The green corridor of wetlands and parks between President Avenue, Kogarah, and Sans Souci may be saved from disruption or even possible destruction.
Geological tests for the F6 motorway extension have found poor, sandy soil conditions for tunnel or surface road construction.
This has caused a re-think of the route, with speculation the motorway will be built in a tunnel under Rocky Point Road.
The significance of the F6 road reservation between Cooks River and Georges River was highlighted in a film, The Corridor, released in 2015 by independent filmmaker Sumi Skellam.
“Large tracts of the local area were once wetlands,” the narrator of the 22-minute documentary says.
“The name Kogarah means reeds in the Aboriginal language of this area.
“The only wetlands remaining here today are in this road corridor reserved since 1948.
“Perhaps the fact the Rockdale wetlands exist without any effort or cost on our part is why we may not recognise their value.”
A similar green corridor through Sutherland Shire exists because of the F6 reservation.
No information has been released on soil tests on the shire section of the route, and the government has not indicated a preference for a tunnel or surface road.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay said cabinet’s infrastructure committee had received a report on progress of the business case for the project.
Referring to the Kogarah to Sans Souci section, Mr Gay said further investigations were necessary, and “not necessarily on that corridor”.
Mr Gay said an extra $20 million would be spent in 2017 on investigating and refining design solutions, taking the amount spent since 2013-14 to $45 million.
”The government is committed to moving this project forward, and will have more to say on this work in 2017,” he said
By default, they seem to have come up with the right route.
- Rockdale MP Steve Kamper
Rockdale MP Steve Kamper said, “My position has always been, if we have to have the F6, it has got to be underground”.
“By default, they seem to have come up with the right route,” he said.
“If it goes in sandstone under Rocky Point Road, it won’t disrupt my community.”
Mr Kamper said he “sick of the anxiety” being caused to residents by the investigations and route speculation.