Singleton Bypass - New England Highway

ACCIONA will be carrying out work on the Singleton Bypass project alignment. To minimise traffic impact, work will be carried out at night between 6pm and 7am on weeknights, and on some weekends. Night work will continue from early August to the end of September 2025, weather permitting.

Work will take place along the New England Highway between Range Road at Whittingham and Rixs Creek Lane at Rixs Creek. Activities will include earthworks, utility relocation, road asphalting, line marking, placement of barriers and concrete, and delivery of bridge girders using cranes.

For more information, please see our latest community notification (PDF, 492.13 KB).

As part of construction activities for the Singleton Bypass, bridge girders will be installed over the Great Northern Railway near Orchard Lane from Tuesday 22 July to Friday 25 July 2025.

To take advantage of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) possession period, work may need to occur during evening and night-time hours between 6pm and 7am across this four-day period, subject to weather conditions.

Work will take place near Orchard Lane, around two kilometres south of Singleton CBD, within the project corridor.

The new bridge forms part of the Singleton Bypass and will cross the Great Northern Railway at this location. Six girders, each 38 metres long and weighing 83 tonnes, will be installed using a 600-tonne crane.

This work has been assessed as having moderate noise impact. Equipment to be used includes lighting towers, generators, a crane, hand held tools and other machinery.

There will be no traffic disruptions, and vehicle access for local residents will be maintained at all times. Residents may notice workers, vehicles and activity from work compounds located at the New England Highway (Whittingham) and Army Camp Road (Glenridding).

Standard work hours are between 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and 7am to 1pm, Saturday. Due to the timing of this activity, work may extend outside these hours.

For more information, please see our July 2025 community notification (PDF, 216.87 KB).

As part of construction activities for the Singleton Bypass, night work will be carried out on Putty Road near Carrington Street to install bridge girders over the road.

To minimise traffic impact, work will take place between 7pm and 5am on Monday 2 June 2025 and Tuesday 3 June 2025, weather permitting.

Work will be carried out on Putty Road near Carrington Street, Glenridding, about one kilometre south of Singleton CBD and 450 metres south of the Great Northern Railway line.

The new bridge forms part of the Singleton Bypass and crosses Putty Road at this location. Seven girders, each 33 metres long and weighing 83 tonnes, will be installed as part of this activity.

Traffic will be stopped in both directions for up to 20 minutes at a time between 7pm and 4am. Delays are expected and motorists are advised to follow the direction of traffic controllers and signage.

Pedestrians and cyclists will also be stopped briefly by traffic control during girder lifts.

Variable Message Signs (VMS) will be in place along Putty Road, John Street and surrounding side roads to advise motorists of the changed traffic conditions. Live updates will be available on LiveTraffic NSW.com.

This work has been assessed as having moderate noise impacts, with equipment such as lighting towers, generators, a 600-tonne crawler crane, light vehicles and traffic control to be used during the activity.

For more information, please see our June 2025 community notification (PDF, 157.62 KB).

As part of construction activities for the Singleton Bypass, night work will be carried out near Gowrie Gates to install bridge girders over the New England Highway.

To minimise traffic impact, work will take place between 7pm and 4am on Tuesday 6 May 2025, weather permitting. Contingency nights are Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 May 2025 if work cannot be completed as planned.

Work will be carried out near the intersection of New England Highway and Maison Dieu Road, about two kilometres north of Singleton CBD.

The new bridge is located 60 metres west of the existing rail bridge at Gowrie Gates and forms part of the new bypass. Five girders, each 33 metres long and weighing 83 tonnes, will be installed as part of this activity.

Traffic will be stopped in both directions for up to 20 minutes at a time between 9pm and 4am. Delays are expected and motorists are advised to follow the direction of traffic controllers and signage.

Local traffic on Maison Dieu Road will be detoured via Magpie Street. Pedestrians and cyclists may continue using the shared path but will be stopped briefly during girder lifts.

This activity will involve moderate noise levels with equipment such as lighting towers, generators, a 600-tonne crawler crane, and traffic control vehicles.

For more information, please see our latest community notification (PDF, 174.8 KB).

ACCIONA will be carrying out work in the project corridor. To minimise traffic impact, work is being carried out at night between 6pm and 7am on weeknights. Night work will be carried out until end of June, weather permitting. 

Work will be carried out along the New England Highway from 300 metres north of Range Road at Whittingham to 1.8 kilometres north of Rixs Creek Lane at Rixs Creek. Works will also be carried out from Putty Road to New England Highway, including Carrington Street, Army Camp Road, Victoria Street and Orchard Lane.

