Wakehurst Parkway: Flood fix first steps are underway

Detailed design and environmental assessments will now get underway for the Oxford Falls area. Designs are due to be completed by mid-year, which will then allow construction to commence.

Council will undertake further investigations on the Bends site, to consider alternate solutions including additional peer and technical reviews of existing and new options.

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The Wakehurst Parkway is closed due to floodwaters an average of six times a year. It is critical to note that none of these proposed works will completely stop the road being closed due to floodwaters.

Mayor Michael Regan said the only way to prevent the Parkway from closing during extreme weather events was to raise the road, but "that's not on the state government priority list".

The Wakehurst Parkway is a NSW Government managed road, and any large-scale changes to it, including flood-proofing and road-raising, are the responsibility of Transport for NSW.

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Two state government grants - $5 million and then $13.1m - are not enough to flood proof the road completely, council said.

Cr Regan said the federal government has not provided any funding for flood works "despite requests from, as we understand it, the state government, as well us at council".

A $150m project announced for the road earlier this week by federal member for Mackellar, Jason Falinski, was for a 2.5 kilometre section of the Wakehurst Parkway, either side of Warringah Road, to be widened. These works will have no impact on how often the road is flooded.

The $150m in funds will be a 50/50 split between state and federal governments.

Cr Regan said with no federal government funds and a lack of state government funds for flood works, "it makes sense to progress with what has community support".

"To do more work to improve both environmental outcomes and ensure we don't create additional flood issues in other areas," he said.

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Cr Regan said community consultation showed that while there is support for flood mitigation works, views diverged on the preferred method and the acceptability of the environmental impact.

"While a quick solution would be great, in the case of Wakehurst Parkway there is a lot of detail to consider along with environmental regulations and site constraints and multiple land ownership," he said.

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