Pittwater Online News

Proposals for reducing flooding on Wakehurst Parkway now open for feedback

The NSW Government planned on investing $400 million in road upgrades around the Northern Beaches Hospital in 2014, soon after the cost had become $500 million and by the end of all the works done, the cost had grown to $700 million. 

''The upgrades will provide customers with a better travel experience, increased capacity on the road network and improved access through the area, including for pedestrians and cyclists.'' the Transport for NSW webpage states.

Part of the 2014 discussion included in the Submissions Report a response to community feedback calling for an upgrade to Wakehurst Parkway section from North Narrabeen to the new hospital stated that;

'Roads and Maritime is currently investigating options to reduce the frequency and severity of flooding on Wakehurst Parkway, however, these do not include widening to increase road capacity. Widening Wakehurst Parkway to up to six lanes in both directions would require further removal of the endangered ecological community Duffys Forest Ecological Community, property acquisition, and would have additional impacts related to noise, air quality, visual amenity, and increased stormwater runoff'.

Last week Council announced they are seeking community views on a study into options for reducing flooding on the Wakehurst Parkway between Sydney Sports Academy and Oxford Falls. 

''The Study is being released now following confirmation the NSW Government has made funding available towards the delivery of some of the options outlined in the document.'' Council said

Part of Council's announcement was a statement that ''Council will only take up the funding offer under a number of conditions, including community support for the project.''

The Consultation period closes on Sunday June 27th with the feasibility study now available for community comment at:  https://yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/wakehurst-parkway-flood-mitigation 

If you live and/or work in this area, this is an important issue and your input could make a difference in finding a better way forward. When Pittwater Online News approached local community groups and their spokespeople this week for comment on the Council's proposals all pointed out that this is a state road and state government responsibility. 

The funds to be allocated for proposed works present residents with options for reducing but not eliminating floods. Those options available under the allocated funding would destroy a large swathe of its bushland and impact on several threatened fauna species as well as those that moved from one reserve to the other to feed - our local wallabies for instance. There are also Endangered and Threatened ecological communities in the subject areas which are home to keystone species.

All of the local organisations have stated the Northern Beaches Council should approach the state government for a better solution. 

All have stated the road should be elevated at those flood points via bridges which would allow access for wildlife from one side to the other beneath these and permanently fix the flooding problems without impacting on the bushland.

Miranda Korzy, the Greens candidate for Pittwater at the coming council election, said that since the NSW government closed acute services at Mona Vale Hospital two years ago, the fastest route from Pittwater to the nearest emergency department is along Wakehurst Parkway.  

Yet the government and council, which supported the new hospital site, must have known that this road is flood prone and its single carriageway closes when there’s an accident or bushfire, Ms Korzy stated.   

“The council has placed residents in an impossible position asking them to choose between a set of unacceptable options,” Ms Korzy said this week. 

“They’re now asking us to choose between upgrading that road, which would still flood at times anyway - and protecting the surrounding environment. 

“We must have fast and reliable access to the hospital, but the trees must be protected.” 

Six out of seven of the options would have a significant impact on bushland – destroying up to 2,000 trees – an area the size of a small forest. And we have a duty to protect vulnerable species like the Powerful Owl, Large Eared Pied Bat and Red-crowned Toadlet, that live in the bush surrounding Middle Creek. 

The only option {in the proposals on exhibition) not expected to cause significant environmental damage would involve building a levy on one section of the road, which would make only a minor reduction in flooding – and possibly create ‘some negative impacts at certain flood return periods’. 

“Finally, it’s hard to accept the proposal’s statement that ‘Background research and field inspection of the study area’ were enough to conclude that none of the known 59 Aboriginal sites in the area would be impacted,” said Ms Korzy, who has addressed the council on a number of occasions about problems with the road.

“We can’t afford to lose yet more bushland because of poor hospital planning. 

“It should not be the council’s responsibility to fix a state road that provides access to a major piece of state infrastructure. 

“It must go back to the state government and ask for a properly funded solution that raises the road without destroying the forest.”  Ms Korzy stated.