For more information, please see our latest community notification (PDF, 504.81 KB).

Construction on the $700 million Singleton Bypass is progressing well, with girders now being placed on the 1.6-kilometre bridge across the Doughboy Hollow floodplain.

Read the February project update (PDF, 1.76 MB).

ACCIONA will conduct out work in the project corridor. To minimise traffic impact, work will be carried out at night between 6pm and 7am on weeknights. Night work will be carried out from the start of February to the end of the March 2025, weather permitting. 

Work is being carried out along the New England Highway from 300 metres north of Range Road at Whittingham to 1.8 kilometres north of Rixs Creek Lane at Rixs Creek. Works will also be carried out from Putty Road to New England Highway, including Carrington Street, Army Camp Road, Victoria Street and Orchard Lane (utility work is subject to Ausgrid availability).

Please view the January 2025 project update (PDF, 365.87 KB).

There will be no construction work during the Christmas and New Year period. The site office will be closed from Monday 23 December and reopen on Monday 6 January. 

ACCIONA is currently carrying out work in the project corridor. To minimise traffic impact, work is being carried out at night between 7pm and 5am on weeknights. Night work will be carried out until end of January, weather permitting. 

Work is being carried out along the New England Highway from 300 metres north of Range Road at Whittingham to 1.8 kilometres north of Rixs Creek Lane at Rixs Creek.

Please view the November project update (PDF, 224.78 KB).
 

ACCIONA is currently carrying out work in the project corridor. To minimise traffic impact, work is being carried out at night between 7pm and 5am on weeknights. Night work will be carried out until Friday 15 November, weather permitting. 

Work is being carried out along the New England Highway from 300 metres north of Range Road at Whittingham to 1.8 kilometres north of Rixs Creek Lane at Rixs Creek.

Please view the latest project update (PDF, 302.28 KB).

On Thursday 5 September, the Singleton Bypass project reached a significant milestone with the first sod turned, marking the start of major construction. 

Work on the project will be carried out between 7am and 6pm on Monday to Friday and between 8am and 1pm on Saturday. 

Ahead of major work starting, ACCIONA has finalised the design of the project. The design can be viewed on this map (PDF, 33.07 MB).

Following community and stakeholder feedback and further consultation with property owners as well as additional investigation and survey work, some changes have been made to the project, including:

• simplifying the road layout at the southern connection
• revising the location of the Putty Road roundabout and northbound and southbound entry and exit ramps
• adjusting the northbound exit ramp and roundabout at Gowrie
• building a large detention basin at the Gowrie connection to manage stormwater run-off
• adjusting the size of the southbound entry and exit loop ramp at the northern connection, to improve road safety when travelling from Rixs Creek Lane.

ACCIONA has started site preparation work along the project corridor, ahead of main construction work starting later this year.

Early work activities are continuing on the project, which are required to inform the detailed design and finalise the construction schedule. 

Our standard work hours are Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm and Saturdays between 8am and 1pm. 

Please view the latest project update (PDF, 280.62 KB).

ACCIONA has started its early work activities on the Singleton Bypass. Early work activities include additional site survey, geotechnical and utility investigations, and installing temporary exclusion fencing and erosion and sediment controls. These activities are required to inform the detailed design for the project.

Early work will be carried out along the New England Highway between Haggartys Lane and White Falls Lane to the south of Singleton and Maison Dieu Road and Rixs Creek Lane to the north of Singleton.

Work will also be carried out along the proposed project alignment to the west of the New England Highway and Singleton.

Work will be carried out from Monday 11 March to June 2024, weather permitting. We will be working Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm and on Saturday between 8am and 1pm.

Please view the latest project update (PDF, 601.4 KB)

A colony of microbats near the Singleton Bypass site won’t have to find a new ‘fur-ever’ home following the implementation of protective measures as part of the project’s Microbat Management Plan.

The purpose of the Microbat Management Plan is to avoid indirect impacts on the species. By implementing measures like not disturbing the culverts that provide homes for the microbats, these creatures won’t need to relocate during construction.

The preservation of threatened species, such as these microbats, is an important part of any Transport for NSW project.

Access the 27 February media release.

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Pre-clearance Survey - Ecologist inspecting culvert for presence of microbats

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We are pleased to announce that Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd has been awarded a design and construction contract to deliver the Singleton Bypass.

Acciona will progress site investigations and finalise the detailed design in preparation for the start of major work in mid-2024. The project is expected to open to traffic in late 2026, weather permitting.

