Registration of Interest underway for NSW Coffs Harbour Bypass project

The procurement process for the Coffs Harbour Bypass in New South Wales has commenced and Transport for NSW is inviting “suitably experienced and qualified organisations” to participate by pre-registering their interest in delivering this project. 

Submission of pre-registration documents will be until 16 July 2021, a week before the closing of registrations of interest. 

For interested parties, more information on the pre-registration process can be found on the NSW Government eTendering website here. 

The Coffs Harbour Bypass project will deliver a total of 14 kilometres of four-lane road, including the 12-kilometre bypass from south of Englands Road intersection to Korora Hill in the north and upgrades to a two-kilometre section of the existing Pacific Highway from Korora Hill north to Sapphire Beach. 

Once up and running, the Coffs Harbour Bypass will enable motorists to bypass about 12 sets of traffic lights, slash travel times by about 11 minutes as well as remove thousands of vehicles from the Coffs Harbour CBD. 

Proposed alignment (source: NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment)

The Australian and New South Wales Governments are prioritising the delivery of this project, which is a key component of the Pacific Highway Upgrade – a significant piece of infrastructure that connects Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and is a major contributor to Australia’s economy. 

“The project’s objectives of improving road safety, delivering road freight efficiency for heavy vehicles and easing congestion all meet the government’s Future Transport Strategy 2056,” as stated in the Coffs Harbour Bypass web portal. 

The preferred route for the Coffs Harbour Bypass was approved in 2004 and it will include a four-lane divided motorway running from Englands Road to an upgraded Sapphire to Woolgoolga section of the Pacific Highway. 

The project will also deliver three tunnels at Roberts Hill, Shephards Lane and Gatelys Road as well as three interchanges at Englands Road, Coramba Road and Korora Hill. 

The bypass will pass through North Boambee Valley via the Roberts Hill ridgeline then across the foothills of the Coffs Harbour basin west and onwards north to Korora Hill. 

In December 2020, the Coffs Harbour Bypass was given the green light for development. You can read more about the development approval here. 

Source: ANZ Infrastructure Pipeline; NSW Government – Coffs Harbour Bypass Web Portal; NSW Government – eTendering; NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment