Developer responds as Aussie road upgrade near 'killing corridor' labelled 'pretty horrific'

Trees have been bulldozed along an increasingly busy Australian road, to help service a new housing development.

Michael Dahlstrom
·Environment Editor
Updated ·4-min read
Left - a koala in a tree at night on Appin Road. Right - Trees either side of Appin Road.
Appin Road is known as Australia's 'killing corridor' because of the large number of endangered koalas killed on the stretch. Source: Patrick Baric/Barry Durman

Why did the koala cross the road?

In the case of one increasingly busy Australian road, “getting to the other side” is no longer the answer.

Increased traffic on south-west Sydney's Appin Road has resulted in 32 of the endangered marsupials being killed on the notorious stretch since July 2022 – roughly half of all deaths in the district over the same period. Wildlife advocates have long referred to it as Australia's "killing corridor".

Now a massive operation to widen the road is underway. The plan is contentious because it will create a 2.4km-long barrier in the middle of a habitat that supports Sydney's last growing population of koalas, and individuals either side will be prevented from crossing the road for months.

The secretary of advocacy group Save Sydney's Koalas, Diana Pryde, described the clearing of large trees along Appin Road as "pretty horrific". But developer LendLease claims the works around it's $1.6 billion housing development will ultimately make the road safer for koalas and humans.

Reads 'What on Earth? Koala habitats continue to be bulldozed in QLD and NSW despite them being listed as endangered.' With an image of a koala in a tree.
Discover more of our environment coverage.

Video filmed last week shows how quickly the landscape along Appin Road has changed. Rows of trees that once provided safety for koalas along Appin road have been bulldozed.

The plan is to increase capacity of the once quiet thoroughfare by upgrading it from two lanes to four, to help service a new 1700-dwelling housing project by LendLease, which it says will help tackle the NSW housing crisis.

The developer has justified its road works by claiming they are an important safety measure. "Following approval from Transport for NSW this year, we’ve wasted no time in starting works to upgrade Appin Road to improve safety for motorists and koalas," LendLease told Yahoo.

It argues the removal of the trees are in fact a necessary part of the preparation required before the eventual construction of exclusion fencing to keep koalas off the road, and the building of long-promised concrete underpasses to allow them to cross underneath.

“All construction works, including the phasing of works, are in accordance with relevant environmental safeguards, approvals and licenses,” LendLease said in a statement, highlighting the NSW and Federal Governments are on board with its development.

The koalas that live in the Cumberland Plain region are the only population in NSW that doesn't suffer from chlamydia which causes sterility and death. Their preservation is seen as critical if the state wants to avoid the extinction of koalas in the next 26 years.

A parliamentary inquiry in 2020 concluded "urgent action" was needed to avoid the already endangered populations being wiped out, with development revealed as a key problem. But facing pressure to combat Australia's housing crisis, the state and federal governments have continued to green-light housing projects on land where koalas live.

Trees cleared along Appin Road
LendLease contractors have removed large habitat trees that once lined Appin Road. Source: Barry Durman

But koalas aren't the only species in trouble. NSW has around 1,000 threatened species and around half are expected to be extinct in 100 years according to government figures, with development a key threat.

Related: Fears NSW will 'panic log' proposed 315,000-hectare koala park

Surprisingly the works have begun before the underpasses were built. For years, LendLease waited on approval from the NSW Government of their final design. Transport said this was because it was required by law to engage with stakeholders about the underpass designs.

“Transport considered a broad range of views and conflicting expert opinions on the updated plans including the size, location, shape and type of crossings required for the road along with other koala measures before giving the developer approval,” a department spokesperson told Yahoo.

Tunnels comprising a wildlife overpass. Shot from above.
Wildlife advocates argue overpasses are more effective. But they are also more expensive. Source: Getty (File)

Lendlease is required to build two underpasses within 12 months of completing its koala exclusion fencing. But both it and Transport for NSW did not respond directly to a question from Yahoo about when their construction is set to begin.

Australia’s largest wildlife rescue group WIRES has expressed concerns about the design of the underpasses, calling them a “dark choice”. It has accused Transport for NSW of ignoring advice from WIRES, ecologists and the broader community.

With the longest tunnel 53 metres in length, experts are concerned navigating them could prove “scary” for koalas. Although Transport for NSW said a light source will be placed in the centre of this longer tunnel, Stephanie Carrick from the Sydney Basin Koala Network has questioned its efficacy. "This is experimental and not based on any evidence," she said.

Many favour building overpasses, which are believed to superior in meeting the species’ needs, but also more costly to build.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest stories

  • Rare detail in Aussie photographer's 'spectacular' python moment

    In his almost three decades photographing wildlife, these photos represent a major first.