We will keep the community informed as the project progresses. 

Learn more about Acciona.

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Acciona Construction Pty Ltd has been announced as the main contractor to deliver the Singleton Bypass.

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Transport for NSW started early work on the project in late 2022.

Early work activities include:

• installing fencing along the corridor
• demolition of existing buildings
• relocation of power and communication public utilities
• additional geotechnical investigations
• additional ground survey.

Early work is being carried out Monday to Friday between 7am and 6pm and on Saturday between 8am and 1pm.

Please view the latest project update (PDF, 593.77 KB)

The New England Highway is part of the inland Sydney to Brisbane National Land Transport Network and the primary route connecting the Upper Hunter with Maitland and Newcastle.

The highway passes through the centre of Singleton and carries around 26,000 vehicles, including more than 3700 heavy vehicles, each day.

Traffic volumes are predicted to increase in the next 25 years. The planned bypass of Singleton would improve the movement of freight and journeys for current and future traffic demands.

A preferred option for the bypass was announced in 2016 and involves building a new section of highway west of Singleton across the floodplain, starting near Newington Lane and rejoining the New England Highway north of McDougalls Hill.

The project was approved in August 2020.

Transport for NSW invited feedback from the community about the Singleton Bypass concept design and REF from December 2019 until March 2020.

During this time, Transport received a total of 154 submissions relating to the New England highway bypass of Singleton. All submissions made during the display period have been addressed and responded to in a submissions report.

The New England Highway bypass of Singleton Submissions Report relates to the REF prepared for the bypass and summarises the issues raised as well as responses to each issue raised by the community, stakeholders and government agencies

We will continue working with the community and stakeholders during construction of the project to understand issues and minimise impacts.

The concept design and Review of Environmental Factors (REF) were on display for public comment from Wednesday 18 December 2019 to Sunday 1 March 2020.

During this time, Transport for NSW received a total of 154 submissions relating to the New England highway bypass of Singleton. All submissions made during the display period have been addressed and responded to in a submissions report (PDF, 20.29 MB).

The New England Highway bypass of Singleton Submissions Report relates to the REF prepared for the bypass and summarises the issues raised as well as responses to each issue raised by the community, stakeholders and government agencies.

Addendum REF (May 2023) (PDF, 2.4 MB)

Following further consultation with property owners and additional investigations into the project constructability, it was determined that minor existing property acquisition adjustments were required to facilitate construction of the project. In addition, consultation with applicable utility providers, identified that utility adjustment work were also required outside of the REF approval area to tie into existing utilities.

Addendum REF (October 2023) (PDF, 27.57 MB)

Following response to community and stakeholder feedback, Transport has modified the project by providing a full interchange at Putty Road, extended the bridge over the floodplain and reconfigured the design at the southern connection. The full interchange will improve access to Singleton’s town centre from the bypass.

The Addendum REFs describe the proposed modifications, assessing consistency and potential environmental impacts along with any additional mitigation measures that may be needed to reduce potential impacts of the proposed modification.

Addendum REF (August 2024) (PDF, 9.34 MB)

An Addendum Review of Environmental Factors (AREF August 2024) has been prepared to determine the potential environmental and social impact and proposed mitigation measures for the final design of the Singleton Bypass.

The AREF addresses how the work will be managed including the proposed methods used to minimise the impact on:

• the local community through traffic, access, noise and vibration
• flora and fauna
• soil, water and air quality
• socio-economic
• flooding
• Aboriginal heritage.

If you are interested in work opportunities, please visit our employment page.

In late 2023, Transport for NSW awarded a design and construction contract to Acciona Construction Australia Pty Ltd to deliver the Singleton Bypass.

Major work on the bypass started in early September 2024. The project is expected to open to traffic in late 2026, weather permitting.

• September 2015 frequently asked questions (PDF, 121.33 KB)

  New England Highway bypass at Singleton - Route options.

• June 2013 frequently asked questions (PDF, 140.37 KB)
  Singleton Bypass Preliminary Feasibility Study.

• July 2025 community update (PDF, 216.87 KB)
  Out of hours construction activities near Orchard Lane, Singleton.
• June 2025 community update (PDF, 492.13 KB)
  Planned out of hours work from July to September 2025
• June 2025 community update (PDF, 157.62 KB)
  Traffic delays due to night work on Putty Road, Glenridding
• May 2023 community update (PDF, 174.8 KB)
  Traffic delays due to night work on New England Highway (Gowrie Gates), Singleton
• June 2013 community update (PDF, 1.2 MB)
  Singleton Bypass - Preliminary Feasibility Study.

