2025 Updates
July: Stage 1
Construction on Stage 1 of the Wollombi Road Upgrade project is underway.
To keep the community informed, we’ll be publishing Weekly Works Updates outlining upcoming activities.
As work progresses, Symal will communicate directly with affected residents as needed. The team will continue to stay in touch throughout the project to keep you informed and answer any questions along the way. Council will also post any active Community Notifications.
The Stage 1 works have been split into three zones, as shown in the map below.
Stage 2
The project team would like to thank everyone who participated in the Public Exhibition of the Wollombi Road Upgrade Project, Stage 2 Review of Environmental Factors, which ran from 3 June to 15 July 2025. We appreciate the time and effort put into the submissions.
We have reviewed and responded to all submissions, and provided the Engagement Summary Report for Stage 2 REF (see below). During the public exhibition period we received 25 submissions. Key themes included care for pedestrian and passenger safety, population growth and reviewing turning restrictions on some intersections. Full information can be found in the report.
Design work is continuing, with authority approvals and the tender process for the construction contractor also underway.
View Engagement Summary Report(PDF, 1MB)
April: From Monday 14 April safety barriers will be installed along Wollombi Road and major construction will commence in Zone 1 (see map below showing the construction zones).
Upcoming construction activities include relocating utilities, upgrading stormwater and road pavement works.
Impacted residents have received a letter from Symal outlining the work and construction impacts. The team will continue to stay in touch throughout the project to keep you informed and answer any questions along the way.
2024 Updates
February: Night work began Tuesday 6 February to locate and map utilities and inspect stormwater infrastructure via CCTV; works occurred Sunday to Thursday nights between 9pm and 5am for up to two weeks, with traffic control in place but no impact to resident access.
July: Workers carried out geotechnical investigations, surveys, potholing, and service locating to inform the detailed road design; short-term road shoulder or lane closures were managed by traffic controllers.
October: Site investigations commenced Monday 28 October to locate existing utility services between West Avenue, Cessnock and Abbotsford Street, Bellbird; works ran for approximately four weeks during daylight hours (7am–5pm), with reduced speed limits but no road closures.
November: Additional night work was scheduled between 25–29 November to complete utility locating using hydro-vacuum excavation; while no roads were closed, speed limits were reduced and minor delays possible due to changed traffic conditions. The road design is nearing completion, with community updates expected in late November; a construction contractor is set to be appointed by the end of 2024, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2025.
December: Symal was appointed as the construction contractor for the Wollombi Road upgrade. With a strong track record across NSW and Victoria, Symal is set to begin construction in February 2025. The community will receive further updates and notifications in early 2025 as the project transitions into the construction phase.
2023 Updates
April: The project entered the early design phase, with initial work focused on community engagement, environmental approvals, surveys, and planning of engineering investigations required before construction can begin.
June: Field investigation works were scheduled to commence in late July or August, including geotechnical investigations, service locating, and surveying to inform preliminary designs addressing issues such as parking and road layout.
August: Community consultation continued, including a 'Coffee with a Councillor' event held 12 July; a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) began to assess potential environmental impacts. Stage 1 and 2 investigation works were pending acceptance of the preliminary engineering tender.
September: The preliminary engineering contract was awarded to KBR in late August. Site investigations between Vincent Street and Abbotsford Street were scheduled to start in early October, including surveying, underground service locating, and geotechnical investigations. Early consultation with local businesses and residents remained ongoing.
December: Investigations carried out since early October included surveying, drilling, stormwater and noise assessments, and reviewing the condition of existing infrastructure. Most work was completed by December, with some inground service investigations continuing into early 2024. Work began on developing a preferred concept design and conducting environmental investigations for the Review of Environmental Factors, to be publicly displayed in 2024.