THE first of two community forums to discuss the planned duplication of Ocean Drive between Greenmeadows Drive and Matthew Flinders Drive/Emerald Drive will be held later this month.
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has engaged Roadnet Pty Ltd to prepare a concept design and environmental assessments for the project. Some of the work includes traffic modelling of the route to determine the intersection upgrade requirements to cater for the next 30 years.
Another component of the design is a pedestrian link between Greenmeadows Drive and the Lighthouse Plaza Shopping Centre.
Council’s Director Infrastructure and Asset Management, Jeffery Sharp, said a significant amount of preliminary work had already been undertaken and a draft layout design was nearing completion.
This draft design will form the basis of stakeholder engagement with government departments and agencies, service providers, interest groups such as the Birpai Aboriginal Land Council and the Koala Preservation Society, the Lighthouse Plaza Shopping Centre and residents along the route.
Mr Sharp said this month’s forum would provide residents with an overview of the planned project and an opportunity to comment on the draft layout plan. A draft concept design will be presented at a second forum early next year for further comment prior to it going before council.
Ecology and archaeology studies have already been commenced with reports being prepared for inclusion in the environmental assessment. Existing noise levels are currently being monitored and it is expected that the environmental assessment will recommend that appropriate measures to control or limit traffic noise and other impacts on the environment will be incorporated into the concept design.
Mr Sharp said the environmental assessment would also take into account the social and economic impacts of the project on the surrounding community. He said part of this assessment would be taken from comments and responses at the community forums and from engagement with individual stakeholders.
Council is in the process of writing to residents, property owners and business proprietors along the route updating them on progress of the project and providing a general outline on the key steps that need to be completed.
