Health
A project the size and scale of the T2D Project has the potential to impact on community health if identified risks are unmitigated. Health is defined by the Australian Environmental Health Standing Committee as: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
During construction and operation of the project, health can be affected through changes to traffic safety, air quality, noise and vibration, site contamination and social amenity.
These aspects if not appropriately managed, can have a short-term impact on people living and working near the project area during construction. However, once operational, the project will provide many benefits to the community.
- Summary
Download a summary of the Health impact assessment in PDF format
Approach
A health impact assessment (HIA) is a supporting framework that draws together and considers impacts on health from related elements including air quality, noise and vibration, site contamination and social assessments discussed in the PAR.
The HIA considers both positive and negative health impacts and identifies population groups (including vulnerable people) more likely to experience health impacts. The assessment is primarily focused on health at a community level rather than at an individual level.
The HIA focuses on those determinants of health that can be modified and result in protection or promotion of health at the community level. The figure below demonstrates examples of different types of modifiable health determinants.
Diagram: Examples of modifiable determinants of health.
The HIA process broadly follows the assessment methodology used for other topics discussed in the PAR and is shown in the figure below.
The aim of the T2D Project’s HIA is to identify and compare the wide range of aspects that are classified as modifiable health determinants for the project. This provides a basis to work collaboratively with the community and health professionals to improve health and well-being outcomes while mitigating potential negative impacts of the project.
Existing environment
The existing environment describes the demographic profile of the community and identifies groups within the community that are potentially vulnerable to health-related impacts associated with construction and operation of the T2D Project. For more information see Social - Vulnerable groups.
It is estimated that more than 84,200 people live within the assessment area, which includes several sensitive receptor sites or places where concentrated numbers of individuals who may be more susceptible to impacts would gather.
Information from community surveys undertaken to capture feedback on key elements of the project is also captured, including concerns and opinions on community health.
Community surveys
The findings of the Department’s Community Survey undertaken as part of the December 2022 engagement campaign on the T2D Project were presented in the T2D Community Engagement Report which advised that more than 68% of survey respondents expressed a positive attitude towards the T2D Project. Respondents frequently identified the following concerns which can all be considered as modifiable health determinants:
- safe access to public transport during and post-construction
- east-west connectivity and pedestrian and cycle access and safety
- strong desire to find a suitable location for the Thebarton Community Centre
- effective local area traffic management during construction critical to minimise impact on their daily commute
- urban greening to replace trees and open spaces lost during construction.
Community Reference Group health concerns
A Community Reference Group has been used to seek feedback on expected community impacts, potential opportunities and preferred methods of information provision.
The first community reference group was established in 2021 and met numerous times to discuss the 2021 Reference Design. Many potential positive outcomes were discussed but also some concerns were raised regarding health impacts. We listened and the current project design includes changes that address many of those concerns.
A second community reference group has been formed to provide feedback on the Project Design.
Community reference group discussions in June and July 2023 identified the following health focus areas for discussion including:
- noise wall locations
- construction vibration impacts
- east-west connection opportunities
- vegetation
- air quality.
Sensitive receptors
The project area includes several sensitive receptor sites or places where concentrated numbers of individuals who may be more susceptible to impacts would gather and includes:
- schools and childcare facilities
- hospitals and other health services
- community facilities.
Impacts and mitigation measures
The following key health impacts have been drawn from various aspects of the PAR including air quality, noise and vibration, site contamination and social which provides a broad community scale evaluation of the potential effects to health.
The project will take all reasonable and practical steps to prevent and minimise any impacts on health through implementation of significant process and construction controls, continuous monitoring and management of identified impacts and mitigation measures.
