Dan Repacholi MP

Federal Member for Hunter

Dave Layzell MP

State Member for Upper Hunter

PLANNING FOR SINGLETON BYPASS ON NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY ENTERS NEXT PHASE

Work is forging ahead to improve safety and travel times on the New England Highway, with prequalified contractors now being called to register their interest for the Singleton bypass.

Federal Member for Hunter, Mr Dan Repacholi MP, said the $700 million joint funded project will remove one of the Hunter region’s most notorious bottlenecks and it is exciting to see it enter the final steps of development and project approval.

“This bypass will reduce congestion in Singleton, with around 26,000 vehicles including more than 3,700 trucks currently passing through the town on a daily basis,” Mr Repacholi said.

“The bypass is expected to remove about 15,000 vehicles from the town centre each day, ease congestion and improve safety as well as deliver travel time savings for thousands of motorists.”

Mr Repacholi said the New England Highway is a vital link between Sydney and Brisbane, and the primary route connecting the Upper Hunter with Maitland and Newcastle.

“Transport for NSW has been working on revising the design, which now includes a full interchange with Putty Road and a new 600-metre bridge at the southern connection,” Mr Repacholi said.

“We are now inviting prequalified contractors to submit Registrations of Interest to finalise the design and construct the bypass.”

State Member for Upper Hunter, Mr Dave Layzell MP, said work is already being carried out to progress the bypass, including additional environmental assessments, geotechnical and utility investigations, together with a survey to determine final project boundaries and ongoing discussions with impacted property owners.

The eight-kilometre project will bypass five sets of traffic lights in the CBD and is the largest road infrastructure investment in Singleton’s history,” Mr Layzell said.

“It’s expected to create more than 1370 jobs and will draw on local businesses and contractors where possible, which will also help stimulate the local economy.”

Mr Layzell said with traffic volumes only predicted to increase over the next 25 years, the Singleton bypass will both improve the movement of freight and provide swifter and smoother journeys for current and future traffic demands.

“The New England Highway is a vital route for local, freight and tourist traffic alike, so the bypass will improve travel times and the economy at the same time,” Mr Layzell said.

“Early work is expected to start later this year and we should see the project open to traffic by the end of 2026.”

The Australian Government has committed $560 million and the NSW Government $140 million to the project.