Project purpose and objectives

In response to community feedback, the project purpose and objectives have been reviewed.

The project purpose is to identify an additional crossing of the Clarence River at Grafton to address short-term and long-term transport needs.

The project objectives remain the objectives displayed in the December 2010 community update. To assist in achieving these objectives, supporting objectives have been developed and were displayed in the June 2011 community update. These address public feedback.

An amendment has been made to one of the supporting objectives to better reflect the needs of the project. The project objectives and supporting objectives are now as follows:

Enhance road safety for all road users over the length of the project

• Reduce the potential for road crashes and injuries on the bridge and approaches including any intersections and connecting roads.
• Provide safe facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

Improve traffic efficiency between and within Grafton and South Grafton

• Provide efficient access for a second crossing of the Clarence River and for the State road network.
• Provide a traffic management network which reduces delays between Grafton and South Grafton in peak periods to an acceptable level of service for 30 years after opening.
• Provide adequate vertical clearance for heavy vehicles.
• Consider demand management strategies to minimise delays to local and through traffic.

Support regional and local economic development

• Provide transport solutions that compliment existing and future land uses and support development opportunities.
• Provide improved opportunities for economic and tourist development for Grafton.
• Provide for commercial transport including B-doubles where required.
• Provide flood immunity for the bridge for a 1 in 100 year flood event, and for the approach roads for a 1 in 20 year flood event, where economically justified.
• Provide navigational clearance from the additional crossing for river users.

Involve all stakeholders and consider their interests

• Develop solutions that consider community expectations for the project.
• Satisfy the technical and procedural requirements of Roads and Maritime Services (formerly Roads and Traffic Authority) with respect to the planning and design of the project.
• Integrate input from the community into the development of the project through the implementation of a comprehensive program of community consultation and participation.

Provide value for money

• Achieve a justifiable benefit/cost ratio at an affordable cost.
• Develop a strategy to integrate future upgrades into the project.

Minimise impact on the environment

• Minimise the impact on the social and economic environment, including property impacts.
• Minimise the impact on residential amenity, including noise, vibration, air quality etc.
• Minimise the impact on heritage.
• Minimise impact on the natural environment.
• Provide a project that fits sensitively into the built, natural and community context.
• Minimise flooding impact caused by the project.

These objectives are important as they will be used to compare and short-list the preliminary route options and identify a recommended preferred location for the additional crossing.