PLANS to widen roads that form part of Newcastle's growing western corridor are moving ahead.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
City of Newcastle will seek expressions of interest to deliver the dual-lane road upgrades at Minmi Road, between Maryland Drive and the Summerhill Road roundabout, and Longworth Avenue.
The council allocated $26 million to the projects in 2022, and has won $7.6 million from the state government.
If completed, the project would add two lanes of traffic each way in a bid to reduce congestion and bottlenecks.
It will also ditch difficult right turns and add dedicated turning lanes where possible, the council said.
A shortlist will be prepared, with eligible contractors then invited to tender for construction works to begin early next year.
Lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the project would "play a critical role in easing congestion and improving the flow of traffic, and therefore safety" in the booming west of the city.
"Feedback received from the community on the concept designs indicated strong support for the prioritisation of these works, and a desire to see travel times reduced and safety improved," she said.
"Calling for expressions of interest now, followed by a selective tender process, will ensure that we have a contractor in place to commence work early next year."
Executive manager project management office Robert Dudgeon said the council wanted to plan ahead to reduce issues for commuters.
Some smaller traffic changes during the interim are under consideration, he said.
"Making adjustments to the flow of traffic in neighbouring areas will help reduce bottlenecks that result from the changes required to deliver these much-needed upgrades," Mr Dudgeon said.
Feedback is open through the council's website from May 31 to July 1.
