Works progress on $450m Newcastle Inner City Bypass project

Works are progressing on the new Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass in New South Wales with early works – including utility relocation – now underway. 

The Australian and New South Wales Governments are jointly funding $450 million to deliver the 3.4-kilometre section of the bypass between Rankin Park and Jesmond, to the west of John Hunter Hospital. 

“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. 

“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 operatord. 

“Once completed, motorists travelling on the new section of bypass will avoid up to 11 sets of traffic lights along the existing route,” Transport for NSW Region North Director Anna Zycki said. 

The project site has been a hive of activity as early works are carried out, which includes the completion of the archeological salvage of shanty town ‘Hollywood’ as well as utility investigations, installation and relocation. 

The archeological salvage has unearthed several artefacts from the site that was once home to people who became homeless during the Great Depression. 

Road users in the area will start seeing works ramping up with the installation of safety barriers, line marking, and traffic signage to support the realignment and adjustment of the road. 

In addition, preparation for bridgeworks at the northern interchange is also underway. 

“Piling rigs arrived on site in mid-June and bridge piling work has started. 

“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,” Ms Zycki said. 

The Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass project will include: 

• A northern interchange at Newcastle Road 
• An interchange providing access to John Hunter Hospital precinct 
• A southern interchange at Lookout Road 
• Structures provided along the bypass to improve connectivity in the bushland for people and animals 
• Off-road provisions for pedestrians and cyclists including a shared path bridge over Newcastle Road at Jesmond 

Construction on this section of the bypass is due to be completed by the end of 2025. Fulton Hogan Construction Pty Ltd was awarded the contract to design and build the project in 2022. 

The Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass project is expected to create up to 900 jobs at peak construction period.

An interactive portal for the project is now live, featuring an interactive map that shows the project design as well as before and after images, animation videos, work activity and more. 

Source: Transport for NSW (1, 2); Infrastructure Magazine