Project updates
Report card – November 2024
The November 2024 report card for the Coffs Harbour bypass highlights significant progress in tunnelling, Luke Bowen pedestrian bridge and new local accesses.
Construction progress showreel - October 2024
Enjoy our latest video showreel, taking you over, under and inside the Coffs Harbour bypass. Bridge girder lifts and deck pours are progressing well, and our interchange roundabouts are taking shape. Enjoy a trip inside the Gatelys Road tunnel where the team are busily preparing to break through in coming months.
Coffs Harbour bypass – Construction Update Showreel – October 2024
October photobook out now
Check out the Coffs Harbour bypass October Photobook, showcasing the latest construction progress in image form.
You’ll be amazed at the pace of bridge construction and can take a virtual look inside Gatelys Road Tunnel. We hope you enjoy.
September project update
The Coffs Harbour bypass is preparing for some big milestones in the next couple of months, including a breakthrough in the Gatelys Road Tunnel and lifting the steel truss segments for the new Luke Bowen pedestrian bridge. We have started piling at our longest bridge over the North Coast Railway line near Shephards Lane and our asphalt batch plant is now under construction off North Boambee Road. Read our latest newsletter for these stories and more.
Lifting the new Luke Bowen pedestrian bridge
After months of planning and preparation, the new Luke Bowen pedestrian bridge steel trusses will be lifted in stages in October.
The truss for the western ramp will be lifted during approved construction hours and will not impact highway traffic.
Lifting the truss for the eastern ramp will involve short stoppages on the Pacific Highway and traffic being moved onto one carriageway, one lane in each direction, and minor disruptions to nearby local roads.
Lifting the truss for the main span will also involve Pacific Highway traffic being moved onto one carriageway, followed by a temporary night-time closure of the highway for heavy vehicles and a detour for light vehicles and emergency services via James Small Drive.
Heavy vehicles will be encouraged to avoid the area during the temporary closure, though parking will be provided on the highway for any unable to do so.
To minimise impacts, the main span will be lifted on a Saturday night, when traffic numbers are lower.
Access to parking on Korora School Road, the north and southbound bus interchange, and the existing footbridge will be impacted at times.
Read the notification and sign up to our weekly update for more information.
For road users, remember to plan your journey and to ACT – be Aware, be Cautious, allow more Time.
Coffs Harbour bypass – Luke Bowen Bridge Animation – October 2024
Register now for October precinct webinars
The Coffs Harbour bypass project team is running location-based precinct webinars during October.
The webinars have been designed to meet the needs of those community members interested in hearing only about the construction activities and impacts specific to them.
The webinars will also cover construction progress, key features, changes to local access, and operational wayfinding.
Two sessions per precinct are available now. The team will add more should demand require.
Register now via Eventbrite.
Drone flyover video
Please enjoy the latest drone flyover video of the Coffs Harbour bypass.
Parts of the new Luke Bowen pedestrian bridge have arrived and are being prepared for lifting in coming months. Our other bridges are reaching new heights with the landing of planks and Super T girders, and our first concrete deck pour completed. The three interchanges at Englands Road, Coramba Road and Korora Hill are taking shape – spot the concrete sub-base being laid on the western roundabout at the Englands Road Interchange.
July photobook out now
Check out the Coffs Harbour bypass July Photobook, showcasing the latest construction progress in image form.
Featuring a mix of drone and ground photography, the Photobook offers a bird’s eye view of each section, as well as an inside look at key construction activities including earthworks, structures, and tunnelling. We hope you enjoy.
May report card
The Coffs Harbour bypass team has released the latest report card highlighting progress of key milestones and how we are tracking for:
- earthworks
- structures
- concrete
- and controlled blasting.
Also featured are stories on the environment and community engagement and some pictures of the team and work in progress.
Final Place Design and Landscape Plan now available
The Coffs Harbour bypass has released the final Place Design and Landscape Plan detailing the completed bypass's urban, architectural, and landscape design proposals.
Read them here:
Community consultation on the draft plan occurred in December 2023. A Consultation Summary Report has been prepared to summarise and respond to the feedback received. Thank you to everyone who submitted.
