Construction has begun on stage one of a $35 million arterial road upgrade, marking the beginning of a major overhaul of one of Lake Macquarie's busiest transport corridors.
The work on Hillsborough Road is focusing on the Crockett Street intersection, including installing new traffic lights and duplicating 700 metres of the main road.
The corridor, which 36,000 motorists travel along daily, is known for heavy congestion during peak periods, difficult turning movements, and challenging merging from side streets.
"Hillsborough Road is well known by the community as a difficult stretch of road, with heavy peak-hour congestion and drivers often needing to slow right down to safely merge from side streets," Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said.
"This upgrade is about easing that pressure for motorists and making daily trips safer, smoother and less stressful. It's great to see work now underway, with the community set to benefit from these improvements for years to come."
The start of work on stage one marks an important milestone in the project to upgrade the full 1.8-kilometre stretch of road, from the Newcastle Inner City Bypass roundabout to the existing duplication west of Crockett Street.
Construction of stage one is expected to take 18 months to complete, subject to weather.
The project has been shaped by community consultation undertaken in 2022, with further investigations and utility work completed in 2024 ahead of construction.
"This is a major upgrade for one of Lake Macquarie's busiest corridors and an important investment that will deliver safer roads for the Hunter," Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said.
"Anyone who drives Hillsborough Road knows the challenges of stop-start traffic and hard merges.
Daracon Contractors has been awarded the contract to deliver stage one and has been establishing the site since mid-April in preparation for major construction.
Work will be carried out on weekdays from 7am to 6pm and 7am to 1pm on Saturdays, as required.
At times work will need to be carried out between 7pm and 5am to minimise impacts to traffic during peak times.
For the latest information on the project, visit nswroads.work/hillsboroughroad
