The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is managing planning and construction of a dual carriageway bypass of Woomargama to improve the safety and transport efficiency. An environmental assessment of the benefits and potential impacts of the preferred option was on display for community comment from Wednesday 23 September to Monday 26 October 2009.
Potential impacts and environmental management
As part of the planning approval process an environmental assessment must be prepared and displayed under part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
The environmental assessment examines the potential impacts of the project during construction and operation and the measures proposed to reduce and manage these impacts.
The assessment focuses on the key issues and for the Woomargama bypass, these include impacts on:
- Flora and fauna
- Aboriginal heritage
- Noise and vibration
- Hydrology
- Social and economic (including land use)
- Traffic and transport
Examples of environmental management measures that would be put in place to minimise impacts include:
- Limiting the extent of clearing, revegetating land and implementing erosion and sedimentation controls.
- Maintaining vegetation connectivity and installation of crossing measures for the safe movement of fauna across the highway.
- Designing the proposed bypass to minimise loss of flood storage areas and possible rises in flood levels.
- Construction of water quality basins to treat run-off during construction and operation.
- Modification of local roads to ensure efficient access to and across the proposed upgrade.
The proposal
The Woomargama bypass would be approximately nine kilometres long.
It would start eight kilometres south of Holbrook where it would deviate from the existing dual carriageways before crossing Sandy Creek and passing to the west of Mount McKenzie. The bypass would cross Mountain Creek and rejoin the recently completed Hume Highway duplication works south of Fairbairn Road.
Key features of the proposed upgrade include:
- Four-lane divided carriageway with a wide median and a 110km/h speed limit.
- Intersections located 1.5 kilometres south of Woomargama and 6.5 kilometres north of Woomargama, with merging acceleration and deceleration lanes, for access into and out of the village.
- Twin bridges over Sandy Creek.
- Twin bridges over Mountain Creek.
- Intersection upgrade at Fairbairn Road.
- Deep cuttings of 15 metres or greater through sections of the western slopes of Mount McKenzie.
- Landscape and urban design treatments to minimise visual impact.
- Environmental controls to minimise impacts on nearby waterways and natural areas.
Detailed reports available
The Woomargama Bypass Environmental Assessment, working papers and submissions report are available in the public information section of this website.
