The intersection of Princes Highway and President Avenue, Kogarah, will be upgraded with an extra lane in each direction to cope with the extra traffic created by stage one of the F6 extension.
On the northbound side of the highway, there will be three right-turn lanes into President Avenue and two through lanes.
On the southbound side, there will be two through lanes, one shared straight / left turn as well as a dedicated left turn lane into President Avenue.
Other local traffic changes, to improve access to the Moorefield estate and the TAFE college will also be made.
The changes are detailed in the environmental impact statement (EIS) for the four-kilometre tollway between the New M5 at Arncliffe and President Avenue.
The EIS, which runs to many thousands of pages, was released on Wednesday. The deadline for submissions is December 14.
Construction will be carried out in one process over four years, with tunneling from both ends and cut-and-cover work being undertaken simultaneously.
The tollway is expected to open by the end of 2024.
“The project is the first stage of the F6 extension,” the EIS said.
“However, it is also considered a stand-alone project given its own objectives and project benefits.
“Future stages of the F6 Extension would be subject to separate planning approval.”
The EIS said some sporting facilities would be relocated while Rockdale Bicentennial Park was closed during the construction period and, where possible, enhanced when the park was reinstated afterwards.
“Roads and Maritime is in consultation with Bayside Council, as the facility owner, and the sporting groups that use the facilities to develop a master plan for the reconfiguration of the [park] and associated facilities,” the EIS said.
“The aim of the plan would be to enhance the recreational, scenic and ecological values of Rockdale Bicentennial Park.
“Reconfigured facilities would be comparable with existing facilities and where possible enhanced according to the needs of the users.”
The main benefits of the project were listed as:
- More direct access from southern Sydney to the wider Sydney motorway network.
- Less stop-start travel, with more reliable and shorter travel times between southern Sydney and the CBD.
- Reduction in general traffic on sections of General Holmes Drive of about 10,000 vehicles each weekday.
- Reduction in heavy vehicles on sections of Princes Highway and West Botany Street of about 40 per cent each weekday and on sections of General Holmes Drive of more than 30 per cent each weekday.
- Reduced traffic on surface roads, returning streets to local communities.
- Tunnels designed for free-flow traffic at 80 kilometres per hour, leading to reduced vehicle emissions than with stop-start traffic due to congestion or traffic lights.
- New shared cycle and pedestrian pathways, connecting Bestic Street, Brighton-Le-Sands to Civic Avenue, Kogarah through the reinstated Rockdale Bicentennial Park.
- A safe cycle and pedestrian connection across President Avenue.
- An enhancement of public recreation facilities at Rockdale Bicentennial Park.
The main adverse outcomes, some of which would be permanent, included:
Construction – Noise exceeding acceptable criteria during both day and night for those closest to the work and potential health impacts, such as stress, annoyance and sleep disturbance. Dust, offensive odours and biodiversity impact are other potential effects.
Property: Five homes, six industrial properties, one service station will be acquired along with the partial acquisition of land from three residential properties and from the TAFE campus. Permanent acquisition of about 1.9 hectares of open space within Kogarah Golf Course, Rockdale Bicentennial Park and Scarborough Park North (all owned by Bayside Council) will be required.
Traffic: There will be increased traffic along President Avenue, and O’Connell Street, with access changes for Moorefield estate. There will also be more traffic on the New M5 entry and exit ramps to the St Peters interchange, however average speeds on the ramps are forecast to be at least 90 per cent of the posted speed limit during peak hours.
Air quality: “Under normal traffic conditions, the contribution of tunnel ventilation outlets to overall pollutant concentrations is expected to be minimal,” the EIS said. “For ambient air quality, there are predicted to be mostly small exceedences of some air quality criteria...both with and without the project.”
Visit: isit http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=8931
