Option A (the western option) has been confirmed as the preferred route. Planning for the Holbrook bypass is funded by the Australian Government.
Why Option A (the western option)?
In recommending a preferred option for the Holbrook bypass, consideration was given to the community's issues and comments, preliminary environmental investigations and the outcomes of the value management workshop.
The key reasons for the recommendation of Option A are:
- Option A is consistent with the preferred route selected in 1990, and as such, aligns with Council land use planning since that time and with existing community expectations.
- Option A avoids areas marked for future residential development and, by addressing access to the town, will provide a better opportunity to reduce the socio-economic impacts of the bypass.
- Option A would result in less property severance and the least requirement for property acquisition.
- Option A provides the opportunity for further reduction in environmental impacts, including cultural heritage and noise, during refinement of the design.
- The cultural heritage issues of Option B could not be mitigated.
The preliminary environmental investigations provided data to compare the three options. More information is available by reading the preferred option report available on the public information page or by contacting the project team.
The recommendation of Option A as the preferred route is subject to:
- Further investigating the environmental issues associated with Option A and appropriate measures to reduce these impacts.
- Investigating design options to avoid removing vegetation such as widening the median or splitting the carriageway.
- Investigating design options to avoid or reduce the impact on items/areas of cultural heritage.
- Considering the use of a low noise pavement.
- Providing appropriate stock crossing points to maintain travelling stock routes that would be bisected by the preferred route.
Value management workshop
In February 2008 a value management workshop was held with participants from the community, government agencies and consultants with technical areas of expertise. The workshop involved evaluating each of the route options against a range of criteria.
The criteria used in the evaluation comprised:
- Impacts on property and residents.
- Environmental and cultural impacts.
- Safety of road users.
- Optimal social and economic relationship between the town and bypass.
The workshop confirmed the preferred route as Option A (the western route), subject to further investigation to address the impacts likely on biodiversity, noise and community access.
