How will the visual impact of the road be minimised?
The Northern Expressway will pass through a very flat landscape, therefore elements such as bridges, noise barriers, overpasses and interchanges will be highly visible from the surrounding area. An Urban Design Framework has been developed to ensure good quality design solutions and visual consistency along the route. Measures to minimise the visual effects of the Northern Expressway include: • locating the route and dominant structures away from dense residential areas to minimise visual and lighting impacts • ensuring aesthetic consideration are integral to the design of structures • densely planting tress, shrubs and ground covers around the interchanges and overpass embankments to help visually integrate the structures into the surrounding landscape • planning vegetation to screen residential properties from the road • retaining existing vegetation, where possible.
