It has long been a spectacular drive along Mona Vale Road through dense bushland from McCarrs Creek Road up Tumbledown Dick and down the steep hill to Mona Vale. Sadly, demands to accommodate traffic have led to major widening from one lane to two or three lanes. The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association, Wildlife Roadkill Prevention Association and wildlife rescue organisations have been lobbying for more than ten years for fauna crossings and fencing to reduce the high number of deaths occurring along the road during construction and operation.
The road cuts between Ku-ring-gai Chase and Garigal National Park. Creation of fauna crossings would enhance the ecological integrity of the Ku-ring-gai GeoRegion.
The proposals for widening Mona Vale Road have been on the drawing board since 2014. Four crossings have been promised, an overpass and underpass within both the east and west sections of the widening.
Mona Vale Road East section
Years of work went into planning the locations of the passes as countless studies and papers were written or cited, data collected and shared. Support also came from former Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, a core group of people at Transport for NSW and the contractors. The fauna bridge was strategically located to restore an important connection between Ingleside Nature Reserve and vegetation adjacent to Katandra Bushland Sanctuary.
The construction was completed in April 2024, the first in Greater Sydney. The bridge will be planted with local native vegetation. The road edges are fenced so fauna wishing to move from bushland on each side of the road will be directed to the bridge. Fauna roadkill will be prevented and traffic safety ensured as animals on roads can cause accidents. Bandicoots and wallabies have been recorded successfully crossing the bridge.
Ingleside Chase Reserve covers approx 70 ha is located on the ridge above Warriewood Valley. This reserve forms part of a significant wildlife corridor which connects Ku-ring-gai Chase and Garigal National Parks with Irrawong Reserve, Warriewood Wetlands and Narrabeen Lagoon.
The underpass is located further west. The Pittwater Natural Heritage Association (PNHA) visited it recently and observed a ledge along one side so that animals can move through without getting wet, as it is also a drain. They would like the downhill side to have more sheltering vegetation.
The PNHA campaign has now turned to adding the land next to the fauna bridge and underpass on Mona Vale Road East to Ingleside Chase Reserve.
News is not so good for the next stage
Unfortunately, the news on the Mona Vale Road West section from Powderworks Road to McCarrs Creek Road is not so rosy. This project was deferred for two years due to lack of funding and now it seems that the budget has been reduced.
After being advised that design work for Mona Vale Road West is ongoing, PNHA members met with Transport for NSW staff to enquire about planning for the fauna crossings. They were disappointed (to put it mildly) to hear that the previously agreed 40 m wide fauna bridge to be sited east of the Kimbriki Road intersection is to be moved further east and reduced to 20 m in width. Furthermore, the fate of the underpass is now unsure as the engineers are undecided on the best means of providing access to Wirreanda Valley. The fauna bridge will be the only direct overland connection between Garigal and Ku-ring-gai Chase National Parks. In their view a 40 m wide overpass is absolutely necessary to provide effective connectivity between these two major reserves.
Find out more about this huge project.
How about an underpass near St Ives Showground?
Further west there is a long stretch of Mona Vale Road that is a barrier for wildlife to cross between Ku-ring-gai Chase and Garigal National Parks. Would a fauna underpass from St Ives Showground to the HART driver training centre be a possibility?
This could help with the safety issue for transport out of St Ives Showground. Maybe the underpass could be for humans too? It would enable visitors to cross Mona Vale Road safely and catch buses heading towards St Ives.
Image is an artist's impression of an animal overpass that will be built along Mona Vale Road West (picture courtesy NSW Government)