WORK ON the Byron Bay town bypass is set to start in early 2018.
Byron Shire Council’s Director Infrastructure Services, Phil Holloway, said staff will begin working with Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) early in the new year to finalise a construction timeline and plan for the relocation of services including water mains and telecommunications.
“Butler Street, which will be the bypass route, will be upgraded to take the extra traffic away from the town centre and this will include improving the intersections at Shirley Street and Jonson Street,” Mr Holloway said.
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“Council will also upgrade the connection between Butler Street and the rail corridor which will provide a pedestrian link to the town centre and Railway Park,” he said.
“Traffic counts estimate approximately 22,000 vehicles are travelling through the Byron Bay CBD every day and this increases significantly at busy times such as Christmas and Easter.
“Many of those cars do not stop in town, but are going to the southern side of Byron Bay so the bypass is expected to ease congestion significantly.
The total cost of the Byron Bay town centre bypass is estimated to be $22.5 million, and Council has secured $14.5 million for the project.
“Council will continue to apply for grant funding to secure the $8 million needed to fully complete the bypass project but in the meantime it is important that we start work,” Mr Holloway said.
“Byron Shire hosted more than two million visitors in 2016/17, with more than half being day trippers, so the bypass is a vital piece of infrastructure for Byron Bay,” he said.
That’s a very expensive driveway for the transit Centre!