Upgrades to one of Northern Beaches’ critical transport corridors, the Wakehurst Parkway, will begin by mid-year, as the NSW government confirms Ertech Pty Ltd will carry out the works.
The Parkway is well-known for traffic congestion, accidents, and closures due to flooding.
The $85,100,000 project will see the Elanora Road and Mirrool Street intersections upgraded, the Dreadnought Road and Oxford Falls Road intersections widened with flood improvement works, and the Dreadnought Road and Trefoil Creek intersections widened to improve traffic flow.
“This is a good day for the thousands of commuters who use the Wakehurst Parkway daily,” Minister for Roads, Jenny Aitchison said in a statement.
“The award of this contract represents an important step towards smoother, safer journeys for Northern Beaches motorists.”
With the detailed designs complete, site establishment works will take place in the coming months.
“The Wakehurst Parkway is a key lifeline for my constituents, and these upgrades are long overdue,” Member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan said.
“Jacqui Scruby (Member for Pittwater) and I have been working constructively with the Government to push for real improvements, and it’s encouraging to see our advocacy actually delivering outcomes for our communities.”
Ms Scruby added that upgrading Northern Beaches’ major roads is a game changer for residents.
“After decades of broken roads and promises, we now have a contractor for Wakehurst Parkway and the green light and preparatory works underway for the $500,000,000 Mona Vale Road West upgrade project,” she said.
But not all are pleased with the plans.
Manly Observer previously reported that the Elanora Heights Residents Association (EHRA) flagged the proposed modifications to Wakehurst Parkway, particularly at the Elanor Road intersection, were a design failure and safety concern.
EHRA proposed a seagull lane for the intersection at Elanora Road and Wakehurst Parkway, however, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) said they investigated five options to address safety concerns at the intersection and the approved design (installing a concrete median among other things) provided the best solution.
EHRA added that the proposed flood improvement works proposed by TfNSW were not where major flooding occurs, was a “partial band-aid solution at best” and did not address concerns with wildlife protection.
You can read the story in more detail here.
But wait, there’s more…
Within the same announcement, the NSW Government committed to taking a broader look at how the Northern Beaches’ roads and transport network can be improved as part of the Northern Beaches Road Network Review. And they’re asking Northern Beaches commuters for their thoughts.
“The Northern Beaches Road Network Review puts the Northern Beaches community in the driver’s seat, and we want to hear from locals to help shape the future of transport in their community,” Ms Aitchison said.
“People who use the network every day know what works and what doesn’t, and their voices will help shape the next wave of realistic, deliverable improvements.”
The Review will look travel in and around the Northern Beaches with a focus on practical proposals that can be delivered in the short to medium term.
All the State Members representing Northern Beaches residents have urged the community to have their say.
“I appreciate the work that has gone into this review, but it doesn’t yet go far enough,” Mr Regan said.
“In May 2022, the previous government abandoned the Northern Beaches Tunnel without planning or funding alternatives, leaving our community short changed.
“The Northern Beaches Road Network Review identifies practical short- and medium-term solutions. With increasing density driven by new planning reforms, we need more robust, long-term solutions to keep people moving.”
The review will look at opportunities like improving bus reliability, upgrading busy intersections, improving traffic flow on key corridors, addressing rat-running through local streets, and targeting safety hot spots.
“My focus will be working constructively with my Northern Beaches colleagues to see this delivered, because a review is one thing; funding is another,” Member for Manly, James Griffin, said.
“What matters now is project specifics, funding, timelines and delivery, and I will hold the Government to account every step of the way.”
Mr Griffin said that the announcement of the review signified an important first step towards progressing long-overdue transport infrastructure planning and upgrades on the Northern Beaches.
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Read more about what’s going on with our roads:
‘It’ll lead to a fatality.’ Resident ire over State plans for Wakehurst Parkway
