A Transport for NSW director said the Link Road was being looked at with "more work to be done" to improve connectivity in Newcastle after the last stage of the inner city bypass is complete.
Transport for NSW executive director Peter McNally addressed a Property Council lunch on October 13 about the Jesmond to Rankin Park bypass project alongside Health Infrastructure representatives who spoke about the John Hunter Health and Innovation Precinct under construction.
Mr McNally was asked about how the completed bypass will change how people move through Newcastle.
"It will change I guess in so far as how much more efficient it is to get to the John [Hunter Hospital], to move towards Charlestown to bypass Charlestown if you want to," he said.
"I think coming into Newcastle, it will improve some aspects... but I think there's still obviously more work to be done.
"Anyone who drives the Link Road knows that it's awful of a morning and afternoon. That's certainly something I understand... is being looked at the moment.
"Hard to say how it will change patterns of behavior until it starts to happen.
"I think this one is a good step. I think this has been overdue for literally decades and it's probably that there's other areas that will become evident that they need to catch back up."
The inner city bypass and the health and innovation precinct are both currently on track for completion around the same time 2025.
However Mr McNally said the hospital project was more immune to weather once the structure is built. He said there were "contingency plans" if the hospital is completed first, putting even more traffic on the busy connecting roads.
"We've got provision that if we can't the complete full bypass we can still open connections from the Jesmond roundabout," he said.
"There's contingency plans in place. At the moment it doesn't appear as though we're going to need any of those."
Foldout sofas in new hospital
Birthing suites in the redeveloped John Hunter Hospital will include sofas with a roll-out bed for carers who want to stay overnight.
Health Infrastructure executive director Amanda Bock gave a presentation at the Property Council lunch on new features of the expanded hospital, including the new maternity ward.
"[The birthing suites] are very big, much bigger than perhaps people will have experienced in the past," she said.
"There's a bath in the corner.
"Also part of the work with Hunter New England is to make sure that we have some carer spaces in these rooms, so they will include sofas with a rollout bed where a carer can stay overnight.
"We also have that as part of our standard inpatient rooms as well."
Ms Bock said there will be "mainly single and twin rooms", as opposed to the current hospital which has "a lot of four and six bedroom rooms"
"So again really creating that better patient experience," she said.
"The district worked have very hard with their staff to develop what we believe will be a really innovative new bedroom for this hospital and we're all so hoping to roll out over a number of Hunter New England projects that we've got underway.
