Freight operators in the Newcastle city area will be pleased to hear that work is progressing well on the new $450 millilon Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Inner City Bypass.
The new bypass will remove up to 30,000 vehicles each day from the existing route which is a huge win for the community and freight operators, said Transport for NSW Region North Director Anna Zycki.
“This project will provide traffic relief to the surrounding road network, in particular the existing route of Lookout Road, Croudace Street and Newcastle Road, which is used by about 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles each day,” Zycki said.
“Once completed, motorists travelling on the new section of bypass will avoid up to 11 sets of traffic lights along the existing route.”
Zycki said the worksite has been a hive of activity, with early work well underway including the completion of the archaeological salvage of shanty town ‘Hollywood’.
Utility investigations, installation and relocation are well underway, Zycki said.
“Road users will start to see work ramping up with the installation of safety barriers, line marking, and traffic signage will continue to support road realigning and adjustments.”
Zycki said preparation is also underway for upcoming bridgework at the northern interchange.
“Piling rigs arrived on site in mid-June and bridge piling work has started,” Zycki said.
“There are six bridges being built as part of the bypass and more than 60 piles will be installed for these bridges.
“Cumulatively, drill holes for the piles will be more than 1.2 kilometres deep, which is more than the Eiffel Tower stacked end to end four times.
“There’ll also be 190 tonnes of reinforcement used in the piles, equating to the weight of more than 32 elephants.”
The new online interactive project portal is also now live and features an interactive map showing the project design, before and after images, animation videos, work activity and more.
The fith and final section of the bypass upgrade program is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.