A tiny, endangered seastar that lives in a lagoon on the outskirts of Hobart will be temporarily relocated to make way for upgrades to the Tasman Highway.
The Tasmanian live-bearing seastar is found in the Pitt Water-Orielton Lagoon, right in the middle of the planned duplication of the Midway Point and Sorell causeways.
Infrastructure Minister Kerry Vincent said environmental approvals are currently being sought from the Australian Government to move the vulnerable species.
“Based on extensive scientific work done to date, we now know it is possible to move the seastars to safe areas during construction and return them after the upgrade is completed,” he said.
“Construction will start once all environmental and planning approvals are obtained and the seastars are successfully settled in their temporary home.”
The $365 million South East Traffic Solution will include the construction of a new bridge over the Midway Point causeway and the widening of the highway.
Vincent said the project will soon enter a further period of public consultation early next year to gather feedback on the causeway designs.
Work on the highway duplication project between the Hobart Airport Interchange and Midway Point is also close to getting underway.
This section of the project is near land home to two critically endangered orchid species, the Milford leek-orchid and the Sagg Spider-orchid.
The presence of these plants has delayed the project, which was initially scheduled for completion by mid-2021.
“Further documentation is being finalised for Australian Government environmental approval and this will then also be released for public comment,” Vincent said.
“The South East Traffic Solution will help improve travel time reliability through a more efficient and safer road network between Hobart, Sorell and the Southern Beaches.”
A new park-and-ride facility at Midway Point is also included in the project and is slated to begin construction in 2025.
