Pacific Highway upgrade Six month report card (January – June 2012) Photo by: Ballina Bypass Alliance Photo by: Ballina Bypass This report provides an update on progress on the Pacific Highway until 30 June 2012. The 669 kilometre Pacific Highway corridor is a major contributor to Australia’s economic activity. The road is a vital piece of the nation’s infrastructure and is included in the National Land Transport Network. The eastern seaboard of NSW is also one of the fastest growing areas in the country. An upgraded Pacific Highway must continue to service the needs of the travelling public, while also achieving transport efficiencies, ensuring ecological sustainability and meeting the needs of the coastal communities who live alongside the highway. The Australian and NSW governments have been jointly upgrading the Pacific Highway since 1996. There is a shared commitment from both governments to finish its upgrading to a four-lane divided highway as soon as possible. Available funding is being directed to the areas of highest priority in terms of crash histories and traffic volumes while work also continues to be carried out to keep existing two-lane sections as safe as possible. Projects currently under construction will see the completion of four-lane divided highway between Hexham and Port Macquarie, around the growing suburbs of Coffs Harbour and between Ballina and the Queensland border in 2014. Funding discussions are ongoing between the Australian and NSW governments to continue the upgrading of the Pacific Highway. 2 Ballina bypass, opened in May 2012 Pacific Highway upgrade six month report card Summary At the end of June 2012, more These include: Project teams continue to liaise than half of the final length of the • The steel truss bridge to with communities and stakeholders highway between Hexham and the Alum Mountain at Bulahdelah. about projects and address Queensland border was a four-lane environmental, planning and other divided highway. • The Frederickton interchange concerns relating to the upgrade. and Inches Road. Between January and June 2012, During the reporting period, major work was under way on • The Inches Road and Old Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) eight upgrade projects (almost 80 Station Road overpasses on and its alliance partners have held kilometres). The Glenugie, Ballina the Kempsey bypass. a number of community site tours at and Banora Point upgrades recently In the first half of 2012, five projects Kempsey and a major community opened to traffic. 59 kilometres were being prepared for major work site inspection at Banora Point, giving now remain under construction. with activities including finalising residents a first hand look at the major The remaining sections of the highway planning requirements, acquiring construction work along the highway. are being prepared for construction. properties needed for construction, Work is also under way on at-home Safety work is being completed on carrying out geotechnical noise treatments to provide early sections that are yet to be upgraded. investigations and starting detailed improvements in noise for residents. In addition to the opening of the design work. final sections of the Ballina bypass and Glenugie upgrade and the opening of the Banora Point upgrade, other key pieces of infrastructure were also opened. Opening the steel truss bridge at Bulahdelah (June 2012) 3 KEY MAP Pacific Highway upgrade six month report card NT QLD WA SA NSWW Current status VIC QLD BRISBANE Since 2008-09, the Australian Government has Almost 80 kilometres were under construction committed $4.1 billion under the Nation Building in the last six months. Of that, more than 18 Program, with the NSW Government committing kilometres of new dual carriageway has recently Banora Point upgrade SOUTHPORT TWEED almost $1 billion since mid 2009, to further the been opened. Major work remains under way HEADS upgrading of the Pacific Highway to a four-lane on another 59 kilometres. Pacific Highway Tintenbar to divided road standard. upgrade Ewingsdale upgrade Major work will start on a further 17 kilometres Future funding share arrangementsN on the in the second half of 2012. additional Australian and NSW governments LISMORE BALLINA Contracts for major work have also started Ballina bypass TWEED HEADS commitments from the 2012-13 Federal and on another 48 kilometres. State Budgets are currentlyMURWILLUMBAH under negotiation. BRUNSWICK HEADS QLD KEY MAP Devils Pulpit upgrade BYRON BAY BANGALOW More than half of the final lengthTINTENBAR of the PacificNSW Highway between Hexham andBALLINA the Queensland NT WOODBURN LEGEND QLD Upgrade completed Planning / design stage Pacific HIghway border is now open to a four-lane divided Under construction WA GRAFTON Existing