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Current announcements
Transport for NSW regularly releases new information about the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade project. The latest announcement is that the Tree Replacement Strategy has been updated.
Read Tree Replacement Strategy
Other recent announcements include:
- Rose Street Reserve will be used for temporary materials storage for the next three years.
- Buses will merge wiith general traffic into one lane on Falcon Street for the next 18 months, This is expected to create delays on Military Road, especially during peak commuter times.
- Consultations regarding walking and cycling in six areas between Cammeray and North Sydney are taking place from 7.30am to 10.30am at Falcon St shared user bridge (21 June and 5 July) and Ridge St lookout (28 June). The Transport for NSW team will also be at the Produce Market on 17 June and Kirribilli Market on 24 June.
- The Warringah Freeway Upgrade Place, Design and Landscape Plan is on public exhibition for public comment until 11 July 2023.
For details and to see documentation about any of these projects and consultations, please visit the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway website.
Current work notices
View the State Government's latest Documents and Notifications or visit their Project Portal.
Council's position
Council strongly opposes the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade project and objects to both how the project is being delivered and the negative impact it has our community.
The negative impacts include loss of open space, loss of urban forest tree canopy and habitat for wildlife, increased air pollution and increased traffic on local streets.
While these impacts are more concentrated in some areas, all of the North Sydney LGA is negatively impacted in some way.
On 24 January 2022, Council resolved:
1. THAT COUNCIL reinstate its strong opposition to the WHT/NBL projects due to the devastating impacts of the proposed projects on the North Sydney Local Government Area and the absence of any public benefit to be gained from the projects and for the following reasons:
a. the lack of a business case for the project
b. the lack of meaningful community consultation
c. the lack of alternative transport options including public transport
d. the lack of filtering in the proposed exhaust stacks
e. significant and devastating loss of public open space and future open space, loss of sporting facilities, loss of trees and canopy, loss of stormwater harvesting and water treatment infrastructure
f. significant adverse impacts on public health and wellbeing, particularly on schools, school children and residents
g. devastating environmental impacts on waterways, reserves, flora and fauna
h. inappropriate and untested mitigation measures
i. significant adverse impacts on aboriginal heritage and maritime environment
j. the substantial increase in traffic flows through arterial and surface roads in the North Sydney CBD, including Berry Street and Miller Place, and LGA more generally.
2. THAT Council continue and escalate the current campaign informed by the position set out in Part 1 above.
Community campaign
Community campaign
Following community requests, Council resolved to conduct a community campaign to increase awareness of the impacts of the WHT and Warringah Freeway Upgrade projects.
Stage 1 of the campaign, All Pain and No Gain, called for the project to be changed and funding provided for mitigation measures and called on the community to contact their State MP and ask for the changes. Despite many choosing to do so, and many detailed and thoughtful submissions on the Environmental Impact Statement, no commitments were made to change the project.
Stage 2 of the campaign was undertaken in response to the State Government clearing Cammeray Park and reconfiguring the golf course to make space for project infrastructure. Council has prepared corflutes and videos and social media posts calling on the Government to put the maintenance sheds for the Warringah Freeway underground, return all parkland and guarantee that semi-mature trees are planted (the size and species of the replacement trees are not specified in the contract).
Stage 3 of the campaign is being undertaken in response to the proposed tree removal in Whaling Rd and High St Reserves in North Sydney. Council has prepared corflutes calling on the State Government to stop the work, consult the community, revise the plans and build infrastructure without destroying urban forest.
The community has undertaken its own campaigning including holding public meetings and an art event for children to document their response to the tree loss in Cammeray Park. People interested in supporting the campaign should contact their local Precinct or follow Save Cammeray Park on Facebook.
Background
Project timeline
In March 2017, NSW Government announced a preferred route for the project, the start of geological drilling, notifications to property owners, and the commencement of a consultation process.
May 2017: Investigative works commenced with up to 235 borehole sites tested along the preferred route. Further field work included traffic analysis, noise and air quality monitoring, and flora, fauna and marine ecology studies.
Late 2017: RMS lodged an application with the DPE for the WHBTL to be considered State Significant Infrastructure by lodging a State Significant Infrastructure Application. The DPE issued sets of Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the project(s).
July 2018: NSW Government released the reference design map for the WHTBL.
November/December 2018: Community information sessions were held with more than 2600 people attending. Meetings were also held with Council, community groups, schools, sporting associations and various special interest groups. More than 7300 submissions were received.
RMS liaised with Council on several matters pertinent to this major project in preparation of the environmental assessment of the WHTBL.
January 2020: the detailed EIS for the WHT and Warringah Expressway Upgrade was publicly exhibited from 29 January to 30 March 2020.
September 2020: the EIS submissions report was released for comment; 1459 submissions were received.
November 2020: the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (WHT and Warringah Freeway Upgrade Project) Order 2020 was made under sections 5.12(4) and 5.13 of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The object of the Order was to make certain development for the purposes of the WHT and Warringah Freeway Upgrade project to be State significant infrastructure, and critical State significant infrastructure.
December 2020: TfNSW announced the release and public exhibition of the EIS for he Beaches Link and Gore Hill Expressway
January 2021: TfNSW announced the Western Harbour Tunnel and Warringah Freeway Upgrade was approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, with the project to be constructed and operated in accordance with the Ministers Conditions of Approval. A copy of these conditions is available at NSW Dept of Planning and Environment’s (DPE) website.
June 2022: the NSW Government announced that while it remained committed to the Beaches Link, its progress was being restaged to ensure it could be delivered in a sustainable and affordable way
Previous Council resolutions and responses
View Summary of Council resolutions