Alstonville Bypass (Nation Building)

Project Description

Alstonville is the hub of a network of arterial roads that connect the seaside towns of Ballina, Byron Bay, and several hinterland villages, with the service and administrative centre of Lismore in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. The 6.2 km bypass will start at Sneaths Road, west of Wollongbar and rejoin the highway at the Tropical Fruit Research Station at Perrys Hill, east of Alstonville. The purpose of the bypass is to separate through traffic and local traffic. The number of entry and exit points have been designed to accommodate existing and future land use and travel patterns.

Benefits

The Alstonville bypass will provide significant benefits, including faster travel times for local and highway traffic and better traffic flow along the existing highway. In addition, there will be shorter waiting times at intersections, reduced vehicle operating costs and lower emissions. The project will also facilitate better pedestrian access and improve safety and amenity.

Funding

The Australian Government previously provided $12 million towards planning of this project, together with $85 million towards construction, total funding is now $97 million.  The project is fully funded by the Australian Government. 

Timetable

Construction commenced in April 2009 with the bypass expected to be open to traffic in late 2010.