Since completion of stage 2b of the Narrabeen Lagoon Trail (NLT) in 2015 the recreational trail has enjoyed high popularity with the community and the Trail is considered a success in promoting a healthy lifestyle while also providing sustainable access to the natural environment.

Council has developed a safe solution for the northern side of the lagoon where the trail is adjacent to the Wakehurst Parkway. This narrow section of trail is a potential hazard for bike riders and pedestrians.

This existing path is in an environmentally sensitive area. The embankment is too unstable to construct a cantilevered structure and would require removal of all vegetation along this part of the riparian zone.

The proposal:

To address the constraints and risks noted above Council has developed a boardwalk that crosses the bay.

View the documents in the document library and referenced in the above news article.

The boardwalk has been design to follow an alignment that has minimal environmental disturbance and the methodology for construction has been specified to ensure there is no impact on surrounding sea grass beds.

The benefits of this aquatic boardwalk are that it eliminates the risks involved with a land based solution and:

• Preserves the Aboriginal heritage items on the shore

• Provides a consistent level of service with rest of the NLT

• Resolves safety hazards

• Enables the remediation of the riparian zone (included in the scope of the project)

• Provides a much better experience being well removed from major arterial road.

The key features of the design include:

• Turpentine piles to ensure there is no leaching of harmful chemicals from concrete or treated pine piles into the waterway

• 2.5m width of boardwalk to comply with shared path requirements

• Inbuilt pockets in the boardwalk abutments to provide habitat opportunity

• The alignment and construction methodology has been determined by the current bed of dead seagrass to ensure that living beds of seagrass are protected.