Jury
Comments
This 7km
section of new freeway passes through a predominantly rural environment,
including sections of open pastures and others of dense Eucalypt forest in
the Mt Macedon area.The
landscape design process addressed the impact of the road on adjacent
environs and significant remnant ecosystems, including the nationally
significant Yarra Gum population and Black Forest bushland, Slaty Creek, the
catchment of Rosslyn Reservoir and other associated waterways.
The most important focus of the landscape
project was minimisation of the impact of the freeway corridor passing
through intact bushland of the Black Forest.
Environmental strengths of the project include
retention of important vegetation habitat in the medians of the divided
freeway, and significant widening of the bridge crossing of Slaty Creek to
protect the riparian and natural hydrological values. Other initiatives
included the planting of many thousands of seedlings raised from local
native seed and reuse of large quantities of forest ground
mulch from the
areas of bushland spoiled by the road construction.
Careful work with design and positioning of
sound barriers and wildlife fences were also a significant feature of the
project, and contributed to its overall success, as did the extensive
community consultation, highlighting of sites of historical and cultural
significance in the interchanges, and construction of artificial wetlands
and silt interception ponds for the treatment of highway
runoff water.
Careful work with design and positioning of
sound barriers and wildlife fences were also a significant feature of the
project, and contributed to its overall success, as did the extensive
community consultation, highlighting of sites of historical and cultural
significance in the interchanges, and construction of artificial wetlands
and silt interception ponds for the treatment of highway
runoff water.
The jury felt its consistent high quality and
particular response to environmental considerations makes it worthy of the
Merit Award.
|
