Newcastle Inner City Bypass

The Newcastle Inner City Bypass is a road in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia.

Newcastle Inner City Bypass

New South Wales
Newcastle Inner City Bypass
Coordinates
General information
TypeFreeway
Length15.6 km (9.7 mi)
(upon completion)
Route number(s) A37 (2013-present)
Former
route number		 State Route 123 (1993-2013)
Major junctions
Bennetts Green – New Lambton Heights
(7.6 km)
South end Pacific Highway
Bennetts Green, Newcastle
 
  • Warners Bay Road
  • Hillsborough Road
  • Myall Road
  • Carnley Avenue
  • Cardiff Road
North endMcCaffrey Drive
New Lambton Heights, Newcastle
Jesmond – Sandgate
(4.9 km)
South end Newcastle Road
Jesmond, Newcastle
 
  • University Drive
  • Sandgate Road
North end Pacific Highway
Sandgate, Newcastle
Location(s)
RegionHunter
LGA(s)
Major suburbsBennetts Green, Windale, Mount Hutton, Hillsborough, Garden Suburb, Kotara, New Lambton Heights, Jesmond, Birmingham Gardens, Shortland, Sandgate
Highway system

Route

The road is divided into five sections.[1] The southernmost section is the West Charlestown Bypass, which is a 6.5-kilometre-long (4.0 mi) freeway standard road that was opened to traffic in 2003.[2] The second section leads up the ridge and consists of parts of Charlestown Road and Lookout Road, which were widened into a divided dual carriageway non-freeway configuration during the 1980s. The third section is a planned freeway diverging from Lookout Road near the intersection of McCaffrey Drive, skirting around the west of the John Hunter Hospital and passing over Newcastle Road to join the fourth section,[3] bypassing Jesmond, built during the late 1980s. The fifth section is another freeway section from the northern end of the Jesmond Bypass to the Pacific Highway at Sandgate.

With the third section of the route not yet completed, a more circuitous route through suburban roads remains in use for the gap between the second and fourth sections. From the end of the Charlestown Bypass, it is necessary to follow Lookout Road, which becomes Croudace Street, before turning left onto Newcastle Road. Approximately 1.3 km (0.8 mi) after turning left, the Inner City Bypass is rejoined by turning right at the Jesmond roundabout.

Construction History

The fourth section of the bypass road - between Newcastle Road at Jesmond and Sandgate Road at Shortland, also known as the "Jesmond to Shortland Relief Route" - was the first portion of the road to be approved in January 1981; construction started in May 1984, and the road was opened to traffic in June 1993.

Pre-construction works for the fifth (northernmost) section, between Sandgate Road at Shortland and the Pacific Highway at Sandgate, began in June 2010. The work to be completed as part of that contract was for digging a cutting where the Sandgate Road bridge has been built over the bypass and filling two other areas, including constructing retaining walls and relocating water mains.[4] The contract for construction of that section was awarded to Reed Constructions in February 2011, with work starting in April 2011.[5] On 28 May 2012 Roads and Maritime Services terminated its contract with Reed Constructions which had been placed in liquidation, and remaining works were completed by Thiess, the prime contractor for the Hunter Expressway.[6] The Shortland – Sandgate section of the bypass was unofficially opened on 16 January 2014 and opened to traffic on 23 January 2014.[7]

In June 2014, the NSW Government announced it would provide $280 million to complete the third section (i.e. Rankin Park to Jesmond section) of the bypass, including $150 million from Restart NSW.[8] It includes building a new and improved entrance to the John Hunter Hospital. In February 2019, it was approved by the state government.[9] Major construction began in late 2021, targeting completion in mid 2025.[10]

Interchanges

South end
LocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Bennetts Green0.00.0 Pacific Highway (A43 north) – Charlestown, Newcastle
Pacific Highway (A43 south) – Belmont, Sydney
Lake Street (west) – Windale		Traffic lights; southern terminus of Newcastle Inner-City Bypass and route A37
Hillsborough2.21.4Warners Bay Road – Charlestown, Warners BayHalf-diamond interchange w/ one roundabout, northbound entry and southbound exit only
4.12.5 Hillsborough Road – Charlestown, Warners BayDogbone interchange
Kotara South53.1Myall Road – Cardiff, KotaraNorthbound entry and exit only
Kotara5.43.4Charlestown Road/Park Avenue/Johnson Street – Cardiff, KotaraSouthbound entry and exit only
5.63.5Main North railway line through Tickhole Tunnel
5.93.7Kimbarra CloseUncontrolled intersection
6.03.7Peatties RoadTraffic lights
6.23.9Carnley Avenue – BroadmeadowTraffic lights
New Lambton Heights6.44.0Hurn StreetUncontrolled
6.84.2Cardiff Road – CardiffTraffic lights
7.04.3Grandview RoadUncontrolled
7.64.7McCaffrey Drive – WallsendContinues north as Lookout Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

North end
LocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Jesmond10.76.6 Newcastle Road – Lambton, Newcastle, Charlestown, WallsendRoundabout; route A37 continues east along Newcastle Road
Birmingham Gardens11.77.3University Drive – Birmingham Gardens, Waratah West, University of NewcastleRoundabout interchange
Shortland13.98.6Sandgate Road – Shortland, Hunter Wetlands CentrePartial offset dumbbell interchange, no southbound exit
SandgateMain North railway line
15.69.7 Maitland Road (Pacific Highway) – Hexham, Maitland, TareeTraffic lights; northern terminus of Newcastle Inner-City Bypass and route A37
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. "Newcastle Inner City Bypass". NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. 17 September 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. A Colenbrander; W Davies; R Handley (23 March 2004). "West Charlestown Bypass: Construction of Urban Freeway Embankments using High Plasticity Clays" (PDF). GHD Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 September 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  3. Barker, Sarah (4 March 2008). "Rankin Park to Jesmond – Submissions Report, RTA, March 2008" (PDF). NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  4. "Archived Tender Detail View – RTA.09.2535.2697". NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  5. "Proposed upgrade of Newcastle Inner City Bypass between Shortland and Sandgate". NSW Roads and Traffic Authority. 18 February 2011. Archived from the original on 16 March 2011. Retrieved 26 February 2011.
  6. "Work Restarts Shortland to Sandgate". Roads and Maritime Services. 24 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 29 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. Davis, Belinda-Jane (16 January 2014). "Bypass opening next week, expressway soon". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
  8. Roads and Maritime Services, N. S. W. "Newcastle Inner City Bypass". Roads and Maritime Services. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  9. Parris, Michael (28 February 2019). "Planning Department gives green light for inner-city bypass". Newcastle Herald. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  10. "Newcastle Inner City Bypass, Rankin Park to Jesmond". The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (federal). Retrieved 11 January 2021.
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