New England Highway - Highway Improvements

Highway Improvements

The major projects since the Second World War in the ongoing upgrading of the New England Highway are:

• Bolivia Hill deviation (Mar 1951)
• Stanthorpe bypass (1960s)
• Allora bypass (1960s)
• Bridge over Pages River at Blandford (previously a ford) (now used for southbound traffic) (Dec 1953)
• Hexham-Tarro duplication (including Tarro railway overpass) (1964)
• New bridge over Peel River in Tamworth (replaced 1881 bridge) (Apr 1965)
• Muswellbrook (north) railway overpass (May 1966)
• Liddell deviation (including 2 km dual carriageway) to allow creation of Lake Liddell (Jan 1967)
• Chilcotts Creek deviation (Dec 1968)
• Harristown/Drayton deviation (1970s).
• Tarro-Beresfield bypass (dual carriageway) (Oct 1970)
• Guyra-Llangothlin deviation (Dec 1970)
• Barleyfields deviation, Uralla (Feb 1980)
• Beresfield-East Maitland duplication (final stage Aug 1982)
• First Moonbi Hill duplication (1937 deviation retained as northbound carriageway) (Aug 1982)
• Widening to four lanes from the Long Bridge Telarah to Harvey Rd Rutherford (Aug 1982)
• Devil's Pinch deviation stage 1 (Dec 1982)
• Devil's Pinch deviation stage 2 (May 1983)
• Reconstruction to four lanes along Kelly St Scone (1985)
• Bendemeer bypass (Dec 1985)
• Maitland inner city bypass stage 1 (dual carriageway) (Feb 1986)
• Deviation at Singleton including new bridge over Hunter River (May 1986)
• Maitland inner city bypass stage 2 (dual carriageway) (Dec 1986)
• Tintinhull realignment (Dec 1986)
• Duplication of 1893 bridge, Hunter River at Aberdeen for northbound traffic (each bridge since reconfigured to one lane only (Dec 1986)
• Maitland inner city bypass Stage 3 (dual carriageway) (Sep 1988)
• Tamworth CBD bypass (upgrade of Calare Lane) (Nov 1993)
• Liverpool Range deviation (dual carriageway), Murrurundi-Nowlands Gap (Oct 1994)
• Tarro interchange (to connect to Anderson Drive) (May 1994)
• Armidale bypass (Dec 1994)
• Marowan Creek bridge replacement, Glencoe (1995)
• Liverpool Range duplication (Nowlands Gap-Kankool) (Jan 1997)
• John Renshaw Drive interchange (Sep 1997)
• Belford Forest deviation (dual carriageway) (Oct 1998)
• Rose Valley Creek deviation (33–36 km north of Tamworth) (2002)
• Devil's Pinch deviation stage 3 (22–27 km north of Armidale) (2002)
• Duplicate bridge for northbound traffic, Pages River at Blandford (each bridge configured for one lane only) (2004)
• Duval Creek realignment (13–15 km north of Armidale) (Dec 2004)
• Devil's Pinch (Black Mountain) deviation stage 4 (27–30 km north of Armidale) (April 2006)
• Halcombe Hill deviation (1 km north of Aberdeen) (Aug 2007)
• Weakleys Drive interchange (2008)
• Realignment of highway at Tilbuster, near Sunnyside Rd (17–19 km north of Armidale) (Feb 2010)