• July 2025 project update (PDF, 216.87 KB)
  Out of hours construction activities near Orchard Lane, Singleton.
• April-June 2025 - project update (PDF, 504.81 KB)
• February 2025 - project update (PDF, 1.76 MB)
• January 2025 project update (PDF, 365.87 KB)
  Out of hours work in Singleton as bypass progresses
• November 2024 project update (PDF, 224.78 KB)
  OOHW in project corridor
• October 2024 project update (PDF, 302.28 KB)
  OOHW in project corridor
• September 2024 project update (PDF, 4.52 MB)
  Start of major work
• July 2024 project update (PDF, 280.62 KB)
  Site preparation and early work progress
• June 2024 project update (PDF, 264.67 KB)
  OOHW for site preparation
• March 2024 project update (PDF, 601.4 KB)
  Early work activities
• November 2023 project update (PDF, 617.35 KB)
  Award of design and construction contract
• December 2022 project update (PDF, 593.77 KB)
  Start of early work.
• June 2022 project update (PDF, 498.82 KB)
  New England Highway – Singleton bypass – Project Update – June 2022.
• March 2022 project update (PDF, 370.4 KB)
  Field investigations near the New England Highway, McDougalls Hill, from Monday 28 March.
• August 2020 project update (PDF, 121.2 KB)
  New England Highway – Singleton bypass.
• December 2019 project update (PDF, 4.39 MB)
  New England Highway – Singleton bypass.
• August 2018 project update (PDF, 319.77 KB)
  New England Highway – Singleton bypass.
• December 2016 project update (PDF, 1.2 MB)
  New England Highway bypass at Singleton - Preferred route option.
• March 2016 project update (PDF, 648.33 KB)
  New England Highway bypass of Singleton.
• September 2015 project update (PDF, 1.56 MB)
  New England Highway bypass at Singleton – Route options.

• Addendum REF (August 2024) (PDF, 9.34 MB)
  Main Report
• Appendix C - Flood Impact Assessment (PDF, 44.2 MB)
• Appendix D - Traffic Impact Assessment (PDF, 2.03 MB)
• Appendix E - LCVIA (PDF, 2.6 MB)
• Appendix F - Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Advice (PDF, 295.74 KB)

• Addendum REF (October 2023) (PDF, 27.57 MB)
  Main Report
• Appendix C (PDF, 95.72 MB)
  Flood Assessment Report
• Appendix D (PDF, 2.16 MB)
  Traffic Assessment Report
• Appendix E (PDF, 91.76 MB)
  Noise and Vibration Technical Report
• Appendix F (PDF, 402.69 KB)
  Air Quality and Impact Assessment
• Appendix G (PDF, 29.19 MB)
  LCVIA Report
• Appendix H (PDF, 757.9 KB)
  Socio-economic Impact Assessment 

• Addendum REF (May 2023) (PDF, 2.4 MB)
  Main Report
• Appendix C (PDF, 18.54 MB)
  Biodiversity Assessment Report

• Review of Environmental Factors  - December 2019 (PDF, 22.71 MB)

• www.acciona.com.au/singleton-bypass

• December 2016 preferred option report

  New England Highway Singleton Bypass Options Assessment.

• September 2015 route options identification report (PDF, 13.51 MB)
  New England Highway Singleton Bypass Options Assessment.

• March 2016 community consultation report (PDF, 4.15 MB)

  New England Highway bypass of Singleton.

• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 5.84 MB)

  Main report.

• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 13.66 KB)
  Appendix A - data collection.
• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 8.53 MB)
  Appendix B - constraints mapping.
• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 108.89 KB)
  Appendix C - traffic analysis.
• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 58.92 MB)
  Appendix D - strategic design.
• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 52.66 KB)
  Appendix E - construction cost estimates.
• June 2013 preliminary feasibility assessment report (PDF, 240.16 KB)
  Appendix F - economic appraisal.

• 5 September 2024
  Major work starts on Singleton Bypass
• 27 February 2024
  Singleton Bypass Project batting for Microbats
• 26 November 2023
  Major contract milestone for Singleton Bypass
• 19 November 2022 (PDF, 583.07 KB)
  Game-changing bypass a step closer with shortlist released.
• 16 April 2021
  Community feedback delivers better bypasses for Singleton and Muswellbrook.
• 20 January 2021
  Momentum builds for Singleton bypass.
• 24 November 2020
  Singleton Bypass locked in to bust bottleneck.
• 10 August 2020
  Planning for Singleton Bypass moves ahead.