  • Bear Floating in Pond Is the Picture of Summer Bliss

    Sonya the bear was “truly delightful to behold” as she floated with her paws up in a pond at the Orphaned Wildlife Center, according to those running the New York sanctuary.“Notice how she effortlessly floats with her toes adorably protruding,” the center wrote on YouTube.Founded by Jim Kowalczik, Susan Kowalczik, and Kerry Clair in 2015, the OrphanedWildlife Center, in Otisville nurtures its animal residents in the hope they can be returned to the wild.The center often shares videos and updates about the animals in its care to its YouTube channel and Facebook page. Credit: Orphaned Wildlife Center via Storyful

  • Hunter mistakenly kills grizzly bear, but it wasn’t hunter’s mistake

    After an investigation that left the Idaho Fish and Game in an embarrassing position, the hunter was not issued a citation.

  • Dog owners warned after toxic plants found in park

    The council says it is working to restrict access to areas where the plants have been found.

  • Bill Gates wants to 'fix the cows' — here's the startup he backed to help fight climate change

    The solution looks promising.

  • Beneath offshore wind turbines, researchers grow seafood and seaweed

    In a small boat bobbing in the waves between towering offshore wind turbines, researchers in Europe’s Baltic Sea reach into the frigid water and remove long lines stretched between the pylons onto which mussels and seaweed are growing. It’s part of efforts to explore multiple uses for remote wind parks far out at sea, such as fresh seafood production.

  • Green hydrogen: is this Australia's breakout moment amid US$127 billion boom down under?

    On a site three times the size of Hong Kong, a US$10 billion project mooted in Australia has raised hopes of tackling greenhouse gas emissions with green hydrogen. Located 400km north of Alice Springs in central Australia, phase one of the proposed Green Springs project, targeted for completion by 2030, will feature 10 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels, enough to meet the requirements of more than 3 million households. If the project, spread over 200 square kilometres, gets the go ahead and is succ

  • What are electrolysers? How is hydrogen produced and how do fuel cells use the energy?

    Electrolysers and fuel cell systems are the key equipment for the production and use of hydrogen. More than 95 per cent of hydrogen is currently made using fossil fuels, mainly coal and natural gas, because of their low costs. However, governments' climate policies and incentives will make the production of green hydrogen, which uses renewable energy, economically viable, presenting big business opportunities. Here is what you need to know about electrolysers and fuel cell systems. Do you have q

  • One of world’s rarest cats no longer endangered

    The Iberian lynx is now classed as "vulnerable" as numbers surge due to conservation efforts.

  • Above-ground sewage pipe is 'innovative solution'

    Anglian Water says it is trying to reduce disruption for local people.

  • US offers $850 million in grants to clean up oil sector methane emissions

    The U.S. government opened up on Friday competitive bidding that will close on Aug. 26 for $850 million in grants to help small oil and gas producers monitor and reduce methane from their operations, a major part of the Biden administration's plan to crack down on leaks of the potent greenhouse gas. The funding, made available through the administration's signature climate law called the Inflation Reduction Act, will specifically help small oil and natural gas operators reduce methane emissions and gain access to methane detection and reduction technologies. Some smaller, independent U.S. oil and gas operators had strongly opposed the Environmental Protection Agency's new methane standards that target hundreds of thousands of existing sources nationwide because they would place a financial burden on low-producing wells, as well as the agency's proposed methane fee on producers.

  • Solar panel achieves world record with ‘miracle material’

    New record for perovskite-silicon cell is more than 7 per cent more efficient than a standard silicon cell

  • Rare zebra born at wildlife park in 'UK first'

    The newborn maneless zebra foal at Peak Wildlife Park is one of 40 living in zoos across the world.

  • Schwarzenegger: ‘Climate change dialogue’ not going to work

    Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) said the traditional “climate change dialogue” is not going to work anymore, particularly when it comes to high-polluting countries. Schwarzenegger joined MSNBC’s Jonathan Lemire on Thursday to discuss clean energy and climate solutions. Lemire asked the “Terminator” star how he would try to reach bigger polluters such…

  • Arnold Schwarzenegger tells his climate forum it must ‘stop the bleeding’

    The Terminator star was speaking at the start of the eighth Austrian World Summit, which he founded in 2017.

  • Climate change made US and Mexico heatwave 35 times more likely

    A new report says extreme heat from May to June was driven by planet-warming emissions from humans.

  • Has Russia just dropped a deadly new 3,000kg glide bomb in Ukraine?

    IN FOCUS: ‘If a glide bomb hits then you’ve just got no hope’

  • Supreme Court Sends Out an Ominous Sign

    With just a few days left in the law term and more than 20 rulings still to be issued, the Supreme Court once again left Americans on tenterhooks Thursday when it released just four opinions, not including its most eagerly awaited. The justices, three of whom were appointed by Donald Trump, are still weighing Trump’s bid to be granted king-like immunity shielding him from prosecution for his role in the attempted coup on Jan. 6, 2021. Each day that passes without a ruling sets prosecutors back i

  • Twist in Aussie surfers’ alleged murders

    A fresh update has been revealed after a pair of Australian brothers were killed while on the surf trip of a lifetime in Mexico.

  • Prince William Comes to Kate Middleton's Mother's Rescue During Royal Ascot Misstep

    The royal looked delighted to save the day. The royal looked delighted to save the day.