Newell Highway Upgrade

The Newell Highway is part of the National Land Transport Network and the longest highway in New South Wales (NSW). It is the principal freight route between Melbourne and Brisbane, and is a critical link for regional producers in NSW.

The NSW Government has introduced the Newell Highway Corridor Strategy, in line with its long-term regional transport plans, to deliver safety and capacity improvements to the highway over a 20-year timeframe. Under the Strategy, short, medium and long-term investment priorities along the 1058-kilometre highway have been identified.

Key projects and programs under the Newell Highway Upgrade are listed below.

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Heavy Duty Pavement Upgrades ($261 million)

The currently identified work involves heavy duty pavement upgrades along eight sections of the Newell Highway - five between Narrabri and Moree and three north of Moree. Totalling 62 kilometres, the upgrades will include:

• widening the existing highway or constructing a new two lane highway adjacent to the existing highway-upgrade intersections and right turning lanes
• retaining or improving the 110 km/h design speed alignments
• improving access to private property and bus stops, and
• providing new 1.5-kilometre long dedicated overtaking lanes in five locations between Narrabri and Moree.

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New Dubbo Bridge ($220 million)

A new 545-metre bridge will connect the western shore of the Macquarie River to River Street New, providing an additional river crossing in Dubbo during floods. The New Dubbo Bridge project will also include:

• new and upgraded intersections at Thompson Street, Whylandra Street, and the Newell Highway
• realignment of Newell Highway with separated lanes north of Whylandra Street, and
• an intersection upgrade at Bourke Street and River Street.

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Parkes Bypass ($187 million)

This project involves a new 10.5-kilometre bypass about two kilometres west of Parkes. Features include:

• a single-lane road (each direction) with five intersections
• two bridges
• extension of Hartigan Avenue
• realignment, reconfiguration and modification to local roads, and
• a new shared path for pedestrians and cyclists along the bypass.

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Additional Overtaking Lanes ($275 million)

The New South Wales Government formed the Newell Highway Program Alliance to initially deliver 38 overtaking lanes, in addition to the 20 previously delivered. With more Federal funding in the 2020-21 Budget, a further ten overtaking lanes were added to the scope of the project. In total, this program of work will result in the construction of a minimum of 45 kilometres of new overtaking lanes, delivering them in four years, instead of the initial timeframe of eight years.