Oxley Highway Corridor Strategy
Project overview
The Oxley Highway Draft Corridor Strategy is a twenty-year road plan that aims to safely support the road transport needs of the region.
Key benefits
- Improve road safety, travel reliability and freight access along the road corridor
- Enhance a vital multi-use connection between Port Macquarie and western NSW town centres
- Support regional growth, development and liveability
The draft strategy recognises the need to create a road that is safe, reliable, sustainable and comfortable – particularly for increasing numbers of freight operators.
It also looks at sustainable ways to ensure the corridor can work efficiently and sensitively alongside community activity, residential growth and land use.
At 514kms long, the Oxley Highway starts on the mid-north coast at Port Macquarie and goes west to the inland centres of Tamworth, Gunnedah and Gilgandra, finishing at Nevertire in central west NSW. It then joins with the Mitchell Highway.
The draft strategy has been developed under the Road Network and Corridor Planning program by Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Roads and Maritime (RM).
Oxley Highway Draft Corridor Strategy March 2016
Community feedback and local knowledge will be addressed in a community consultation report that will be available when the final strategy is published.
For more information, visit the Roads and Maritime Draft corridors – Northern page.
Project status:
The short-term investment priorities for the Oxley Highway Draft Corridor Strategy are:
Improve road safety:
- Address high risk slopes
- Create space between vehicles at risk and other road users by providing sufficient clear zones
- Ensure there are enough rest areas, especially for long-distance heavy vehicle drivers
- Tackle the risks associated with rail crossings
- Reduce and prevent road crashes through road safety initiatives and campaigns.
Increase travel reliability:
- Reduce disruption, road closures and maintenance costs by improving flood management measures
- Work on road alignment
- Reduce travel times by upgrading overtaking lanes and potentially adding more
- Improve the travel experience and reduce maintenance costs with pavement upgrades along the corridor
- Intersection upgrades that will benefit High Productivity Vehicles (HPV) as well as other road users
- The draft strategy also recognises the needs of those who move around and across the corridor. This includes investigations into how to improve cycle routes and pedestrian facilities.