Miranda Korzy's list of Wakehurst Parkway constraints:

• Protection of wildlife, including endangered species, in this tract of bushland many of us regard as the gateway to Pittwater.
• The need to prevent sedimentation in or pollution of Narrabeen lagoon and its catchment. 
• Protection of all Aboriginal sites in the vicinity.
• Safeguarding the beauty of the valley and preventing further noise pollution.
• Sea level rise which could put more of the road underwater.
• Finally, the upgraded Wakehurst Parkway must not be a tollway – operated by Transurban or any other company - as was flagged in 2017.  Drivers should not have to pay to access the hospital.

The list compiled from feedback sent in from other community groups for reducing (Note: reducing not removing) the numbers of days per year that the Wakehurst Parkway needs to be closed due to flooding includes:

1. None of the presented proposals will prevent ALL flood events along the Wakehurst Parkway, particularly if you take into account the increasing frequency of flood events predicted due to Climate Change.

2. In common parlance, the proposals are "Band-aid Solutions" that fit within the given budget provided by the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) for now. 

3. Wakehurst Parkway is a STATE road and, with the Hospital and proposed Frenchs Forest area development at the top of the hill, the Parkway is a crucial link that needs to be properly funded by State Government.

4. The Northern Beaches Council has been requested to provide solutions that involve using the surrounding bushland - letting the RMS off the hook from having to do anything about the road itself. 

5. The RMS may say that the water comes from the surrounding environment and that the administrators of the bushland must solve the problems but actually, it is the alignment of the road that has caused the modification of the surrounding environment that now causes the flooding.  It is the road that needs to be modified not the surrounding environment.

6. The flooding occurs at several different locations along the Wakehurst Parkway.

7. ALL the given proposals involve serious environmental disturbance including 

 a)  removal of large areas of bushland and

 b)  exposing contaminated sediments that would need to be treated (and the cost of de-contaminating those sediments is not revealed)

8. There is no discussion of other solutions to the flooding issues - such as raising the road or building bridges at critical points.  The RMS has studied some of those solutions and concluded that they are too expensive but there is no mention of them in the current list of options.  The public deserves to know the cost of doing the flood proofing PROPERLY. 

9. If the road were elevated by bridges, animals could move through underneath.  The road needs to be redesigned to allow for animals to move safely from one area of bushland to another.   

10. It is not a satisfactory process to ask the public to choose between bad solutions and worse solutions without revealing the costs and the environmental impacts of a good or better solution.

All these organisations are asking residents to ''make sure you put in a submission, and if you think the environmental and economic costs of permanently flood-proofing the road ought to be revealed and discussed before any decisions are made, then please say so.''

If so much can be spent on road upgrades around the new hospital that stretch of the Wakehurst Parkway between Oxford Falls and Pittwater Road, North Narrabeen has been denied a proper investment for too long. Your feedback will support and empower the Council and the State Government and our local representatives in Member for Pittwater Rob Stokes, Member for Wakehurst Brad Hazzard and Member for Davidson Jonathan O’Dea, to finally choose and fully fund the option that will fix the problem while still retaining the bush and in doing so, save the lives of all the wildlife and endangered plant communities it is our privilege to be the current custodians of, as well as save human lives where motor vehicle accidents still occur on a weekly basis.

Only by taking part in the discussion can you help shape the outcome.

Have your say by Sunday June 27th at:  https://yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/wakehurst-parkway-flood-mitigation 

References + Background Information

Middle Creek Bushland Reserve

Middle Creek Reserve is located along the Wakehurst Parkway and contains one of the highest conservation bushland areas on the Northern Beaches. Middle Creek and its tributary, Trefoil Creek, form part of an important wildlife corridor linking large areas of bushland reserves in the south of the Beaches with the extensive bushland to the west including Garigal National Park and Narrabeen Lagoon catchment to the south.

Nine native vegetation communities were identified in the study area. These included four endangered communities (swamp oak forest, bangalay alluvial forest, water fern swamp and estuarine paperbark scrub, the last three of which are all forms of swamp sclerophyll  forest on coastal floodplains), two regionally significant communities (seagrass meadow and coachwood rainforest), and three other communities (peppermint-angophora forest, bloodwood-scribbly gum woodland and sandstone heath). A total of 313 native plant species has been recorded in the catchment area including three rare Australian species (Angophora crassifolia, Darwinia procera and Lomandra fluviatilis), 23 species considered threatened in northern Sydney, four species considered threatened on the Northern Beaches, and eight biogeographically significant species. 

