Nearly nine in ten people who had their say on a major overhaul of the notorious Newcastle Link Road and Minmi Road intersection at Cameron Park have thrown their support behind the proposed fix.
The planned upgrade has reached another milestone, with the community consultation report now published.
The NSW government is investing $5.8 million in planning for the upgrade of the bottleneck to help ease congestion, to support future growth along the corridor and improve safety for all road users.
Community consultation on the preferred design was held in September and October, attracting more than 530 submissions that included 502 completed online surveys.
Almost 97 per cent of respondents rated the upgrade important and 89 per cent backed the design as displayed.
The plan centres on replacing the roundabout, a notorious pinch point for the roughly 55,000 vehicles that use Newcastle Link Road each weekday, with a grade-separated interchange.
Under the preferred design, Minmi Road would be carried over Newcastle Link Road on a new bridge.
Ramps would connect the two roads in all directions, with two through-lanes in each direction along Newcastle Link Road and a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists across the bridge.
Cessnock MP Clayton Barr said the report marked another step forward for a project residents had been pushing for.
"I'm pleased to see another step taken for this important project which will help relieve pressure on a known bottleneck for thousands of motorists each day," Mr Barr said.
"This is an important project for our growing communities. Upgrading this intersection will improve safety, ease congestion and help local families spend less time stuck in traffic and more time at home."
Member for Wallsend Sonia Hornery said the scale of daily traffic through the intersection underlined the need for change.
"With up to 55,000 vehicles using Newcastle Link Road each weekday, this upgrade is critical in improving safety and travel times to help people get time back in their day," Ms Hornery said.
While support for the design was overwhelming, the report shows recurring questions from the community about the length of the entry and exit ramps.
The questions centred on whether they would be long enough to prevent queues spilling back onto Newcastle Link Road during peak periods.
Transport for NSW said its modelling, combined with Australian design standards, showed both entry and exit ramps had sufficient length for safe and free-flowing merging.
Other submissions questioned the need for two sets of traffic lights on Minmi Road to control movements to and from the highway.
Transport for NSW said the lights would be coordinated to optimise green time during the morning and afternoon peaks, and would have no impact on the free flow of east-west traffic along Newcastle Link Road itself.
A number of nearby residents raised concerns about construction and operational noise.
Transport for NSW said a detailed noise and vibration assessment would be carried out by qualified acoustic specialists as the project progressed, with findings to be made public.
Some respondents also questioned whether Newcastle Link Road should be built with three lanes in each direction rather than two, catering for future growth.
Transport for NSW said modelling showed two lanes would suffice in the near term but confirmed the design allowed for a future third lane through a wider bridge span and the configuration of the ramps.
The project will now move into concept design and environmental assessment. Engineering firm WSP Australia Pty Ltd has been appointed to carry out the work.
Construction dates remain unclear pending planning approvals and future funding.