Gumbaynggirr’s Gumagali meets the project team
The Coffs Harbour bypass team has worked with local Gumbaynggirr artist Tori Donnelly to create a bespoke piece of art for the project.
The artwork is called Guga Bili-guygarr Gumagali Junaaygam, which translates to the Three Tunnel Goanna Story.
Artwork will feature on the team’s hghi-visibility work shirts and on the community information van stationed around Coffs Harbour several times each month.
The piece is inspired by a Gumbaynggirr dreamtime and creation story featuring Gumagali, the black goanna. In the story, Gumagali digs underground to escape three men with spears, pushing up the Korora ridge until he reaches the coast, just off Macauleys headland. This formed the dreaming track, connecting the mountains to the sea and leaving the men behind him.
The art also features the bypass’ three tunnels, cutting through ridges at:
- Roberts Hill
- Shephards Lane and
- Gatelys Road.
It was a pleasure to work with Tori Donnelly, who hopes the art will have a positive impact on people, inviting workers and the community to engage with and explore a bit more about the Gumbaynggirr culture, stories, and landscape.
Manage your journey
We understand traffic changes are disruptive for road users and appreciate your patience during the construction of the Coffs Harbour bypass.
Conditions are continuing to change in the area, so we are asking motorists to please ACT:
- Be Aware: Keep up to date with the project and the latest traffic changes.
- Be Cautious: Follow signage, drive to the conditions, and follow the direction of traffic control.
- Allow more Time: Access arrangements will continue to change. Plan for minor delays and be patient on the road.
Please subscribe to our email list to keep informed about traffic changes and help you plan your journey.
Resources
You can access key resources for the Coffs Harbour bypass that provide detailed information on our construction activities and procedures. This includes construction updates, factsheets, environment reports, and other supporting documents.
Each of them has been produced to help inform how we are building the bypass with safety, environment, and community in mind.
Resource library
Online webinars
Get your construction news from the comfort of home! Join the project team to learn about a range of topics, including:
- construction progress
- earthworks
- tunnelling
- traffic changes and more.
Each webinar will run for about 45 minutes with an opportunity to ask questions at the end. Keep your eye on our registration page for new and upcoming sessions. We look forward to meeting you online soon.
Past webinar recordings are available below:
About the Coffs Harbour bypass
The 14km Coffs Harbour bypass will take vehicles west of the urban area, from Englands Road in the south to Sapphire in the north.
The project is part of the Pacific Highway upgrade, funded by the Australian and NSW governments.
For more information and documentation for the approvals of the Coffs Harbour bypass visit the NSW Planning Portal.
The existing highway through Coffs Harbour forms part of the Sydney - Brisbane freight corridor and carries between 30,000 and 35,000 vehicles per day (2016).
Road users need to navigate a 12km low speed arterial road with 12 sets of traffic signals, a major roundabout and 26 other intersections. This means the area experiences:
- A motorist, cyclist and pedestrian casualty rate more than three times higher than expected of a road of this class.
- Increased travel time and inefficient on-road freight operation.
- Loss of economic development opportunities.
- A decrease in the amenity of Coffs Harbour CBD.
By providing a bypass of Coffs Harbour consistent with the current standards of the Pacific Highway upgrade program, the project addresses declining transport efficiency, urban congestion and road safety issues.
It will support regional development and provide:
- Safer, more consistent and reliable travel.
- Reduced travel times with improved freight transport efficiency to better. access towns and villages on the north coast.
- Improved amenity for local communities.
- A more reliable route with improved flood tolerance.
Image
A static map of the Coffs Harbour Bypass. The Bypass starts at the bottom left of the map in Boambee, and continues north through North Boambee Valley and Red Hill. It then heads north-east through Korora, Korora Basin, then concludes at Sapphire Beach at the top right of the map. You can view further information such as articles/resources on project updates, work notifications, Environment and community information on the resources page.
Gallery
Coffs Harbour bypass project contact
For further information about this project, contact or visit us at:
Email: community@CHBteam.com.au
Phone: 1800 550 621
Mail: P.O. Box 565, Toormina, NSW 2452