THE Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) has released its preferred plan for the New England Highway Muswellbrook Bypass.
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In its July 2018 Options Report, five routes were considered to combat the heavy influx of vehicles, which pass through the town on a daily basis.
Currently, highway traffic passes through six traffic lights, a roundabout, a school zone, under a narrow railway overpass and through a flood prone section at Muscle Creek, which all impact on travel time.
The narrow railway underpass also poses limitations for over-size over-mass (OSOM) vehicles.
Taking these issues into consideration, the RMS stated the following objectives were specific to a bypass of Muswellbrook: improve network efficiency on the New England Highway, particularly travel times for long haul freight movements; improve safety for all road users in the town centre, particularly relating to heavy and light vehicle interactions; and, improve the amenity of the Muswellbrook township.
The Australian Government announced a preferred option in 2005, which Muswellbrook Shire Council included as a corridor in its 2009 Local Environment Plan (LEP).
However, after further consideration of project constraints and costs, it’s not considered economically viable.
The RMS then continued investigations to identify a better alternative for the bypass, including consideration of in-town routes.
Last month, the “blue option” was deemed the favoured route.
It departs the New England Highway near its intersection with Milpera Drive, heading north on new bridges crossing Muscle Creek Road and the Main North rail line; and another bridge further north crossing Muscle Creek.
The route continues north on the east side of Skellatar Hill before curving north-west and crossing Coal Road between the Muswellbrook Waste Facility and the Muswellbrook Coal Mine.
The option includes a potential connection to Coal Road.
It then continues north on new crossings of Sandy Creek Road, Sandy Creek and the Main North rail line; overpassing and connecting with the New England Highway about 1.2km north of Sandy Creek Road.
The “blue option” is an updated version of the corridor outlined in council’s LEP with amendments to improve the economic viability of it.
The main differences between the “blue option” and the corridor in the LEP are:
• Where the bypass crosses over Muscle Creek Road and the Main North rail line, the route has been moved to the east, which reduces the new bridge length and the amount of road work required on Muscle Creek Road;
• At the Muswellbrook Waste Management Facility on Coal Road, the route has been moved further to the east. This reduces some of the potential constraints such as underground mine workings;
• At the Ausgrid electrical sub-station site the route has been moved further to the east. This reduces the impact on services and the amount of potential power line relocations; and
• Along Sandy Creek Road the route has been moved further to the west, which simplifies the bridge design over Sandy Creek Road, Sandy Creek, the Main North rail line and the current New England Highway.
The corridor for this option would be further refined considering the results of geotechnical studies carried out for future planning.
“As part of the planning process, we have carried out investigations to identify an economically viable option, which meets funding requirements,” an RMS spokesperson said.
“The options report reaffirms the preserved corridor in Muswellbrook Shire Council’s Local Environment Plan (LEP), with minor route changes to improve the economic viability of the bypass.
“We are preparing a business case to progress the project.
“The project is subject to funding from the Australian Government and timing for construction of the bypass has not been confirmed.”
To view the report, visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/hunter/new-england-highway/muswellbrook-bypass/index.html
The Muswellbrook Chronicle
