Lane Cove Tunnel

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Metroad 2 marker
Metroad 2 marker
Lane Cove Tunnel
Length 3.6 km
Direction West-East
Start M2 Hills Motorway
Primary destinations Artarmon, Mosman, Sydney
End Gore Hill Freeway, Pacific Highway
Construction dates June 2004 - 25 March 2007
Major junctions Hills Motorway and Gore Hill Freeway
Owner Connector Motorways
Operator Transfield Services (Australia) Pty Ltd
Inside the Lane Cove Tunnel
Inside the Lane Cove Tunnel
South/Eastbound Entrance
South/Eastbound Entrance

The Lane Cove Tunnel is a AU$1.1 billion, 3.6km twin tunnel tollway in Sydney, Australia, connecting the M2 Motorway at North Ryde with the Gore Hill Freeway at Artarmon. It forms part of Sydney Metroad 2 and the 110 km Sydney Orbital Network. Connector Motorways is the owner and manager of the Lane Cove Tunnel and Falcon Street Gateway and will operate the tunnel until 2037. In 2008 tolls for the Lane Cove Tunnel were $2.62 for passenger vehicles and $5.24 for heavy vehicles, and are adjusted in line with the consumer price index.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

A joint venture between Thiess and John Holland was awarded the $1.1 billion contract by Connector Motorways to design and construct the tunnel. Previously, motorists had to drive along Epping Road through the suburb of Lane Cove, for the few kilometres between the two freeway sections.

In the early hours of November 2, 2005 the roof area of a ventilation tunnel for the project collapsed. The roof collapse caused the road above the area to subside,[2] and damage a three storey building at 11-13 Longueville Road.[3] The collapse caused a 10 metre by 10 metre crater to appear near the Pacific Highway's southbound exit ramp in Lane Cove, with forty seven people evacuated from the building. Emergency crews pumped 1000 cubic metres of concrete into the hole to try to stop the housing block from collapsing into it.[4] An investigation by Workcover NSW found that the collapse was caused by geological conditions at the site, the large span width of the tunnel, and inadequacy of roof support. The proximity of the excavations to the surface resulted in the property damage.[2]

The tunnel was opened by four workers, representing the 9,000 that worked on the Lane Cove Tunnel, Falcon Street Gateway and the widened Gore Hill Freeway Project on Sunday, March 25, 2007, two months ahead of schedule. The tunnel opened with a one-month toll-free period (as occurred with the Westlink M7).

[edit] Alternate routes

Before the opening of the tunnel, motorists had to drive along Epping Road through the suburb of Lane Cove, for the few kilometres between the two freeway sections. Studies by the tunnel operator shown that the Lane Cove Tunnel cuts travel times by up to 17 minutes and saves motorists over $4 a trip.[5]

With the completion of the surface road changes in March 2008, the existing Epping Road will have 24 hour bus lanes to reduce travel times for east and west bound bus services, a new bus interchange, a shared cyclist and pedestrian path and other measures to improve public transport and local traffic in in the corridor,[6] while guiding traffic towards using the new tolled tunnel instead of the untolled surface road.

[edit] Falcon Street Gateway

The "Falcon Street Gateway" is a set of two north facing ramps on the Warringah Freeway providing access to and from Military Road. The toll costs[7] $1.32 for passenger vehicles and $2.62 for heavy vehicles (southbound and northbound). Connector Motorways[8] promotes that by using the new ramps, up to 19 sets of traffic lights can be avoided on the Pacific Highway.[9] The Falcon Street Gateway is part of the larger project, including widening of the Gore Hill Freeway to improve traffic and provide greater connectivity to the lower North Shore, so the tolls collected at the Falcon Street Gateway fund also the expansion of the Gore Hill Freeway.

[edit] Controversy

[edit] Air quality

A report by CSIRO Deputy Chief of Air Science, Dr Peter Manins, concluded the ambient air quality modelling undertaken for Lane Cove Tunnel is 'best practice'.[10] The air quality modelling shows that the Lane Cove Tunnel will comfortably meet the air quality requirements set by the Planning Minister's Conditions of Approval. Dr Manins also said most of the air quality modelling results are in fact likely to 'over estimate emission and pollution levels'.[11]

Ambient air quality is monitored at four monitoring stations nearby the tunnel's ventilation stacks. The monitoring results are published in real time on the operator's website.

