Road works underway ahead of dual lane upgrades

City of Newcastle has commenced work on road improvements needed to pave the way for two significant dual lane upgrades in the growing western corridor.

Five intersections in Wallsend will be improved as part of these road works, which will support traffic flow and increase safety before and during the upcoming road widening project on Longworth Avenue and Minmi Road.

This follows the recent construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Newcastle Road and Cowper Street. The commencement of the additional intersection works is another key milestone in the delivery of the western corridor road improvement project, along with the construction tender for the main works, which will be presented at the November ordinary council meeting. 

Detailed designs have been completed for the upgrades at Longworth Avenue and the stretch of Minmi Road from the Summerhill Road roundabout to Maryland Drive. 

The project will widen the roads to deliver two lanes of traffic in each direction, which will reduce congestion along these notorious traffic bottlenecks. 

City of Newcastle Executive Director City Infrastructure Clint Thomson said the community had shown its support for the work throughout an extensive consultation process.

"Designing and delivering a multiyear project of this scale is complex and takes careful planning to improve the experience for road users as we continue to cater for ongoing population growth," Mr Thomson said.

"We have worked with the local community throughout this project and have listened to their feedback on what is a critical link in our road network, which connects the growing suburbs of Wallsend, Maryland, Fletcher and Minmi to Newcastle and the wider region.

"In advance of the main construction works, our crews will be delivering upgrades to smaller intersections in the surrounding area to ease congestion, reduce bottlenecks, and increase safety for road users during and after this major road project."

The first stage of these associated works was completed last month with the installation of a new single lane roundabout at Cowper Street and Newcastle Road, Wallsend. 

Further work will be carried out over the coming months to upgrade intersections at Cowper Street, Cameron Street, Douglas Street, Stapleton Street, Nash Street and Tillie Street, ahead of the main construction project, which is scheduled to commence at Longworth Avenue in 2025.

For more information visit our project page.