Daroobalgie
Project overview
The Newell Highway Program Alliance (NHPA) will commence the construction of a new southbound overtaking lane, about two kilometres north of Forbes, in May 2022.
The project will take about eight months to complete, weather permitting.

Project information
Background
Transport for NSW have partnered with BMD and AECOM to form the Newell Highway Program Alliance.
The strategic partnership will deliver about 40 additional overtaking lanes in an estimated four years rather than the likely eight years it would take to fund and deliver this work using traditional procurement methods.
This innovative mode of delivery will result in a minimum of 60 kilometres of new overtaking lanes to improve safety, reduce travel times, allow more accurate travel planning and improve freight efficiency.
The new overtaking lanes are expected to provide around 33 minutes of travel time savings along the length of the Newell Highway from the Victorian to the Queensland border.
Features
The new southbound lane will extend for about 1.5 kilometres along the highway, about two kilometres north of Forbes.
Work on the new overtaking lane will commence in May 2022 and take about eight months to complete, weather permitting.
Benefits
The benefits of the project include:
- Improved safety for motorists and road users
- Reduced travel times
- More accurate travel planning
- Improved freight efficiency.
What you need to know
In response to restrictions and for the safety of staff, contractors and the community, work is being carried out on a two-week rotating roster.
This roster enables us to work through changes as we ease restrictions and begin to open back up across the state.
Workdays and hours are:
Week 1
- Tuesday to Friday: 7am - 6pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 8am to 6pm
Week 2
- Monday to Thursday: 7am to 6pm
- Friday to Monday: no work.
Traffic changes
Motorists are advised of changed traffic conditions including a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h and 60 km/h during work hours and a reduced limit of 80 km/h after hours, which may affect travel times.
All motorists are advised to drive to the conditions and follow the directions of signs and traffic control.
For the latest traffic updates, you can call 132 701, visit the Live Traffic NSW website or download the Live Traffic NSW App.
Next steps
The project team will keep the community regularly informed as the work progresses.
Thank you for your understanding while we complete this important work.
Project documents
Some documents on this page may not comply with accessibility requirements (WCAG).
If you are having trouble accessing information in these documents, please contact us.
Project notifications
- April 2022 project notification
Work to start on a new overtaking lane on the Newell Highway near Forbes from 10 May.