A total of 138 native fauna species have been recorded in or near the Middle Creek area, consisting of five frog species, 18 reptile species, 100 bird species and 15 mammal species. These include nine threatened species: giant burrowing frog, Rosenberg's goanna, black bittern, osprey, glossy black-cockatoo, powerful owl, spotted-tailed quoll, frey-headed flying-fox and common bentwing bat. Of special significance is an osprey nest tree, which was the site of the first successful breeding record of the species in the Sydney region. 

Wildlife Protection Area: Dogs and cats are not allowed here at any time. Location:  Middle Creek Reserve, Cromer 

Retrieved from: https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/recreation-area/middle-creek-bushland-reserve

Deep Creek Bushland Reserve

Deep Creek Reserve is located along Wakehurst Parkway and is one of the Northern Beaches highest conservation reserves. The reserve contains a small freshwater wetland on  the lower section of the reserve which is a form of Sydney Freshwater Wetlands, listed as a Threatened Ecological Community in NSW. This reserve contributes to a regional corridor providing movement for an abundance of native animals including threatened pygmy possums (Cercartetus nanus), powerful owls (Ninox strenua) and heath monitors (Varanus rosengergi).

Vegetation

Vegetation communities in the reserve include Coastal Freshwater Wetlands, North Coast Wet Sclerophyll Forests, Sydney Coastal Dry Sclerophyll Forests, Coastal Freshwater Lagoons and three Threatened Ecological Communities Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest, Sydney Freshwater Wetlands and River Flat Eucalyptus Forest. Dominant trees located on the sandstone ridgetop of the reserve include Sydney Redgum (Angophora costata),  Sydney Peppermint (Eucalyptus piperita) and Red Bloodwood (Corymbit gummifera) and on the floodplain She Oaks (Casuarina glauce). 

Within the shrub layer, flora species include Christmas Bush (Ceratopetulaum gummiferum), Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis) and Old Man Banksia (Banksia serrata) and  within the floodplain and wetland areas dominant species include ferns (Calochlaena duba) and (Blechnum cartilagineum), sedges (Baumea Spp.) and (Juncus prismatocarpus) and rushes (Gahnia Spp) all of which provide important habitat for several species of frogs.

Fauna

The habitats within Deep Creek Reserve and its connectivity to Garigal National Park and the Narrabeen Lagoon State Park make the area one of the most diverse reserves on the Northern Beaches for fauna. It is estimated that over 100 species would use the reserve with many of these being permanent residents. The reserve contains large tree hollows which are used by arboreal mammals, bats and a variety of birds. The rocky outcrops, fallen logs and thick groundcover provide niches for reptiles, frogs and small mammals. The vast array of flowering plants within the reserve are an important resource for both insectivorous and insectivorous birds, mammals and insects.

Several threatened species have been recorded in the vicinity and many more are likely to use Deep Creek Reserve including; Australasian Bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) and Black Bittern (Ixobrychus flavicollis), Glossy Black-cockatoo's (Calyptorhynchus lathami) which feed on the Casuarina seeds, Powerful Owl (Ninox strenua) and Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) that will prey on arboreal mammals such as possums and gliders.

Wildlife Protection Area: Dogs and cats prohibited at all times. Location; Wakehurst Parkway, North Narrabeen

Retrieved from: https://www.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/things-to-do/recreation-area/deep-creek-bushland-reserve

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Wakehurst Parkway Flood Mitigation Study Now Available

Call For Community Feedback On The Wakehurst Parkway Flood Mitigation Study

Wakehurst Parkway Flood Prevention Works Funded

The Council established a working group with Roads and Maritime Services. Council engaged specialist flood consultant Cardno to undertake a preliminary flood investigation of Wakehurst Parkway. The Working Group members met with Cardno on site to inspect the flood locations, with RMS providing data from their previous investigations.

Investigations have determined that Wakehurst Parkway floods in four separate locations and has required closing between 3 and 11 times a year between 2007 and 2014. An assessment of the rainfall conditions during this period has indicated that these locations flood in rain events with a magnitude of less than a 1 in 1 year event.

