The proposal

The route of the proposed upgrade of the Pacific Highway at Bulahdelah is located in the lower north coast of New South Wales within the Great Lakes local government area. The upgrade would involve the construction of approximately 8.6 kilometres of four-lane dual carriageway highway. It would connect the already upgraded Bulahdelah to Cooloongolook section of the Pacific Highway 4 kilometres to the north of Bulahdelah, to the approved Karuah to Bulahdelah upgrade project 4.5 kilometres to the south of the town. Major interchanges would be provided to the south and north of the town, allowing safe and convenient access to Bulahdelah for highway motorists.

Benefits of the proposal

The upgrade of the Pacific Highway at Bulahdelah would:

• Provide a four-lane dual carriageway highway, with limited access points to the east of Bulahdelah with a design speed of 110 kilometres per hour. This would significantly improve safety and travelling conditions on this section of the highway.
• Reduce traffic passing through Bulahdelah, improving safety and amenity for local motorists and residents. Traffic on the existing highway within Bulahdelah would decrease from an average of about 11,000 vehicles per day to less than 2,000 vehicles per day.

Environmental management

During the development phase of the proposal, the RTA has sought to avoid or minimise impacts wherever possible. In particular, the proposed alignment and highway connections to Bulahdelah have been located and designed to encourage travellers to use the town as a convenient, highway service location. This will help to minimise economic impacts of the bypass on the towns business sector.

Proposed environmental management measures to address the remaining impacts resulting from construction and operation are discussed in the EIS and SIS. These measures have been developed to address impacts on:

• Flora and fauna.
• Heritage.
• Flooding and drainage.
• Local amenity, such as the visual character, air quality and noise reduction.
• The local economy.

For more information, see the environmental impact statement and species impact statement  page.