NewsDetailed design for Western Harbour Tunnel will reduce environmental impacts

Aurecon’s Managing Director – Transportation, Australia Scott Smith said the joint venture would take a significant sustainability focus through the design development with the project providing for population growth while addressing community feedback.

“The more sustainable alternative design is a better option for the project both environmentally and commercially. The bored tunnel does not require dredging of Sydney Harbour like an immersed tube tunnel,” Mr Smith said.

The TBM methodology means we can tunnel underneath the Sydney Harbour seabed and removes the need for dredging, bringing about significant environmental benefits.

“This will be a phenomenal project for New South Wales and Australia.”

Mr Smith said the Western Harbour Tunnel would be an iconic piece of infrastructure in a new chapter for Sydney’s transport network, and the Aurecon team is delighted be part of it, having been involved in the first chapter – the original Sydney Harbour Tunnel, which Aurecon designed and which opened 30 years ago in 1992.

“Our tunnelling team, those who worked on the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and those who will be part of Sydney’s future transport history, want to take the brilliance of the previous generation to shape the next generation of passenger outcomes,” Mr Smith said.

“We will design a solution that will allow commuters to travel to exactly where they want to be – quicker, easier and smarter – adding another layer to Sydney’s transport network to allow people to connect better from Western Sydney to the city’s South and North.”

"Our tunnelling team want to take the brilliance of the previous generation to shape the next generation of passenger outcomes."

Scott Smith, Managing Director – Transportation, Aurecon

Aurecon’s involvement in the project follows design roles on other major New South Wales road tunnels, including the recently completed NorthConnex and WestConnex M8 projects as well as WestConnex M4-M5 Link tunnels.

The Western Harbour Tunnel will link WestConnex at Rozelle with the Warringah Freeway at North Sydney via a 6.5 kilometre tunnel under Sydney Harbour, with three lanes in each direction. The tunnel will be bored under the seabed, unlike the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, where the structure sits on top of the seabed. The project will not only revolutionise how we get around Sydney but also take the pressure off other major roads, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Harbour Tunnel, Anzac Bridge and Western Distributor.

Commuters will save up to 20 minutes in a journey from Sydney Olympic Park to North Sydney and up to 15 minutes from North Sydney to Sydney Airport. It’s estimated the new tunnel will reduce traffic on the Western Distributor by 35 per cent, the Harbour Tunnel by 20 per cent and Harbour Bridge by 17 per cent.

“The improved design and construction method is an excellent example of industry collaboration and is expected to deliver significant reductions to the amount of steel and concrete required, as well as other environmental benefits, compared to the original reference design,” said Richard Barrett, chief executive of AECOM’s Australia and New Zealand region.

The new Western Harbour Tunnel will help the region better meet the demands of its growing population by reducing congestion while reducing the impact on the harbour compared with the original reference design.”