Coffs Harbour has waited decades for a Pacific Highway bypass. The proposed route is close to the town's edge and three areas are marked on the concept plan as being potential tunnels. Tunnels have a much lower visual impact, will be much quieter and will be much better for wildlife crossings. One of the areas is a known Koala corridor.

 Cuttings used instead of tunnels would need to be at least 30m deep and hundreds of metres wide. This means impassable barriers to wildlife and sound bouncing across west Coffs Harbour. Thousands of people live within 500m of the proposed bypass and will be potentially be drastically impacted if noise and visual impact is not contained. They cant see or hear the current highway but are now at risk of having highway noise 24/7. Imagine what that does to your peace of mind and property value! This could turn Coffs from a great place to live to an awful one.

The RMS's consultant's report in 2008 clearly identifies that tunnels are a viable solution to reduce impact and provide for wildlife. It shows they are comparable to cuttings in cost and foreshadows that community demand will be for tunnels.

We call on the Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Michael McCormack and on the NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey to make sure that funding is available for the people of Coffs to have the best bypass, not the cheapest.