Ballina Bypass is a 12km long four-way dual carriageway linking the Pacific Highway in North Ballina with the Bruxner Highway Intersection in South Ballina. Image courtesy of Advanstra.

Ballina Bypass is a 12km long four-way dual carriageway linking the Pacific Highway in North Ballina with the Bruxner Highway Intersection in South Ballina. Image courtesy of Advanstra.

 The final link from Pacific Highway to the Bruxner Highway was opened in April 2012.

The final link from Pacific Highway to the Bruxner Highway was opened in April 2012.

 The bypass was constructed to reduce traffic congestion levels, improve the road safety and provide easier access to the road for local traffic. Image courtesy of Bidgee.

The bypass was constructed to reduce traffic congestion levels, improve the road safety and provide easier access to the road for local traffic. Image courtesy of Bidgee.

Ballina Bypass is a 12km long four-way dual carriageway linking the Pacific Highway in North Ballina with the Bruxner Highway Intersection in South Ballina. It extends from South Ballina to North Tintenbar.

“The final link from Pacific Highway to the Bruxner Highway was opened in April 2012 marking the completion of the project.”

The bypass was constructed to reduce traffic congestion levels, improve the road safety and provide easier access to the road for local traffic.

The construction was divided into two stages. The first stage consisted of a 5.9km stretch extending from Cumbalum to Ross lane. It was opened to traffic in March 2011.

The project was managed by the Australian Government and the New South Wales (NSW) road authority. It is estimated to cost around A$640m and was jointly funded by federal (A$450m) and NSW (A$190m) governments.

More than 230 people were recruited for the construction of the bypass. The final link from Pacific Highway to the Bruxner Highway was opened in April 2012 marking the completion of the project.

Ballina Bypass project history

The project received approval from the Australian Government in May 2003. It includes a new 12km carriageway divided into four lanes with a speed limit of 100km/h. The road between the Bruxner Highway and the Teven Road Interchange is divided into six lanes. It involved major construction works at the Bruxner Interchange, Cumbalum Interchange, Teven Road Interchange, Sandy Flat Creek Road and Ross Lane.

The project also included alignment of new interchanges at Teven and Ross lane. New bridges were constructed over the Emigrant Creek and Sandy Flat Creeks Road. A total of 19 bridges were constructed across the waterways. The traffic on Bruxner Highway and the Pacific Highway is separated, in order to reduce the traffic congestion and improve safety.

Contractors involved with NSW’s road project

The Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW) obtained the contract for the initial works of the Ballina Bypass in August 2006. It formed a consortium, the Ballina Bypass Alliance (BBA), in 2008 for the design and construction of the project. The consortium comprised of Leighton Contractors, Maunsell / AECOM, SMEC and Coffey Geotechnics.

Financing the road improvement

The project cost of $640m was funded entirely by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Roads and Traffic Authority (NSW).

Construction of Australia’s Ballina Bypass

The minor construction works were initiated in October 2006 and completed by December 2006. They included construction of embankments and the location of the soft soil areas.

“The project cost of $640m was funded entirely by the Australian Government in collaboration with the Roads and Traffic Authority.”

Major works were initiated in June 2008 and are expected to be completed by mid-2012. The Teven Road roundabout was opened to traffic in May 2011.The construction works at the Ross Lane roundabout are in progress. The construction of culverts beneath the new highway built to the south of the Teven interchange was initiated in May 2011.

The Cumbalum to Teven Road section was opened in November 2011. Southward lanes from Teven to Bruxner were opened December 2011, while northward lanes opened in February 2012.

The piling works for the McLeay bridge platform were initiated in June 2011. Other works, which were carried out in June 2011, included landscaping and pavement works at the Teven Road Bridge, road widening at Bruxner Highway and pavement works at Emigrant Creek Bridge.

A single span bridge was constructed over the Tamarind drive adjacent to the Pacific Highway. A small bridge was constructed over the Dead Man’s Creek adjacent to the old Pacific Highway. Construction of all the new bridges on the new alignment of the Pacific Highway was completed by August 2011.

Construction works on the Cumbalum flood relief bridges were completed in February 2011. Construction works on the western roundabout were completed in September 2011. Other works include demolition of the concrete plant at Tintenbar and management of the soft soils at the site. The construction required approximately 1.7 million cubic metres of earthwork and 100,000 cubic metres of concrete.

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