On behalf of the Australian and New South Wales governments, the Roads and Traffic Authority will construct a freeway-class road between the F3 Freeway and Branxton.
The project is called the Hunter Expressway, previously known as the F3 to Branxton link. The Australian Government announced in the May 2009 Budget Statement that it will provide $1,451 million (plus earned interest income) towards the cost of construction. The NSW Government is committed to contributing up to $200 million, if required, to complete the project. Construction is expected to start in 2010 and the expressway is scheduled to open in 2013.
The Hunter Expressway will provide about 40 km of dual divided carriageway between the F3 Freeway at Seahampton and the New England Highway west of Branxton. Interchanges will be located at the F3 Freeway, Buchanan, Kurri Kurri, Loxford, Allandale and Branxton.
The speed limit will be 110 km/h.
Benefits of the Hunter Expressway
- It will improve the efficiency of the National Network between Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane.
- It will create a high standard road for the Lower Hunter that will relieve congestion on the New England Highway and provide an east-west connection between the Newcastle regional centre and urban centres in the Lower Hunter.
- It will provide a more direct and efficient route for the movement of freight between the Upper Hunter and the Port of Newcastle.
The NSW Government’s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy shows that the Hunter Expressway will assist in the movement of freight from the north west of NSW and the movement of people to and from the Upper Hunter. It will also support regional access to large residential and industrial developments in the Lower Hunter Region.
Approval and modification
The Hunter Expressway received planning approval in 2001. The conditions of approval required the RTA to reduce its ecological impact. To meet these conditions, the RTA modified the design to reduce clearing of native vegetation, including endangered ecological communities.
The modification includes three key changes to the Hunter Expressway’s design:
- Realignment through the Sugarloaf Range and construction of three large bridges over deep gullies.
- Closure of Stanford Road, Stanford Merthyr, on both sides of the Hunter Expressway.
- Construction of a new interchange at Branxton to divert traffic onto the Hunter Expressway that otherwise would have travelled through Branxton on the New England Highway.
On 19 August 2007, the NSW Minister for Planning approved the modification to the Hunter Expressway. In addition to the three design changes, the modified approval increases the total area of native vegetation that may be cleared to construct the Expressway to 182 hectares. It also enables water quality controls and fences to be placed in areas containing threatened species habitat or endangered ecological communities, as long as the native vegetation clearing limit of 182 hectares is not exceeded.
For more information
The RTA prepared documents (see the links below) that provide detailed information about the modification to the Hunter Expressway.
If you require more information, please contact the RTA on 131-RTA (131 782) or email Allan_Bowditch@rta.nsw.gov.au.
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