Alstonville Access Ramps

Reviewed

Project overview

The NSW Government is funding vital road and safety improvements along the Bruxner Highway between Ballina and Lismore, including an upgrade to the Ballina Road intersection at Alstonville.

Project information

Background

The Bruxner Highway is a key movement corridor for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists and plays a vital role in facilitating movement through Lismore while connecting the city to the Ballina/Byron coastal area and west to Casino.

Transport for NSW has been planning improvements along the full length of the Bruxner Highway and has developed a comprehensive Bruxner Highway corridor strategy. This includes investigating viable options to improve safety for all road users and reduce congestion between Ballina and Lismore, notably through Lismore CBD.

In 2010, the $90 million Alstonville bypass was completed, replacing the old highway which ran through the main street of Alstonville. At the eastern end (Sneaths Road) and western end (Ballina Road) of the project, at-grade connections were built to connect back into Alstonville. The project provided significant benefits - including faster travel times, reduced traffic congestion and better pedestrian access and safety within Alstonville and Wollongbar.

Between July 2014 and June 2019, eight crashes were reported at the Bruxner Highway and Ballina Road intersection at Alstonville, with the right turn out of Ballina Road associated with the most severe crashes at the site.

In 2018, minor improvements were made to the intersection including lengthening the eastbound merge lane, building a separated left turn lane and placing a temporary ban on right turns from Ballina Road onto the highway between 3-6pm due to glare from the sun.

In March 2019, in response to the community’s concerns, the NSW Government committed to further improve safety at the intersection.

Project proposal and benefits

The proposed design improves safety at the Ballina Road intersection, by:

  • Improving right and left turn lanes from the highway onto Ballina Road and permanently removing the critical right turn out of Ballina Road onto the highway
  • Providing a new westbound on-ramp at Ellis Road onto the Bruxner Highway, utilising the existing overbridge at Wardell Road for motorists travelling towards Lismore.

Benefits of the proposal:

  • Permanently removes the right turn out and betters left turn in to improve safety
  • Minimal noise and environmental impacts, including no impacts to nearby waterways
  • No travel time impacts to vehicles using the highway
  • Fits with longer term highway planning
  • No property acquisition
  • Minimal impacts to town centre traffic.

Traffic modelling and investigations

Around 20,000 motorists use this section of the Bruxner Highway daily.

Transport carried out extensive traffic modelling and investigations to exploring potential options to improve safety at the intersection.

Traffic modelling was completed at the Ballina Road intersection that indicated:

  • The existing intersection remains efficient into the future with no delays being experienced by motorist travelling along the highway.
  • A roundabout would incur delays and traffic congestion for all movements including through trips from Pacific Highway to Lismore. The Bruxner Highway efficiency will be significantly impacted due to changes in priority, with potential safety issues for queueing highway traffic being introduced.
  • Traffic signals would also not be effective for traffic efficiency, delays would be incurred on all movements and the level of service would be below the acceptable level.
  • Longer term planning indicates that a grade separated intersection is the preferred future treatment, when traffic volumes and residential growth reaches appropriate levels.

These investigations found major upgrades to Ballina Road intersection were not required at this time. The best safety outcome for this intersection would be to remove the main conflict point, that is, the right-hand-turn from Ballina Road onto the highway and utilise the existing overbridge at Wardell Road and look at including an on-ramp for westbound traffic using the Bruxner Highway heading towards Lismore.

Traffic modelling was also carried out to determine the viability of the proposal. This includes changes to vehicle movements through the Alstonville local road network following removal of the right-hand turn from Ballina Road to use the proposed westbound on ramp when travelling towards Lismore.

Traffic modelling showed an additional 54 vehicles in the morning peak and 24 trips in the afternoon peak that would be redirected through Alstonville from the Ballina Road intersection. Of these, only a small proportion of about 15 trips in the morning and 13 in the afternoon would travel through Alstonville’s main street. There would be negligible impacts from this minor diversion of local traffic through the Alstonville network.

Next steps

Transport for NSW is continuing to develop the project. Feedback received from the community during the display in 2021, has been considered to help finalise our plans for the intersection. A report responding to submissions will be drafted and shared with the community later this year.

Transport will liaise with Ballina Shire Council before re-engaging with the community on this project.

Timing for construction of the upgrade has not been confirmed and is subject to project approval.

More information will be provided to the community and stakeholders as the project progresses.

Project documents

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Community notifications

Project maps

Contact us

For further information about this project, please contact:

Phone: 1800 653 092

Email:region.north@transport.nsw.gov.au

Post: Bruxner Hwy/Ballina Rd Project Team, Transport for NSW, PO 576, Grafton NSW 2460.