Bypass or through road?

25.09.08 Last week I attended the latest Kenmore Bypass Community Reference Group (KBCRG) meeting to hear an update from Main Road on the technical investigations process to date. Over the past few weeks, various scientific studies have been conducted with a view to creating both a “base line” of what the current situation is in the area, and also to aid with creating a computer model that will enable the engineers to predict the impact of any proposed options. I was most impressed by the extent of the studies which were conducted across a broad spectrum of disciplines including Ecology (terrestrial flora and fauna surveys); Water Quality (historical data review and visual inspection); Ground Water (review of existing databases and physical identification) Hydrology and Hydraulic Modeling (review existing modeling, analyze impacts and investigate mitigation options); Soils, Geology and Topography (review of all geological units and identification of weathering and erosion concerns); Land Use (analyses of census, council and state data, and site visits); Air Quality (emissions model created from existing data and traffic counters around the area); and Socio-economic Analysis (Review of government data; 500m buffer; access and mobility patterns analyzed for cars, pedestrians, cyclists and public transport; and mitigation considerations). In addition to all of the above, there was also extensive explanation of the detailed noise monitoring that has been conducted right throughout the site and surrounding areas that may be impacted (taking into account such things as topography, etc.), and a summary of how they will create a computer model of the whole area which will provide noise levels and noise contours surrounding the corridor and incorporate noise treatments to address the noise criteria. The next KBCRG meeting will be towards the end of next month, when the details of the results of the investigations will be presented and the first draft options will be discussed. This is an important study for a transport option which, if implemented, will have a dramatic impact on the area well into the future. If you have a view on this, and would like me to pass it on, then please feel free to contact me any time on 1300 200 100. Until next week…