RTA Annual Report 2009 Complete - RTA - NSW Government

Following community consultation for the Falcon Street
access ramps, the RTA determined a need for a new
pedestrian/cycle bridge across the Warringah Freeway
between Falcon Street at North Sydney and Merlin Street in
Neutral Bay, providing direct access to Military Road.
The contract was awarded in July 2008 and construction
of the new bridge and other pedestrian facilities began
in September 2008. The $15 million project will provide
a continuous, uninterrupted crossing for pedestrians and
cyclists travelling along this busy route and is expected to be
complete in August 2009.
Pacifi c Highway
Upgrading Program
The Pacifi c Highway not only links Sydney and Brisbane, it
also passes through regions that continue to experience the
State’s highest rates of population growth. This growth has
increased pressure on the road transport system. In response,
the RTA has overseen improvements in road infrastructure
to allow safe and effi cient transport along the route.
The Pacifi c Highway is part of the National Land Transport
Network. The Australian and NSW governments have been
jointly upgrading the Pacifi c Highway since 1996.
The Pacifi c Highway upgrade is being delivered in
three stages:
Karuah to Bulahdelah
sections 2 and 3
Construction began in March 2007 on this
$262 million project to provide 23km of dual carriageway,
generally following the existing highway alignment.
The project includes seven pairs of new bridges and rest
areas on the northbound carriageway at Nerong Waterholes
and the southbound carriageway at Browns Flat. The upgrade
is on schedule to be completed in October 2009.
Bulahdelah Bypass
Early work and detailed design began following
planning approval in October 2007. The fi rst
stage of early earthwork construction has been completed
south of the Myall River. Tenders for the main contract are
expected to be invited in late 2009.
Coopernook to Herons Creek
The Coopernook to Herons Creek project
incorporates the Coopernook to Moorland and
Moorland to Herons Creek upgrades. Construction of these
upgrades, which have been combined to achieve economies
of scale, began in October 2007 and is expected to be
completed by mid 2010. The project will provide 32.2km of
dual carriageway, including bypasses of Moorland, Johns River
and Kew.
• Stage 1: Hexham to Port Macquarie, Raleigh to
Woolgoolga and Ballina to the Queensland border.
• Stage 2: Port Macquarie to Raleigh.
• Stage 3: Woolgoolga to Ballina.
Together, the governments have committed $3.6 billion to
continue the upgrade of the highway over the fi ve years to
mid 2014 to complete Stage 1 and begin Stage 2.
By June 2009, 277km of the highway’s 667km length were
four-lane divided road. Since 1995, the upgrade has achieved
travel time savings of about 80 minutes for heavy vehicles
and 70 minutes for light vehicles. A further 77km of upgraded
highway are under construction, 75km are in preconstruction,
103km are being environmentally assessed and all other
sections have the preferred route identifi ed with concept
designs fi nalised for most of these.
The number of fatal crashes has fallen from 32 in 1996 to 28
in 2008, despite a 50 per cent increase in travel on much of
the highway.
Construction works on the Coopernook to Herons Creek project.
20 TRANSPORT REVIEW OF OPERATIONS