Newell Highway upgrade
The Newell Highway is part of the National Land Transport Network. It is the principal inter-capital freight route between Melbourne and Brisbane, and is a critical link for regional producers in central and western New South Wales. Freight movements on the corridor are expected to grow strongly, supported by robust population growth in both Melbourne and Brisbane.
The efficiency of the route is constrained by localized congestion and flooding, deteriorating pavement and a lack of overtaking opportunities. Road alignment in several sections is also unsuitable for some High Productivity Vehicles (HPV).
These factors constrain freight productivity by increasing travel times and the number of vehicle journeys required, as well as reducing freight reliability.
The proposal seeks to improve several sections of the highway to support safe HPV access, and improve safety and reliability.
The proposal will also consider first/last mile issues faced by HPV operators in the corridor, including:
- Trewilga and Grong Grong realignment
- Heavy Duty pavement at Mungleback Creek
- Newelland Mitchell Highway intersection upgrade
- Goondiwindi to Boggabilla widening
27 overtaking lanes have been completed along the highway and a further 13 overtaking lanes are planned to be delivered.
Construction is also in progress on Parkes Bypass, New Dubbo Bridge and heavy duty pavement between Narrabri to Moree.
Development is in progress for a range of further works:
- Newell and Oxley Intersection upgrade
- road widening from Coonabarabran to Narrabri (Pilga Widening)
- improved flood immunity
The NSW Government completed the Newell Highway Corridor Strategy in June 2019 and is progressively developing business cases for each element of this proposal.
The Australian Government has committed over $1 billion towards projects on the Newell Highway.
Proponent to complete business case development (Stage 3 of Infrastructure Australia’s Assessment Framework).
Refer to Infrastructure Glossary for terms and definitions.