The air quality readings published for particulate matter (PM10) are 24 hour averages as required by the Planning Minister's Conditions of Approval for the tunnel. Some commentators are concerned that averaging the readings over 24 hours offsets exceedances of the 50uG goal which may occur during peak periods with lows which typically occur after midnight; effectively disguising short term exceedances which may occur during peak periods.

[edit] 2007 State election

The Labor government has been accused of interfering in the tunnel project to increase its re-election chances in the March 2007 election. The tunnel's expected late-2006 opening was pushed back to "January or February", closer to the poll date.[12] This timeframe was missed and the opening was announced to be March 25, the day after the election.

In December 2006, it was announced that surface road changes would be delayed by five months, deferring them until after the state and federal elections. The delay, which will likely cut into tunnel revenues, was agreed to by the operators at a cost to taxpayers of $25 million.[13][14]

The Sydney Morning Herald described the payment as a "bribe" and a "political rort". According to a Herald editorial, "The use of public funds to compensate Connector Motorways for delays to road changes around the tunnel is ... as cynical a piece of political jobbery as Sydney has seen in many a long year."[15]

[edit] Changes to Epping Road[1]

Changes made to Epping Road and associated roads included[2]:

(a) A bus interchange completed in March 2008 on the corner of Longueville Road and Parklands Avenue at Lane Cove.

(b) A new pedestrian overbridge across Longueville Road[3] providing access to the bus interchange and a link it to Lane Cove village.

(c) A new cycleway and pedestrian path[4] between Mowbray Road and Pacific Highway to join the completed cycleway between Mowbray and Wicks Road, North Ryde, and along the Gore Hill Freeway between Pacific Highway and Naremburn.

(d) As over 30 per cent of all travel on Epping Road is by public transport, bus-only lanes have been implemented[5].

Some parts of Epping Road[6] and Longueville Road required widening to provide the dedicated bus lanes and cycle path.

Epping Road eastbound[7] - Between Mowbray Road west and Longueville Road[8], Lane Cove, has one general traffic lane and one bus lane eastbound.

Epping Road westbound - between Longueville Road and Centennial Avenue and between Sam Johnson Way and Mowbray Road West[9], has two general traffic lanes and one bus lane; between Centennial Avenue and Sam Johnson Way has one general traffic lane and one bus lane.

Right turn lanes have been reinstated for westbound traffic at Parklands Avenue and Centennial Avenue Lane Cove intersection. Street lighting has been upgraded. As the final construction activity, Epping Road between Mowbray Road and Pacific Highway has been resurfaced with new asphalt and new line marking.

These changes were considered in the 2001 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and are part of the Planning Minister's 2003 approval[10]. They have been supported by a more recent Parliamentary Inquiry[11].

The extensive community consultation[12] was undertaken. A major component of this work is reconnecting the local community – reinstating right hand lanes, adding pedestrian crossings and making improvements to public transport infrastructure.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Connector Motorways - Toll Prices. www.connectormotorways.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  2. ^ a b Lane Cove Tunnel Construction Site Investigation: Report. www.workcover.nsw.gov.au (March 27 2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  3. ^ Lane Cove Tunnel Project. www.lanecove.nsw.gov.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  4. ^ Commuter chaos to go on after tunnel collapse - National - smh.com.au. smh.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  5. ^ Connector Motorways - Connector Motorways Home Page
  6. ^ http://www.connectormotorways.com.au/files/Info_Sheet__Epping_Road.pdf
  7. ^ Connector Motorways - Toll Prices
  8. ^ Connector Motorways - Connector Motorways Home Page
  9. ^ http://www.connectormotorways.com.au/files/FSG%20%20-%20Not%20For%20You.pdf
  10. ^ Connector Motorways - Connector Motorways Home Page
  11. ^ Dr Peter Manins: examining our Living Atmosphere (Resume)
  12. ^ Tunnel launch branded as an opportunistic election ploy. Sun-Herald (2006-12-17). Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
  13. ^ Iemma's $25m election bribe. The Sydney Morning Herald (2006-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
  14. ^ Government pays tunnel operator $25m. News.com.au (2006-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
  15. ^ Public money down the tunnel. Editorial. The Sydney Morning Herald (2006-12-11). Retrieved on 2007-01-28.

[edit] External links

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