunnel air quality based on:

expected traffic volumes
maximum traffic volumes
breakdown or major incidents in the tunnels.

The results of our modelling show the ventilation system installed in the tunnel will be able to manage the tunnel air to meet the air quality criteria in all of these situations.

Future air quality monitoring

We will continue monitoring air quality within the ventilation outlets and tunnel 24 hours a day during operation and use real-time data to ensure we are meeting strict air quality criteria.

Air quality information will also be available on the tunnel operator's website.

Download Chapter 12: Air quality Download Chapter 13: Human health

Rozelle

Rozelle

General information

We know our work can be noisy which is why we will use a range of measures to reduce the impact of our work when we are close to communities.

We have carried out a thorough noise and vibration assessment examining the potential impact to you when we build and operate the tunnels.

When we are building

Noise

If you live near where we are working you are likely to hear us. This may be when we are working on the road, delivering materials, tunnelling and removing spoil from tunnelling sites.

How noise is perceived is personal and can depend on the environment. Because of this, sound may also seem louder to you in some situations than others.

For more information on local noise impacts, please explore your suburb on the map.

Vibration

Reducing our impact

providing additional notification and consultation about upcoming work
laying out our sites so the noisy equipment is shielded by other buildings and/or stockpiles or is enclosed in acoustic sheds
ensuring our equipment is serviced and maintained up to standard
turning off machinery and equipment when not in use
working within standard construction hours wherever feasible
managing construction activities to minimise major noise generating work being done at the same time at the same location
staging our work so we are not working near the same residents for large durations of time
installing hoardings and temporary noise barriers where required
using acoustic sheds for 24 hour tunnelling activities
providing noise reduction property treatments to eligible properties
providing alternative accommodation where appropriate.

We will also use noise and vibration monitoring to ensure our measures are effective in complying with our licence conditions, and help us identify if we need to make changes.

Property damage

We will offer you a property condition survey if you are located within 50 metres of our work. This will provide a clear record of your property’s condition before our work starts.

If any damage is found to be directly related to our project, the damage will be fixed at no cost to you.

When we are open to traffic

The project is predicted to reduce traffic noise for almost 60 per cent of properties near our surface roads.

We have identified and assessed properties which may be affected by noise from the project when it is opened to traffic.

You do not need to contact us as we will be in touch with you directly, if you are eligible.

Download Chapter 10: Construction noise and vibration

Rozelle

When we are building

We know our work can impact the local community in many ways and we will minimise these impacts where possible.

We will engage directly with key stakeholders, nearby businesses and residents who will be most affected and work together to develop the best outcome.

When we are open to traffic

During operation, shared user pathways will benefit pedestrians, cyclists and dog walkers in the area and local businesses will benefit from increased access.

The Rozelle area will benefit from direct access to and from the new tunnel via City West Link.

Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Rozelle

When we are building

Public transport

We are not expecting substantial changes to your travel times while we are working. Some areas may temporarily experience minor short term delays due to:

an increase of construction vehicles sharing the road
temporary changes to local roads and temporary bus lane closures
temporary changes to speed limits
temporary changes to on street parking.

Our assessment shows we will have a limited impact on the public transport network around our projects.

Shared user transport

We will be maintaining the shared user paths on Victoria Road during construction.

Please explore the map for more information about shared user transport impacts while we are building.

When we are open to traffic

Public transport

We have designed the project to integrate with the broader public transport network to provide significant travel time savings and reliability benefits.
We will be providing opportunities for new direct bus routes between the Inner West and North Sydney using the Western Harbour Tunnel.
Your bus trips on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Anzac Bridge and other surface corridors will be faster and more reliable with reduced congestion on existing roads/

Shared user transport

Up to 10 hectares of new open space will be delivered at the site of the old Rozelle Rail Yards. As part of the Rozelle Interchange project, it will deliver new walking, running and cycling tracks and provide better access to the Rozelle water front and access to public transport. These new pedestrian and cycling routes will link Rozelle to the city and neighbouring suburbs, including Annandale, Balmain, Lilyfield and Iron Cove Bridge. For more information on the Rozelle Interchange project please visit the WestConnex website.

Download Chapter 8: Construction traffic and transport Download Chapter 9: Operational traffic and transport

Rozelle

General information

We will be inviting you to take part in a range of opportunities to provide input and feedback on the urban design and landscaping as the project progresses.

When we are building

Some of the noticeable visual impacts at Rozelle and Lilyfield will be due to the construction sites, building equipment and vehicle movements.

We will be working to minimise this impact by:

tunnelling underground with surface work enclosed in an acoustic shed
locating work areas in disused or disturbed areas where possible
regularly checking and removing graffiti and other visual blemishes from our work sites
designing our lighting to minimise glare issues and light spillage into surrounding areas
setting up hoardings and noise barriers as early as possible to provide screening
designing our noise barriers to blend into the environment and reduce overshadowing
using high quality fencing materials, particularly where our sites are near residents or recreational spaces
retaining and protecting trees near our work
restoring landscapes and vegetated areas disturbed by our work
considering how we can reduce impacts on local trees and plantings.

When we are open to traffic

There will be some permanent impact to the local landscape and visual amenity. The most noticeable visual change will be at Rozelle Rail Yards.

Download Chapter 22: Urban design and visual amenity

Rozelle

General information

Aboriginal Heritage

For more information about Aboriginal heritage items listed in the assessment, please see chapter 15 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Aboriginal Heritage

We are committed to understanding and mitigating any impact to Aboriginal cultural heritage and will continue to work with Aboriginal stakeholders throughout the life of our project.

While no sites are directly impacted by our project we will ensure to protect vulnerable sites, by:

adjusting our work methods to prevent damage at Aboriginal sites
carrying out monitoring during vibration intensive work near Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) sites to ensure we are effectively protecting the sites
using photographic and digital technologies, including 3D capture technology to create archival recordings of key sites to ensure they are recorded for future generations
managing unexpected discoveries of potential Aboriginal archaeological or heritage items in accordance with the Standard Management Procedure: Unexpected Heritage Items (Roads and Maritime Services 2015)
ensuring all of our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Non-Aboriginal Heritage

We know there are many important archaeological and historical sites along the project alignment. Our assessment found one hundred and thirteen non-Aboriginal heritage items, across the project alignment, which could potentially be impacted by our project. Several of these items are located around Rozelle.

Please explore the map for more information about some of the key non-Aboriginal heritage items the local community has expressed an interest in during our ongoing consultation and have been identified in our assessment. For more information on all non-Aboriginal heritage items, please see chapter 14 of the EIS.

Reducing our impact – Non-Aboriginal Heritage

ensuring our design avoids impacts with the Sydney Harbour Bridge and we minimise visual obstruction where possible
managing potential archaeological or heritage items we find during construction in accordance with the standard procedures
adjusting our work methods to prevent damage to heritage structures
seeking advice from a heritage conservation architect if any at-property treatment is required at heritage listed properties
carrying out building condition surveys for any heritage items at risk from vibration
ensuring our staff take part in cultural and heritage induction before work starts.

Download Chapter 14: Non-Aboriginal heritage Download Chapter 15: Aboriginal heritage

Rozelle

We have carried out extensive surveys in the study area and a detailed Biodiversity Development Assessment Report to understand the biodiversity impact of the project.

Please click on the map to find out which species were identified in our assessments around Rozelle.

We understand the importance of the natural environment to you and are committed to minimising our impact, protecting the local plant and animal life and implementing monitoring programs.

We will continue to have a dedicated team of environmental specialists who oversee this process.

Download Chapter 19: Biodiversity