THE WARRINGAH FREEWAY - WHAT HAPPENED
- The Public Works (Dr Bradfield) 1920’s Sydney Harbour Bridge design included the Warringah Freeway connection.
- The County of Cumberland Planning Scheme confirmed the Warringah Freeway, which ran through Willoughby, Castlecrag, across the Sugarloaf Point Bridge, to Seaforth and the Wakehurst Parkway and Burnt Bridge By-pass.
- The corridor properties were resumed by the DMR (Department of Main Roads) and the RTA (Roads and Traffic Authority) commenced, buying only when suiting the property owners (This authors Great Aunt and Uncle were so affected in Frenchs Road, Willoughby and the house remains today).
- The Wran Labor Government reduced spending on car-orientated corridors in favour of public transport and on the railways replaced the “Red Rattlers” with the double-deck trains.
- The Wran Government had an anti-car major election ticket, cancelled the Glebe extension of the Western Distributor and widened Pennant Hills Road instead of building the Wahroonga/Beecroft/Parramatta Freeway, part of the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme.
- Some say Wran abandoned Warringah Freeway, but my understanding is that expenditure on the corridor was stopped, but the corridor was not cancelled.
- This also applied to the Davidson Traffic Corridor and the Mona Vale Road Corridor.
- In the early 1960’s the Warringah Freeway was constructed through North Sydney.
- Bruce Baird (Mike Baird’s father), when Minister for Roads in the New South Wales Greiner Government announced in the Manly Daily about 1994 (on a Friday, I think), the commencement of the Warringah Freeway construction. The photo in the Manly Daily showed Bruce Baird posed in front of an artist’s impression of the Sugarloaf Point Bridge.
- The RTA had full engineering drawings and the funding available.
- At the time of cancellation, the RTA had acquired 70% of the necessary properties for the Warringah Freeway. This information was sourced from the RTA from Property Manager, who had spent his entire professional life purchasing these properties.
- A map showing the individual properties purchased was provided to the Manly Daily and the Local Member, Peter McDonald by myself at that time.
- One week after Minister Baird’s announcement, Premier Greiner cancelled the Warringah Freeway. Some say that there was pressure from Willoughby MP Peter Collins, which caused the cancellation.
- Soon after the cancellation, Premier Greiner announced the Lend Lease Middle Harbour Tunnel. With a toll expected of $6.50 each way at that time, the tunnel did not commence.
- Premier Nick Greiner also cancelled the Wahroonga/Beecroft/Parramatta corridor and the Wahroonga/South Turramurra/Gladesville corridor, part of the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme.
- Presently the North Connex 9 kilometre tunnel is now being constructed to replace the Wahroonga/Beecroft/Parramatta corridor.
- The present traffic gridlock along the Pacific Highway south from Wahroonga is an unsolved Nick Greiner legacy.
- Twenty-five years on, Nick Greiner was appointed by Premier O’Farrell as Head of the new Infrastructure New South Wales and once again announced the Lend Lease Middle Harbour Tunnel.
- Nick Greiner was removed as Head of Infrastructure New South Wales after much public outcry.
- The history of privatisation in New South Wales is interesting.
- Premier Nick Greiner, about 1992, announced the privatisation of the F4 Strathfield to Penrith Freeway on the corridor planned on the 1947 County of Cumberland Planning Scheme.
- The DMR/RTA had purchased the corridor land, designed and engineered the road and saved the cash to construct the Freeway.
- Premier Nick Greiner granted the contract to the firm Statewide Roads.
- Statewide Roads was a “$2.00 shelf company” unable to raise the finance for the project.
- Premier Greiner ordered the RTA to lend Statewide Roads the monies they had saved for the project (source: Bob Morris, Head RTA at the time).
- At the same time, the Hawke Federal Government (advised by Peter Abeles), introduced a tax incentive for private investment in public infrastructure of 150%.
- When Premier Greiner was forced to resign over an adverse ICAC inquiry into the Metherell affair, Nick Greiner became a director of Statewide Roads.
- The Historic Houses Rouse Hill site includes the site of a toll bridge built by Governor Macquarie in the 1800’s.
- The Sydney Harbour Bridge has always had a toll.
- Premier Greiner paid off the Harbour Bridge debt and future tolls were to be used for road purposes.
- The F1 Newcastle road commenced as a toll road until paid off.
- The present B Line proposals are an attempt to improve bus services to the Northern Beaches, over the Spit Bridge and along Military Road.
- The Cremorne/Mosman/Neutral Bay area is too crowded for a major increase in traffic flow.
- The increased traffic would have been using the Warringah Freeway if not cancelled by Premier Greiner.
- Manly, Warringah and Pittwater are presently served with three roads only, the Spit Bridge, Roseville Bridge and Mona Vale Road.
- The County of Cumberland Plan designed five roads, with the addition of the Warringah Freeway between the Spit Bridge and Roseville Bridge and the Davidson corridor, between the Roseville Bridge and Mona Vale Road.
- Much of the $430 million being presently spent around Frenchs Forest Hospital forces the problem of the crossing over traffic to and from Forest Way.
- The Davidson Traffic Corridor from St. Ives/Davidson/South Creek Road, Dee Why, would relieve much of the traffic heading north-west from Dee Why.
- The Warringah Freeway would relieve much of the traffic heading towards the south-west.
- Nick Greiner, as Head of Infrastructure New South Wales, directed the RMS to resolve the problems surrounding the Frenchs Forest Hospital “inside the box” as indicted on the map (source: Richard Hines, RMS Project Manager).
- Nick Greiner, at the same time, re-announced the Lend Lease Middle Harbour Tunnel 25 years after he first proposed it.
- Preliminary drilling contracts for this tunnel have been let some 6 months ago (source: Drilling Contractor).
- Pittwater MP, Jim Longley, in the Greiner Government announced in a Manly Daily article about 1995 that people must be happy with the cancellation of the Warringah Freeway, as only 5 members of the public attended the required Section 22 Committee meeting he had organised at Narrabeen and which he had failed to properly advertise. This was Jim Longley’s last public comment before retiring from politics after two terms in office a few days later.
- Three access roads for the 350,000 people of Manly/Warringah/Pittwater is unsustainable.
- The five access roads, as planned by the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme, would reduce the pressure with more direct travel.
- If, for example, there were 100 cars on three roads, that equals 33 cars per road.
- If those same 100 cars were on five roads, that equals 20 cars per road and there is less cross-over traffic.
- Dedicated bus lanes on the reinstated Warringah Freeway is the answer, rather than a band aid solution of B Line buses along Military Road.
- The Liberal Party’s cancellation of both the Warringah Freeway and the Davidson Traffic Corridor, has left Manly/Warringah/Pittwater gridlocked.
- The original County of Cumberland Planning Scheme should have been adhered to and even now should be reinstated.
- The never-ending use of private tollway tunnels is turning Sydney into an expensive and depressing city to traverse. Humans are not wombats.
- It would appear that Nick Greiner’s approach has been to create infrastructure bottlenecks and then privatise a tunnel solution, destroying the enjoyment of our city.
- “It is all about the deals”.