Final Stage Of Newcastle Inner City Bypass Reaches Major Milestone

 BY IAN CROUCH

The final section of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass has reached a significant milestone, with traffic switched to a new signalised intersection at Jesmond.

The switch was made just after 5 o'clock this morning, meaning traffic will no longer use the roundabout and instead will travel under the bypass overbridge on Newcastle Road.

Federal Newcastle MP, Sharon Claydon says it will be a safer journey for motorists now the roundabout has gone.

"The roundabout has been a notorious accident-prone choke point for traffic for a long time. This is a major piece of infrastructure impacting some 40,000 to 60,000 motorists that travel on this road every day," she said.

Wallsend Mp Sonia Hornery and Federal Newcastle Mp Sharon Claydon with members of the bypass construction team

Driver Charged With Driving Recklessly and Furiously On Newcastle Inner City Bypass

 BY IAN CROUCH

Police have charged a man with driving recklessly and furiously on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass at Hillsborough.

Highway Patrol officers say just before 4.00am on Sunday they detected an MG SUV being driven at 196km/hr in a 90 zone on the bypass.

They pulled the car over and subjected the driver to a random drug test where it's alleged he returned a positive result.

The 27-year-old, who was allegedly driving on a disqualified licence, was taken to Belmont Police Station where he underwent a second drug test.

The Stockton man's been charged with driving while disqualified, drive recklessly and furiously or speed manner dangerous and exceed speed by more than 45km/hr.

He faced Newcastle Local Court on Sunday where he was granted strict conditional bail to face the same court on March 7.

Truck Driver Injured On Newcastle Inner City Bypass Worksite

 BY IAN CROUCH

A man working on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass extension has been injured in a truck crash overnight.

Police say the 56-year-old man was driving a dump truck on the work site off Lookout Road at New Lambton Heights just before 10pm when the truck crashed down a gully.

He was trapped under the dump truck for a short time before being freed by the Police Rescue Squad.

He was treated by the Critical Care Medical Team from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter before baing taken by ambulance to the John Hunter Hospital in a serious but stable condition with multiple crush injuries.

SafeWork Inspectors will attend the site this morning to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.   

Newcastle Inner City Bypass 5th Stage A Step Closer

 BY IAN CROUCH

It's hoped work on the 5th stage of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass will get under way from midway through next year.

Tenders have been called for construction of the $450 million section, with three subcontractors vying for the work following an expression of interest process.

They are:

* John Holland Pty Ltd;

* Fulton Hogan Construction Pty Ltd and;

* NEWLink - BMD Constructions Pty Ltd and Ditchfield Contracting Pty Ltd Joint Venture.

It's expected the tender will be awarded early next year.

The road is expected to reduce travel times by 80 per cent, bypassing 11 sets of traffic lights between, Lookout, Croudace and Newcastle Roads and removing up to 30,000 cars per day in the process.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Barnaby Joyce said the Australian Government has committed $360 million to build this section of road.

"The Federal Government is committed to busting congestion and reducing travel times through this multi-millon-dollar investment in the Newcastle Inner City Bypass," he said.

Transport for NSW is working with NSW Health to ensure the bypass provides a second access road to the John Hunter Hospital.

It's expected the bypass will open to traffic in 2025.

The proposed northern interchange of stage 5 of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass

BREAKING! Two Men Injured In Bad Crash At Sandgate

BY IAN CROUCH

Emergency services have been called to a serious crash at Sandgate.

It's understood 3 vehicles have collided on the Pacific Highway near the Newcastle Inner City Bypass just before 6.00am on Monday and northbound traffic is affected.

Newcastle Fire Command says 1 vehicle is a van on it's side.

The northbound lanes of Newcastle Inner city Bypass have been closed.

NSW Ambulance says a 63-year-old man has suffered chest injuries and a 31-year-old man has suffered facial injuries. 

Man Arrested After High Speed Pursuit At Belmont

BY IAN CROUCH

A man has a date in court following a high speed pursuit at Belmont early Friday.

Patrolling police attempted to stop a Suzuki motorbike on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass at 1.20am but gave chase when the rider failed to stop.

The pursuit continued onto the Pacific Highway, allegedly reaching an estimated speed of 150km/h  in a 60km/h zone before the motorcyclist stopped near George Street.

