THE project team building the Coffs Harbour bypass is celebrating being awarded the highest possible Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) design rating.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Senior Manager, Environment and Sustainability Scott Lawrence, said this independently verified rating was awarded to the project after examining its economic, social and environmental performance in the design phase.
“This is an excellent result, with the project receiving the IS design rating of 86.39, which is the culmination of lots of hard work by Transport, the major construction contractors, Ferrovial Gamuda Joint Venture, and the design partners, Arcadis,” he said.
“Sustainability is more than simply looking at ways to reduce our emissions, although that’s been a significant part of how we’ve received this rating.
“[It was] by preserving local native vegetation, reducing the overall construction footprint, and replacing concrete noise walls with lower embodied carbon content material that has very good noise attenuation properties.”
TfNSW also highlighted some of the project’s positive outcomes for flora and fauna at some of its project sites to mark the end of Biodiversity Month.
Executive Director Partnerships and Integration North for TfNSW, Greg Collins, said, “Every project is preceded by an Environmental Impact Assessment, to determine how to complete the necessary work in the least disruptive way.
“Comprehensive surveys are carried out to assess each work area and then a bespoke management plan is put in place to minimise the impact of the work on wildlife and sensitive or rare plant species.
“I’m happy to report that our strict environmental protocols are producing some great results at projects across the state’s north.”
A local example is the process to protect two previously unrecorded plant species, a Fontainea allied to Lennox Head Fontainea and a new species of Pittosporum, which were discovered during ecological surveys carried out as part of the Coffs Harbour bypass project.
TfNSW said one individual of the Fontainea species, found within the bypass construction footprint, was translocated in 2023 to a site that expert advice suggested would suit its growth needs, although local conservationists were apprehensive.
At the time, local ecologist, Mark Graham, claimed the plants were discovered after the bypass route had been confirmed.
More than two years after it was moved to its new location, in strict accordance with an approved Fontainea Management Plan, the tree is said to be showing signs of very good health with fresh growth, flowers and over 200 fruits being produced.
Local conservationist Dave Wood, said the discovery of the two new flora species during supplementary surveys for the Coffs Harbour bypass, in a small area of degraded vegetation at Korora, is testament to the fact that we don’t know everything about the local environment.
“While we have much more to learn, one thing we do know is that we live in a region with incredible biodiversity, both on land and in our waterways and adjacent ocean,” Mr Wood said.
“That is why we cannot afford to be casual about human activities, which destroy and degrade, whether it is for major infrastructure or commercial activities such as agriculture, fishing, forestry and mining’” he said.
“While the bypass is an impressive work of human engineering, which will no doubt afford benefits to transport operators and commuters, we are yet to see the full impacts of it on our region’s biodiversity.”
By Andrew VIVIAN
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