A number of preliminary floodplain mitigation options have been investigated including sediment removal from Middle Creek, culvert upgrades, detention basins and the raising of Wakehurst Parkway. Early results suggest that the removal of sediment from Middle Creek could provide minor reductions in flooding in the short term however further analysis is needed and any works would require ongoing maintenance and would be associated with environmental impacts. The raising of Wakehurst Parkway in key locations and corresponding culvert upgrades appears to provide a longer-term sustainable option to permanently reduce the incidence of flooding and road closures in all events up to the 1 in 20 year rain event, however this has a significant capital cost and is also likely to have environmental impacts.

The preliminary assessment clearly shows there are options for managing flooding. The project will now move into the detailed analysis, feasibility assessment and cost-benefit comparisons to determine the preferred approach.

Jason Falinski Fights For Wakehurst Parkway Upgrades

February 14, 2020: from Mr Falinskis' office

Member for Mackellar, Mr Jason Falinski MP is campaigning to have the Wakehurst Parkway upgraded. The Northern Beaches community have been demanding this for years and Mr Falinski is arguing that following the recent storms, the flaws of the road corridor are yet again exposed.

“It is absurd that with even the slightest of rainfall, we lose one our main roads. Not only is it inconvenient, but it’s dangerous. We are lucky to have a state-of-the-art hospital in Frenchs Forest, however access becomes very difficult when this road is blocked.” Mr Falinski said

“Currently, it is a two-lane road, which is grossly inadequate to cope with the volume of traffic it receives, not to mention when there are car crashes.”

“It needs to be flood proof and it needs to be widened.”

Mr Falinski has already begun conversations with the Minister for Urban Infrastructure, the Hon Alan Tudge MP who indicated funding for the study could be made available through the Federal Government’s $4 billion Urban Congestion Fund.

Mr Falinski has also contacted the New South Wales Minister for Roads and Transport, the Hon Andrew Constance MP and implored him to ask Minister Tudge for the funding.

“I have written to Minister Constance on behalf of my community imploring him to work with the Federal Government to get a feasibility study underway and then get this project going.”

Mr Falinski has said he is willing and able to facilitate a meeting between the two Ministers.

Photo: Jason Falinski MP at the Wakehurst Parkway

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NBH Roads Upgrade Project - Transport for NSW

1. $400 million price tag for road upgrades for NBH - 2014 (included 270 million option), retrieved from: https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/documents/projects/sydney-north/northern-beaches-hospital/nbh-community-consultation-report-1410.pdf
2. $500 million - webpages for project and updates, retrieved from: https://caportal.com.au/rms/nbh-s2
3. $700 million - project complete, retrieved from: https://www.wsp.com/en-AU/news/2020/northern-beaches-hospital-roads-upgrade-completed

Early investigation work for the Stage 1 Connectivity Work started in August 2015 and Stage 1 construction commenced in November 2015. By August 2020 the works had been completed. 

The spend and works done included, in 2018, moving over 100,000m3 of dirt and fill, pouring 14km of concrete paths, Opening Naree Road, Frenchs Forest Road West and East to two lanes in each direction, completing the entrances to the new Northern Beaches Hospital, constructing and opening the new westbound lanes on Warringah Road, upgrading and opening the eastbound lanes on Warringah Road, opening shared paths and new footpaths throughout the project area, installing six new sets of traffic lights, major intersection upgrade at Wakehurst Parkwayand Frenchs Forest Road, starting construction of the road bridges at Forest Way, Hilmer Street and Wakehurst Parkway, completing 20 new car parks for the Skyline Shops.

In 2019 the project was excavating the 1.3 km long Warringah Road underpass from west of Forest Way to east of Wakehurst Parkway, reconfiguring the intersection of Warringah Road and Forest Way for the continued construction of the Warringah Road underpass, new road, kerb and gutter at Allambie Road south of Warringah Road, and Warringah Road between Allambie Road and Rodborough Road, opening new sections of the eastbound lanes on Warringah Road between Fitzpatrick Avenue West and Forest Way, and east of Wakehurst Parkway to Rodborough Road, completing the intersection of Warringah Road and Hilmer Street, including the bridge over the Warringah Road underpass, traffic changes at the intersections of Forest Way and Wakehurst Parkway for the continued construction of the bridge at each intersection over the Warringah Road underpass. The underpass bridge at Hilmer Street was opened in March 2019 and the underpass bridges at Forest Way and Wakehurst Parkway were completed in September 2019. The Warringah Road underpass opened to traffic in March 2020.