Northern region

New Bluff Point ferry for Lawrence

New larger ferry being constructed at shipyards on the Hastings River near Port Macquarie

Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has built a new ferry to service the communities of Lawrence and Woodford Island.

Approach ramps

The new ferry will be larger and will require modified road approaches and wider ramps. Construction of road approaches and new wider ramps, to be located immediately upstream of the existing ferry, will involve disruption to traffic. RMS will use community feedback to plan construction to minimise impacts.

Community feedback on the future service

We have been discussing the new ferry with local residents, farmers and business operators. This included an information session held at the Lawrence Community Hall on 30 November 2011.

During consultation, community feedback strongly favoured installing the new ferry as an additional service to alleviate service interruptions caused by breakdowns, scheduled maintenance and peak traffic flows.

Since then, RMS has been developing options for the new ferry service and is now planning to construct new approaches.

Current status update

  • Subject to cost and operational considerations, RMS is looking at the existing ferry as an additional service to the community.
  • RMS has completed a design for the new ramps with improved ramp approaches and departure angles for vehicles.
  • Ramp construction will avoid impacts on the school bus service timetable.
  • Traffic volumes to program construction impacts to coincide with off peak traffic volumes as much as possible.

What's happening now?

A community information session will be held at the Lawrence Community Hall on Wednesday, 13 June 2012 from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

The ferry is currently being monitored and tested on the Ulmarra Southgate service, before it is installed at Lawrence.

Discussions last year with the community indicated a desire to have the new ferry located on a new alignment as an additional service in times of need, such as breakdowns and maintenance.

Onsite construction of the new ramps and road approaches is planned to start in July, 2012, with the project to be completed in late 2012, weather permitting.

The community information session will be an opportunity for residents to view the proposed plans and discuss impacts on the community during construction of the new ramps and road approaches.

Comments are welcomed and will be taken into consideration in relation to the delivery of the proposed works.

Should you have any questions or wish to comment on the project, please contact the RMS's project manager, Steve Kreemers on (02) 6640 1300.