High Tides and Sunken Roads: The Hopkins Masterplan?

The high winds and high tides saw the crumbling of the sea wall at the end of Victoria Avenue the night before last, and also extensive flooding in Gloucester Street, right up to the Opera House, which was flooded. The area around there was awash with water.

I have a copy of the map which is part of the "Hopkin's Masterplan" in front of me, and the idea is to "join" the waterfront to town by sinking the road, and building an extensive commercial development - as usual beautifully prettyfied - above it. Apparently this can be paid for by the developers, who get the development land, who will meet the entire cost - with a "national art gallery" as a sweetener thrown in for free.

The proposed road sinks down into the underpass just about where it does at present when coming from the tunnel under Fort Regent, and it re-emerges from the depths just around Gloucester Street. That's right, the area that we can expect to be flooded if we get high tides and strong winds. Now wasn't that a bright idea!

I do hope that someone has the sense to bury the plan, rather than the road.