About the Coffs Harbour bypass

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Future traffic changes – last updated April 2026

The Coffs Harbour bypass – between the Englands Road Interchange and the Korora Interchange – is on track to open to traffic at the end of 2026.

To achieve this, the project team has made, and will continue to make, several traffic changes this year. This will allow us to keep motorists moving while we safely build other parts of the bypass.

During the November 2025 Community Engagement Survey, community members told us that receiving more notice about upcoming traffic changes would assist them in planning ahead. We value this feedback and have committed to sharing information about traffic changes earlier than our standard notification requirements. Please see below:

The intersection of the highway and Englands Road/Stadium Drive will move to a new temporary roundabout slightly west of the current location. This will allow us to replace the existing roundabout with a signalised intersection. Access arrangements will remain the same.

Coffs Harbour Bypass – south traffic switch

James Small Drive (south) traffic will be moved slightly south of its current location. This will allow us to continue building the eastern roundabout of the Korora Interchange. Access arrangements will remain the same.

The eastern roundabout of the Korora Interchange will open, including the southbound offramp. The southbound local access ramp into Coffs Harbour will also open, facilitating a left-hand turn into Coffs Harbour from James Small Drive (south). The temporary u-turn bay north of Bruxner Park Road will be closed and southbound access into Coffs Harbour will be via the Korora Interchange.

At this time, the James Small Drive (north) intersection with the highway will be temporarily closed and a cul-de-sac will be built to facilitate a u-turn for local traffic. All access will be via the James Small Drive (south) intersection and the Korora Interchange. This arrangement will be in place until mid-2027 while we build the permanent roundabout connecting James Small Drive (north) to Solitary Islands Way.

Coffs Harbour Bypass - Korora traffic switch

The Korora Bus Interchange and the section of Solitary Islands Way between the bus interchange and the Korora interchange will open. The temporary bus bays on the eastern and western carriageways will be removed, and all bus movements will be via the new bus interchange.

Dates for these traffic changes will be advised on electronic message boards in the relevant areas. You can also sign up to receive weekly email updates.

Bridge building video series

The Coffs Harbour bypass is building 21 bridges which will provide better access for the community, including pedestrians and cyclists, and better outcomes for fauna connectivity and flood resilience in the region.

In this three-part video series, we explain how we design and build our bridges and shine a light on our longest bridge over the North Coast Railway line. For more information you can also read our fact sheet.

Bridge design with Project Manager, Brett

Bridge construction with Project Manager, Tom

Spotlight on the new bridge over the North Coast Railway line with Senior Project Engineer, James

Construction Progress Showreel – March 2026

The Coffs Harbour bypass is making great progress with new highway lanes appearing and the finishing touches happening on most of our remaining bridges. Our three tunnels are being fitted out with important safety systems like fans and sprinklers and finishing work is ongoing with revegetation, street lighting and noise walls all happening progressively. Watch the video to check out the progress.

February project update

The Coffs Harbour bypass is building something bigger than a road. In our latest newsletter, you’ll read about how we are smashing Aboriginal participation targets and creating opportunities for Aboriginal-owned businesses. We’ve also finished our koala habitat restoration work with more than 3,000 dedicated food trees planted across three locations.

Bring yourself up to speed with what traffic changes to expect in 2026 and stay across the dates by signing up for email updates.

View the February 2026 project update (PDF 327.13KB).

Coffs Harbour bypass – Ethan Porter on site near Shephards lane.

Coffs Harbour bypass photobook January 2026

We’re gearing up for the year of paving as we work hard to open the bypass by the end of this year. Sneak a peek inside our asphalt batch plant working hard to make the 290,000 tonnes of asphalt required to pave the road.

Excavation has finished at all three tunnels and mechanical and electrical fit out has started. Noise walls are going up, and all 3,000 dedicated koala food and habitat trees have now been planted.

View the photobook here (PDF 8.35MB).

Latest plans

Final Place Design and Landscape Plan now available

The Coffs Harbour bypass has released the final Place Design and Landscape Plan detailing the completed bypass's urban, architectural, and landscape design proposals.

Read them here:

Community consultation on the draft plan occurred in December 2023. A Consultation Summary Report has been prepared to summarise and respond to the feedback received. Thank you to everyone who submitted.

Manage your journey

We understand traffic changes are disruptive for road users and appreciate your patience during the construction of the Coffs Harbour bypass.

Conditions are continuing to change in the area, so we are asking motorists to please ACT:

Be Aware: Keep up to date with the project and the latest traffic changes.
Be Cautious: Follow signage, drive to the conditions, and follow the direction of traffic control.
Allow more Time: Access arrangements will continue to change. Plan for minor delays and be patient on the road.

Please subscribe to our email list to keep informed about traffic changes and help you plan your journey.

Resources

You can access key resources for the Coffs Harbour bypass that provide detailed information on our construction activities and procedures. This includes construction updates, factsheets, environment reports, and other supporting documents.

Each of them has been produced to help inform how we are building the bypass with safety, environment, and community in mind.

Resource library

About the Coffs Harbour bypass

The 14km Coffs Harbour bypass will take vehicles west of the urban area, from Englands Road in the south to Sapphire in the north.

The project is part of the Pacific Highway upgrade, funded by the Australian and NSW governments.

For more information and documentation for the approvals of the Coffs Harbour bypass visit the NSW Planning Portal.

Why is the project needed?

The existing highway through Coffs Harbour forms part of the Sydney - Brisbane freight corridor and carries between 30,000 and 35,000 vehicles per day (2016).

Road users need to navigate a 12km low speed arterial road with 12 sets of traffic signals, a major roundabout and 26 other intersections. This means the area experiences:

A motorist, cyclist and pedestrian casualty rate more than three times higher than expected of a road of this class.
Increased travel time and inefficient on-road freight operation.
Loss of economic development opportunities.
A decrease in the amenity of Coffs Harbour CBD.

How will the project help?

By providing a bypass of Coffs Harbour consistent with the current standards of the Pacific Highway upgrade program, the project addresses declining transport efficiency, urban congestion and road safety issues.

It will support regional development and provide:

Safer, more consistent and reliable travel.
Reduced travel times with improved freight transport efficiency to better. access towns and villages on the north coast.
Improved amenity for local communities.
A more reliable route with improved flood tolerance.

Map of the Coffs Harbour bypass

View a larger version (PDF 3.98MB) of the map.

A static map of the Coffs Harbour Bypass. The Bypass starts at the bottom left of the map in Boambee, and continues north through North Boambee Valley and Red Hill. It then heads north-east through Korora, Korora Basin, then concludes at Sapphire Beach at the top right of the map. You can view further information such as articles/resources on project updates, work notifications, Environment and community information on the resources page.