M2 Widening Focus Shift

In Transurban's email about the M2 Widening Project they include this:

"It should be noted that the EA makes reference to works on ‘Kirkham Street Bridge’ which is the official name for Murray Farm Road overbridge.

"It should also be noted that the description of works included in the EA relating to Kirkham Street Bridge was based on the motorway carriageway being widened on the southern side of the M2.

"Following community consultation and feedback during public display of the Environmental assessment, a decision was taken to move the majority of these works to the northern side of the M2 in order to reduce the overall impacts of the work. These changes were explained in the Submissions and Preferred Project Report which was made public on 23 August 2010.

"These modifications were subsequently approved as part of the overall determination for the M2 Upgrade. Details about this change in design can be viewed on the web at: http://www.hillsm2upgrade.com.au/files/m2upgradesubmissionsandpreferredprojectreport.pdf (Section 4.1, pages 233 to 241)."

and later in the email:

"At present we have approval to undertake the work on Murray Farm Road overbridge in two stages, with one lane of traffic (operating on an alternate basis with traffic control in place) maintained during the work.

"The project team, however, is looking at a number of other options as a result of the carriageway works on the M2, underneath Kirkham Street Bridge, being moved from the south to the northern side of the M2. The aim of the review is to determine whether the overall impact of the works on the M2 and Kirkham Road Bridge can be further reduced in any way."

One of the problems for the general public reviewing these monster projects is that the relevant information you seek is, as here, typically on page 233 of an even larger document. No real solution to that of course, but it does make it hard for average residents to find information they seek. In this blog I will try to assist by extracting things that are specifically relevant to the Beecroft and Cheltenham community.