The 36-year-old is due to face Belmont Local Court on August 5 charged with 5 offences including police pursuit, and riding an unregistered and uninsured motorcycle.

Truck Loses Load Of Vegetables At Sandgate

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are urging motorists heading north on Maitland Road at Sandgate to drive with caution after a truck lost its load of vegetables.

It appears the truck was turning from Maitland Road onto the Inner City Bypass just after 4.00am on Wednesday when the load shifted.

No-one's been injured and emergency services are at the scene.

1 of 3 northbound lanes (lane 2) is closed.

A council crew is o the way to assist with the clean-up.

Final Stage of Inner City Bypass Could Start Late 2019

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

More than four years after former Premier Mike Baird announced funding for the fifth and final stage of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass, it's been revealed today the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the project has been approved.

The Department of Planning and Environment received 173 submissions after the EIS was exhibited in late 2016, with residents highlighting issues with the Jesmond Park shared path, noise and vibration during construction, the hospital interchange and pedestrian access.

The Department's final assessment means construction will be subject to a few conditions including the preparation of a Construction Environmental Management Plan, but Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot Macdonald said the approval means construction planning can finally get underway.

"One of the very, very important things was that we got confirmation of the dual access ramps in and out of John Hunter Hospital, going north and south,"

"So it's an important step and the NSW Liberal government will be announcing in the not too distant future the next steps of construction."

According to Scot Macdonald, Roads and Maritime Services has advised work could begin on the project by the end of this year.

The 3.4km bypass between Rankin Park and Jesmond is expected to help motorists avoid up to 11 sets of traffic lights on the existing route and will help speed up travel during morning and afternoon peaks.

Maitland residents will also be set to benefit from another announcement made today, with $1.5 million dollars to be invested in traffic management improvements for the Cessnock Road and Church Street roundabout.

Work will begin in April to install traffic lights on the eastbound entrance and widen Cessnock Road.

During peak hours the lights will be triggered by traffic queue detectors which will be installed on the New England Highway westbound approach.

Local roads were high on the agenda today, with Scot Macdonald also joined at Beresfield by Wallsend Liberal candidate Nick Trappett for an inspection of the newly upgraded intersection of Weakleys Drive and John Renshaw Drive.

Work started just over a year ago to replace the roundabout with a new set of traffic lights which are already operating as the final touches are made to the site.

Blake Keating, Scot Macdonald and Nick Trappett

Stage 5 Of Newcastle Inner City Bypass Approved

BY IAN CROUCH

More than four years after former Premier, Mike Baird announced funding to complete the final stage of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass between Rankin Park and Jesmond, an announcement is expected this afternoon just over three weeks out from the state election.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Scot Macdonald has called a media conference at Jesmond at 2pm with Liberal candidates for Wallsend and Newcastle, Nick Trappett and Blake Keating to announce the Environmental Impact Statement for the long-awaited missing link has been approved.

The announcement should clear the way for the final approval of the project.

The so-called missing link has been dogged with delays since Mike Baird announced a further $150 million in June 2014 towards the $280 million final stage, with work to have started in 2017.

One of the biggest issues has been the design of the interchange linking the bypass to John Hunter Hospital. Initial designs and recommendations from Roads and Maritime Services suggested only a half interchange was needed due to projected traffic flows, however Hunter New England Health and members of the community successfully lobbied for a full interchange to be built. This prompted the need for a new Environmental Impact Statement

It's hoped the approval of the EIS will fast-track a construction date.

The Half Interchange Originally Proposed For The Newcastle Inner City Bypass

Police Appeal For Help After Fail To Stop Crash At Mount Hutton

BY IAN CROUCH

Police are appealing for dashcam footage following a fail to stop crash at Mount Hutton which has left a man in hospital with serious injuries.

Just before 1.30pm yesterday, a 70-year-old man was driving his Ford Falcon ute and box trailer northbound on the Newcastle Inner City Bypass when he pulled over under the Warners Bay Road underpass to cover the load as it started to rain.

However, he was struck by a large white truck which failed to stop.

The man suffered rib fractures and possible chest and leg injuries - he remains in a serious by stable condition in the John Hunter Hospital.

Anyone who witnessed the crash is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.