Cars banned on proposed bridge project over Parramatta River

General news0

Cars banned on proposed bridge project over Parramatta River

Matthew Moore

March 22, 2012

New plans ... the Homebush Bay Bridge Draft Environmental Assessment for public exhibition.

New plans … the Homebush Bay Bridge Draft Environmental Assessment for public exhibition.

DEVELOPERS plan to build a 300-metre-long bridge across one of the most polluted waterways in Australia to provide access to public transport and parks in one of Sydney’s fastest growing areas.

A bridge connecting Rhodes and Wentworth Point, next to the Sydney Olympic site, has been recommended in several government reports for years but the project now appears close to beginning with developers building housing at Wentworth Point agreeing to fund the $43 million project and hand it over to the government.

Under plans on exhibition, the two-lane bridge will be closed to cars and available to people travelling only on buses, walking or riding bicycles to discourage vehicle use.

The bridge will give thousands of new residents in apartments on the Rhodes peninsula direct access to the Homebush Bay Olympic facilities, surrounding parks and the ferry that runs to Circular Quay.

Residents on the western side of Homebush Bay will have direct access to the railway station, shops and other facilities at Rhodes.

Fairmead Business, a company representing developers, has agreed to build the 11-metre wide bridge that will have one lane running in each direction to be shared by buses and cyclists, with a separate, partly covered footpath with rest stops for pedestrians.

Under a proposed voluntary planning agreement, the bridge will be handed over to the Sydney Olympic Park Authority once built.

Fairmead says the bridge will encourage walking and cycling to work as a viable alternative to the cars and help the government meet its targets to increase cycling and walking rates.

The bridge would be built from two work sites, one each at Rhodes and Wentworth Point. Some work would also occur over the water from barges.

The bridge superstructure would be built from reinforced and prestressed concrete supported on piers in the bay, which remains the most polluted in Sydney Harbour because of the waste dumped by factories which once lined the Parramatta River.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cars-banned-on-proposed-bridge-project-over-parramatta-river-20120321-1vkb5.html#ixzz1poo6XM66

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.