newy.com.au – Major construction on a $16 million upgrade of the Speers Point transport network is set to begin within weeks after the project’s environmental review was completed and early work started.
Crews have installed signage and will soon establish a site compound and carry out pre-construction investigations. The main construction program is expected to take 12 months, weather permitting.
The work targets a major connection between Wallsend and Glendale, Toronto and the eastern suburbs of Lake Macquarie. Traffic data included in the Review of Environmental Factors shows Five Islands Road south of The Esplanade carries about 40,000 vehicles a day, while The Esplanade carries about 25,500 and T C Frith Avenue about 22,000.
The project includes a signalised intersection at T C Frith Avenue and Seventh Street, as well as changes to traffic movements on Five Islands Road. A continuous northbound slip-through lane and dedicated right-turn lane, separated by a concrete median, will be installed at the roundabout.
Metering signals will also be installed to regulate northbound right-turn traffic through the roundabout during busy periods. A dedicated southbound left-turn lane from T C Frith Avenue into The Esplanade will extend for about 140 metres, while additional safety barriers will be installed around the roundabout and along Five Islands Road.
T C Frith Avenue will be widened to continue two northbound and two southbound lanes from the roundabout to about 150 metres north of Seventh Street.
Right-turn bays will be added on T C Frith Avenue at Second and Fourth streets, although motorists will no longer be permitted to turn right out of those streets onto T C Frith Avenue. A pedestrian refuge will also be installed at Third Street.
The new traffic lights at Seventh Street will include signalised pedestrian crossings and additional departure lanes. Transport for NSW refined the intersection design after community feedback raised concerns about a proposed ban on right turns once the signals were installed.
The revised design will allow motorists to turn right from T C Frith Avenue into Seventh Street. There will be one through lane and one dedicated right-turn lane in each direction.
The project will also provide a three-metre-wide shared path for pedestrians and cyclists between Seventh Street and Creek Reserve Road. A small roundabout, about seven metres wide, will be built on Creek Reserve Road.
Traffic will no longer be able to leave Creek Reserve Road directly through the main Speers Point roundabout, while entry to Creek Reserve Road will be limited to motorists approaching from the south. The changes are intended to remove conflict points and improve northbound traffic flow.
Drainage work will include rebuilding and upgrading existing pits, installing a slotted kerb near the roundabout and building a new box culvert beside the Seventh Street intersection. Existing culverts and headwalls will also be extended to accommodate the widened road.
Almost 500 pieces of feedback were received during consultation on the concept design in July 2025. Most respondents supported the proposed upgrade, while more than 94 per cent considered it important or very important. Feedback from early consultation in 2024 was also considered when finalising the Review of Environmental Factors.
The review says full road closures are not expected during construction, although temporary lane closures, traffic diversions, stop-go arrangements and reduced speed limits will be required. The road corridor is expected to remain open, with traffic moved between northbound and southbound lanes as different sections are built.
More disruptive work, including asphalting, barrier and median installation, earthworks and line marking, may be carried out at night when traffic volumes are lower. Nearby residents will be notified before planned work outside standard construction hours, while access to homes and businesses is expected to be maintained wherever possible.
Environmental investigations identified areas of black slag used as fill following historical operations at the former Pasminco smelter. The report says contaminated material will be avoided where possible and carefully separated during excavation.
Where suitable, affected material may be reused and contained beneath finished road surfaces, the shared path or landscaped embankments in accordance with Lake Macquarie City Council guidelines. Material that cannot be safely reused will be classified and taken to an approved disposal facility.
The project could remove up to 0.23 hectares of native vegetation, including vegetation associated with the Swamp Oak Floodplain Forest ecological community. Transport will be required to offset biodiversity impacts and provide replacement trees and hollows. The assessment concluded the work was unlikely to have a significant effect on threatened species or ecological communities.
Flood modelling found the upgrade would not change the area’s flood hazard classifications. During a one-in-100-year flood event, modelling predicted increases of between one and 18 millimetres at some properties east of T C Frith Avenue, which the report said remained within accepted road-design tolerances.
The review concluded that the project’s longer-term benefits, including reduced congestion, improved road safety and better pedestrian and cycling connections, would outweigh its construction and environmental impacts. It found an environmental impact statement was not required.
The Review of Environmental Factors outlines the proposed construction methods and measures to minimise environmental impacts. It is available on the Transport for NSW project webpage.
Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said the upgrade was needed to support the area’s expected population and employment growth.
“It’s great to see the Government taking another step towards delivering these important upgrades for the Lake Macquarie community, with early work underway and the Review of Environmental Factors now complete,” Mr Piper said.
“Northwest Lake Macquarie is expected to welcome around 12,000 new residents and 6,000 new jobs over the next two decades, and it’s essential we make sure our infrastructure keeps pace with growth.
“Transport have listened to what the community shared during consultation and refined the design to retain right turns into Seventh Street, while still delivering a safer, more efficient intersection.”
Read the full report here: https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system/files/media/documents/2026/speers-point-transport-improvements-review-of-environmental-factors-main-report.pdf
