A PROPOSED 35-metre-long pedestrian tunnel under the railway line at Arncliffe would provide users with "an enjoyable and safe experience," a review of environmental factors says.
The finding is at odds with Rockdale Council's concerns the underpass could be dangerous for pedestrians and subject to vandalism.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay announced in September he had lost patience with the council, and the government would "go it alone" with the project, which was expected to cost $17 million.
The council had wanted the government to widen the Allen Street rail bridge to allow better pedestrian access through the road underpass.
Residents have been given until Friday, December 19 to comment on the review of environmental factors, with work scheduled to start "early in the new year".
The proposed tunnel, through the rail line embankment, would be built 20 metres north of the road underpass.
It would be designed to be "visually compatible" with architectural elements of the rail bridge and Arncliffe railway station, the review said.
"Lighting would be installed and urban enhancement opportunities such as landscaping, seating and public art would be explored to make the underpass an enjoyable and safe experience."
Justifying the need for the tunnel, the review said present pedestrian access arrangements in the vicinity were "substandard".
The road underpass has only one footpath, on the southern side, and studies had shown pedestrians, including school students, walked along the road on the northern side.
Other options for improving pedestrian access had been rejected, the review said.
The council-favoured option of replacing the Allen Street railway bridge with a wider structure to accommodate footpaths on both sides of the underpass would have resulted in the demolition of the heritage-listed brick arches.
It would also have required closure of the rail line on about nine weekends, as well as an extra five consecutive days while the bridge was being replaced.
"The construction period for this option would be approximately eight months longer than the other options and would have greater impacts on traffic and pedestrians due to the extensive temporary works required above live road traffic," the review said.
ELECTION PROMISE
The pedestrian tunnel, promised before the 2011 state election, was a key factor in Liberal candidate John Flowers winning the seat of Rockdale.
Al Zahra College, which is about 100 metres from the tunnel site, has been advocating safer pedestrian access for students since 1996.
The expected $17 million ‘‘price tag’’ is well above the $5 million initially budgeted by the state government and the $10 million cost suggested in a feasibility study ordered by the council.
The document can be viewed at:Arncliffe Library in Firth Street or at transport.nsw.gov.au/projects
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