Plan to drive trucks down tiny Helensburgh street angers residents

This month, Transport for NSW will be opening a spoil storage site off Wilsons Creek Road at Helensburgh.

Read more: See Transport for NSW's response to Helensburgh residents

The site will receive excavated material from the Waterfall station platform extension project, where it will be stored for re-use rather than going to landfill.

"This is a temporary site which will be used until late 2022," a Transport for NSW construction update stated.

"The transportation of material between Waterfall station and our Helensburgh spoil site is not expected to impact local residents or traffic flow."

The update also stated that environmental assessments had been carried out "and require us to adhere to strict conditions relating to visual amenity, noise, vibration and dust management".

Residents in Wilsons Creek Road - which shrinks to a single lane in places and features small bridges at either end - are upset about trucks squeezing down the street.

"Wilsons Creek Road is a narrow, single lane road with no footpath," resident Alastair McGill said.

"Children regularly play in our quiet street, local families walk down with prams.

"It is already difficult for drivers to navigate each other, parked cars and pedestrians in the narrow street, let alone accommodate large trucks carrying rock waste from 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday."

Mr McGill also said residents had little warning of the plans, claiming few saw a notice that was sent out.

"We believe that if you consult properly, you will find that people are shocked at how you could possibly consider this an appropriate place to transport and dump rock waste," he said.

"The only plausible explanation for the lack of resistance from residents to date is that so few people have been made aware of the situation."

Another resident, Dallas Baird, had concerns about the possibility of rock dust in the air, given his wife and two children have a history of asthma and chest congestion.

"We have received no advice from the project team on the composition of the waste and any kind of environmental report advising its safety for those with acute health issues," Mr Baird said.

He was also worried about the increase in traffic along the street, as well as the potential noise pollution.

"No advice has been given to expected increases in noise across 50 hours per week for at least 12 months as full semi-trailers get down the hill in gear, manage the demands of the street and grind back up the hill," he said.

Transport for NSW was contacted for comment.

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