New England Highway upgrade at Gowrie Gates

The $29 million upgrade was completed and fully open to traffic in July 2019.

Transport for NSW thanks the community for its patience during the construction of this important upgrade.

View the photo and video galleries of the bridge replacement and road widening work since construction started in April 2018.

The New England Highway bridge barrier improvement project will deliver safety upgrades to bridge barriers on four bridges on the New England Highway between Ravensworth and Liddell. The NSW Government is funding $1.4 million of safety improvements on the New England Highway at Dundee, 27 kilometres north of Glen Innes.

The NSW Government is funding important upgrades on the New England Highway as part of its Saving Lives on Country Roads program. Transport for NSW is carrying out a number of improvements on the New England Highway. The New England Highway connects the Hunter region at its southern end to the Queensland border at its Northern end.

The Australian and NSW Governments are investing $340 million to deliver a New England Highway bypass of Muswellbrook. The bypass would improve travel times, freight efficiency and safety for all road users.

Transport for NSW is upgrading the New England Highway between Belford and the Golden Highway to provide two travel lanes in each direction and a flyover for vehicles turning right from the Golden Highway towards Maitland and Newcastle. The NSW Government is investing $97 million for the upgrade to improve traffic flow, travel times and safety for motorists.

The New England Highway through Singleton is part of the National Land Transport Network and is the main arterial connection between Newcastle and the Upper Hunter.

The Main North Line rail bridge over the highway, known as Gowrie Gates, restricted access for wide load heavy vehicles.

The existing rail bridge was replaced with a new bridge which provides increased horizontal clearance. This allowed for widening of the highway to accommodate two travel lanes with wide sealed shoulders and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists.

The upgrade provides for continued light and heavy vehicle access to Singleton. Freight access would still be required at Gowrie Gates if a future bypass of the town is built.

The upgrade was jointly funded by ARTC and the NSW Government with Daracon Group delivering the upgrade under a contract with ARTC.

• Improved access and travel times for over-sized heavy vehicles on the New England Highway
• Minimised disruptions to heavy freight vehicles on the highway underpass and trains on the Main North Line
• Improved road safety for all road users.

• New rail bridge over the New England Highway provides a new minimum 5.4 metre vertical clearance to minimise freight disruptions along the highway
• Rebuilt and widened around 260 metres of the New England Highway to provide two 3.5 metre lanes and three metre shoulders at the underpass to bring the road up to current road safety standards
• Re-laid up to 200 metres of rail track for improved rail access.

• August 2015 project update
  New England Highway and rail bridge upgrade at Gowrie Gates.
• June 2015 community update
  New England Highway and rail bridge upgrade at Gowrie Gates.

• August 2015 submissions report
  Upgrade of the rail bridge and New England Highway at Gowrie Gates, Singleton.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Main report.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix A - Concept design drawings.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix B - Clause 228 and matters of national environmental significance.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix C - PACHCI clearance letter.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix D - Consultation and submissions
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix E - Noise and Vibration Assessment.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix F - Traffic and transport assessment.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix G - EPBC Act protected matters search report.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix H - Assessments of significance.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix I - Landscape character, visual impact and urban design report.
• May 2015 review of environmental factors report
  Appendix J - Desktop contamination assessment.