Harbour crossings to the airport Eastern Distributor Air quality
Air qualityThe RTA is committed to safely monitoring and managing air quality within Sydney’s tunnels, as well as within surrounding communities. Motorway tunnels take cars off local streets and improve surface air quality. Inside the tunnels, sophisticated measurement and ventilation systems ensure that air quality meets strict regulations governing emissions levels. How the RTA manages air qualityAir quality in Sydney’s motorway tunnels is managed by flushing the tunnel with fresh air. This dilutes the pollutants emitted from vehicles as they travel through the tunnel. Mixing large volumes of fresh air with the vehicle emissions ensures that the concentration of pollutants remains within set limits.
Once air has travelled along the tunnel it is expelled via a ventilation stack. Typically, a ventilation stack contains large fans which blow the tunnel air out at speed. Ventilation stacks are designed to ensure exhaust is well dispersed. This prevents pollutants from accumulating at ground locations nearby. Measuring pollutant levels in the tunnelMonitors in the tunnel measure pollutant levels along the length of the tunnel. Sydney’s tunnels are operated in accordance with the conditions of approval set by the Minister for Planning for each project and include strict air quality goals. Monitoring carbon monoxide emissionsCarbon monoxide is measured during monitoring. Readings above the DECCW-approved goals for carbon monoxide trigger reports to the RTA, the DECCW and NSW Health within 24 hours. Air quality and the Eastern DistributorThe Eastern Distributor main tunnels are arranged in a ‘piggy back’ configuration (the northbound tunnel sits on top of the southbound tunnel). The tunnel air is expelled through two ventilation stacks, one at Darlinghurst (for northbound traffic) and another at Surry Hills (for southbound traffic).
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