Pacific Highway SA highway standard. MACLEAN NSWW Glenugie upgrade GRAFTON VIC COFFS WOOLGOOLGA Sapphire to HARBOUR COFFS HARBOUR Woolgoolga upgrade URUNGA NAMBUCCA HEADS MACKSVILLE LEGEND Upgrade completed Planning / design stage Under construction KEMPSEY Kempsey bypass PORT MACQUARIE KEMPSEY KEW N TAREE 0 25 50km NABIAC TUNCURRY N Herons Creek to PORT COOLONGOLOOK FORSTER MACQUARIE BULAHDELAH LEGEND Stills Road upgrade KARUAH N RAYMOND TERRACE LEGEND Major roads HEXHAM LEGEND Upgrade completed Rivers NEWCASTLE Upgrade completed TAREE F3 FWY Upgrade approved, or III Railway preferred route identified, or route being prepared Upgrade approved, or for project approval, State border Bulahdelah or under construction preferred route identified, Route options identified: PACIFIC HIGHWAY UPGRADE process underway to or route being prepared upgrade select preferred route Upgrade completed for project approval N Upgrade approved, or Under construction preferred route identified, or being prepared for project DRAFT 3 / 19 SEPTEMBER 2006 approval Pacific HIghway LEGEND N Construction contract awarded / under construction Upgrade completed Airports are at NEWCASTLE Environmental assessments or concept Newcastle, Taree, Port F3 Freeway designs being prepared NSW GOSFORD for the remaining sections Cyclist at BanoraMacquarie, Point upgrade admiring Laura Street throw screens (August 2012) of single lane highway Coffs Harbour, Under construction 4 SYDNEY Ballina and Coolangatta. Lismore and Grafton LEGEND Upgrade completed Environmental assessments or concept designs being prepared for the remaining sections of single lane highway Under construction Pacific Highway upgrade six month report card Current status Since the start of the Pacific Highway Upgrade PACIFIC HIGHWAY UPGRADE WET WEATHER DAYS in the mid 1990’s, light vehicles have saved JULY 2011 - JUNE 2012 on average 80 minutes and heavy vehicles on average 90 minutes in travel time between Hexham and the Queensland border. Allowed 29 wet days 50 Crash data for 2011 also shows crashes are Additional continuing to trend downwards. In 2011, there wet days were 24 fatalities compared to the mid 1990’s Remaining when there were around 460 casualty crashes 135 work days and fatalities were in the high 40s. Total available work The upgrade program is a major generator of days 214 days employment for areas along the east coast with between 1700 and 1800 staff working on upgrade projects over the last six months from Bulahdelah to Banora Point. In the last financial year (July 2011 to June 2012) we planned for an average of 50 wet weather days across each of the Pacific Highway construction projects. However, extensive wet weather meant we actually lost an average of 79 of the 214 available work days (or 37 per cent) and we have not been PACIFIC HIGHWAY PROGRAM able to make much progress. JULY 2011 - JUNE 2012 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0 JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN Monthly forecast expenditure Monthly expenditure Cumulative expenditure Budget allocation Heavy rain on the Herons Creek to Stills Road 5 upgrade (January 2012) Banora Point upgrade looking south (August 2012) Pacific Highway upgrade six month report card Current status For the 2011/12 financial year, just over Despite these challenges, between January and June 2012, we have: $910 million of the $1.035 billion planned was spent. The shortfall was mainly due to: Opened to traffic: Progress on work: • Impacts of excessive wet weather on those 3 The final section of the Ballina bypass. 3 Started major earthwork on the Devils projects under construction. 3 The final section of the Glenugie upgrade, Pulpit upgrade. • Delays in finalising the pre-construction south of Grafton. 3 Advanced major work on five other approval documents for the Tintenbar upgrade projects, including bypasses to Ewingsdale upgrade. 3 The Frederickton interchange, Inches Road and Old Station Road overpasses on the of Bulahdelah, Kempsey, Frederickton, • Delays in finalising property acquisitions Kempsey bypass. Woolgoolga and Ballina. for the Warrell Creek to Urunga section 3 The Myall River bridges have been opened 3 Continued building on the longest bridge upgrade due to later than expected planning in Australia, across the Macleay River and approval and a review of part of the route. to construction traffic, continuing RMS’s commitment to reducing construction vehicle floodplain near Kempsey. movements through the town. 3 Completed major traffic switches on the 3 The Alum Mountain steel truss bridge. Bulahdelah and Banora Point upgrades. 3 The new highway through the Sexton Hill 3 Worked towards improved flood immunity for cutting at Banora Point, eliminating the last the highway by reducing flood prone sections