Potential construction impacts and benefits:
Discipline | Impacts |
|---|---|
Air quality | Impacts from construction activities, such as the generation of dust. See Air quality - Impacts and mitigation measures for more information. |
Noise and vibration | Impacts from construction activities, such as the frequent movement and operation of plant, machinery, materials and heavy vehicles. The continuous operation of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) below the surface and the construction activities performed at surface. See Noise and vibration - Impacts and mitigation measures for more information. |
Site contamination | Impact to public from limited exposure to contaminants of potential concern through surface water/sediment run-off and air quality generated during construction stage. It should be noted that with good management of contaminated areas it is not expected that the public will be exposed to contaminants. See Site contamination - Impacts and mitigation measures for more information. |
Social | Impacts from construction include temporary and permanent displacement and relocation of people, loss of recreational space and street parking, road closures and alteration of traffic routes, as well as temporary changes to public transport and temporary impacts to access and amenity for educational, community and recreational facilities. |
Potential operational impacts and benefits
Discipline | Impacts |
|---|---|
Air quality | Benefits of public exposed to lower levels of PM2.5 emission compared to a no project business-as-usual growth of peak and daily traffic along South Road. Tunnel portal emissions during expected traffic volumes meet all air quality criteria. However, some congested traffic periods will require monitoring and active tunnel ventilation facilities to manage the risk from higher emissions to sensitive receptors. |
Noise and vibration | Benefits at sections of the motorway with tunnels and cut-and-cover infrastructure which will likely provide a reduction in road traffic noise compared with the previous road alignment. |
Impacts at sections outside of the tunnels and cut-and-cover infrastructure from operational noise from road traffic, tunnel ventilation facilities and other supporting infrastructure and systems on sensitive receptors. | |
Social | Benefits from improved connectivity and network efficiency to those living and travelling through the T2D Project, green spaces, improved pedestrian and cyclist movements. There will be improved access to health, education and leisure facilities. |
The project will result in reduced east-west active transport connectivity (higher severance) in the surface and lowered sections. However, this will also result in reduced traffic, improved road safety, improved streetscape upgrades and higher amenity routes of travel, despite severance. | |
Benefits from improved safety. The non-stop motorway will reduce the current stop-start nature of traffic on South Road. This together with motorway management to identify potential hazards and respond to incidents, will reduce the risk of crashes. The motorway provides separation and a reduction in the interactions between north-south traffic and east-west traffic along the corridor, further reducing crash rates. | |
Benefits from new open spaces with part of the land required during construction phase planned to be repurposed for community use following the opening of the motorway. The landscape design will establish a tree canopy, with a minimum net increase of 20% in tree canopy and a minimum of 50% of pedestrian and cyclist paths shaded by trees, increasing liveability. | |
Benefit once operational for increased community and social cohesion with certainty over the future the completed project provides residents, businesses and community groups. |
Health impact management
There are stringent controls that will be introduced across the project to protect human health.
This chapter is intended to provide a summary of possible health impacts if not appropriately managed. Each of the potential health impacts during construction and operation have had specific mitigation measures and opportunities outlined in the other relevant PAR impact assessments air quality, noise and vibration and site contamination.
The Department has the following health impact management measures in place that closely align with those recommended in national HIA guidelines (2007) namely:
- a Community and stakeholder engagement process
- the Department’s design process is responsive to community health and wellbeing as demonstrated through project design changes that improve safety, increase community open space and provide better east-west connection
- the Department’s Master Specification (MS) and program/project management frameworks integrate environmental and heritage impact assessment, including health through each phase of a project
- planning and design for the T2D Project has sought to avoid land use and social impacts by preserving cultural and heritage sites
- Social Impact Assessment has been undertaken that considers the vulnerable communities at risk from the project and proposes mitigation measures to alleviate any concerns as discussed in the social impact section of this PAR
- Urban Design Strategy and Urban Renewal design development that integrates health and well-being outcomes raised through the community and stakeholder engagement process. This includes increase in tree canopy cover
- Environmental Management System that monitors, audits and reports the levels of air quality, noise and vibration and contaminated land management during construction and operation of the T2D Project
- a Maintenance and Incidence Response Alliance Agreement for the operational phase of the project that will include how major incidents would be planned for and responded to
- a dedicated department property acquisition team to assist residents, businesses and communities impacted by acquisition.
More details on each of measures discussed above can be found in the aspect specific sections of this PAR.
Opportunities
This PAR HIA addresses issues of health and how benefits can be realised and impacts can be mitigated and managed. There are opportunities to maximise these benefits in project design development informed by community feedback on project elements such as parks and open spaces, active and public transport and noise barriers.
Next steps
The Project Assessment Report (PAR) community consultation period concluded in April 2024. We thank you for your feedback.
The valuable information and local insights received during the consultation phase of the PAR are being considered by the project team and will inform the ongoing refinement of the T2D Project.
