The opening of two bridges within the $700 million Singleton bypass project is delivering positive results for the Upper Hunter Valley community, even though they are not yet open to the public.
Bridges across the Hunter River and the New England Highway at Gowrie are now able to handle heavy vehicles and large haulage trucks, reducing the number of trucks through the city centre by about 250 a day.
Transport for NSW Executive Director Partnerships and Integration North Greg Collins says allowing heavy vehicles to use the bridges has reduced some of the project’s impact during the construction phase.
“The section of the New England Highway through Singleton carries around 26,000 vehicles, including more than 3700 heavy vehicles, each day and construction of the bypass has only added to that,” Collins says.
“Having these two newly constructed bridges open for use by haulage trucks minimises further disruptions to the community and town centre as work continues.
“Trucks moving fill from earthworks at the northern end of the project can now travel through the project alignment to Putty Road, removing around 250 trucks per day from the town centre.
“With traffic volumes predicted to rise over the coming years, the bypass will make a massive difference to safety and amenity in Singleton, benefitting residents, visitors and local businesses.”
Another win for the community is the fact the non-public nature of the roads mean larger, off-road, haulage trucks can be used during construction, decreasing the time spent hauling dirt.
Transport for NSW says fill is still required to be moved from the northern end of the project and along the New England Highway to the southern connection at Whittingham is still required.
Earthwork material cut from McDougalls Hill is being used to build road embankments between the various bridges and overpasses which make up the bypass.
Overall, the Singleton bypass is about eight kilometres long and – when complete – will save motorists about six minutes in travel time, avoiding up to five sets of traffic lights.
It is also predicted to remove about 15,000 vehicles a day from the section of the New England Highway through the Singleton town centre.
The work provides a full interchange at Putty Road, and connections with the New England Highway at the southern end, the northern end and at Gowrie.
The Singleton Bypass is expected to open to traffic in late 2026, weather permitting.