“Hive of activity” on the new section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass

Newcastle motorists are seeing work progressing well on the new Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass with early works, including the relocation of utilities, already underway.
Transport for NSW Region North director Anna Zycki said the Australian and NSW governments are funding the $450 million Rankin Park to Jesmond section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass.
This project will relieve traffic on the surrounding road network, in particular the existing alignment of Lookout Road, Croudace Street and Newcastle Road, which is used by around 40,000 to 60,000 vehicles each day, Ms Zycki said.
The new bypass will remove up to 30,000 vehicles each day from the existing route, which is a huge win for the community and freight operators.
Once completed, motorists traveling on the new bypass section will avoid up to 11 sets of traffic lights along the existing route.
Ms Zycki said the site has been a hive of activity, with early work well underway, including the completion of the archaeological salvage of the Hollywood slum.
Investigations, installation and relocation of utilities are well underway, Ms Zycki said.
We have also completed the archaeological recovery of the historic 1920s Hollywood camp.
Our archaeologists have unearthed a multitude of artifacts at the site, which was home to dozens of people who became homeless during the Great Depression.
Road users will begin to see the work speeding up with the installation of crash barriers, line markings and road signs continuing to support road realignment and adjustments.
Ms Zycki said preparation is also underway for the upcoming bridge works at the North Interchange.
The piling platforms arrived at the site in mid-June and work on piling the bridge began, Ms Zycki said.
Six bridges are being built as part of the bypass and more than 60 piles will be installed for these bridges.
Cumulatively, the boreholes for the piles will be more than 1.2 kilometers deep, more than the Eiffel Tower stacked four times end to end.
There will also be 190 tonnes of rebar used in the piles, which is equivalent to the weight of over 32 elephants.
The new Online Interactive Project Portal is also live and features an interactive map showing the project design, before and after images, animated videos, work activity and more.
The portal can be viewed at https://caportal.com.au/tfnsw/rankin-park-to-jesmond/
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.