Big shade trees down the middle, a 40km/h zone through the city centre, and a new bike lane to Park Beach Plaza. That’s the vision for Coffs Harbour’s old Pacific Highway once the bypass opens.
A draft City Spine Renewal Design Guide is now on public exhibition, setting out how the 10.2km stretch could be turned from a stark concrete jungle into an inviting leafy boulevard.
When the $2.2 billion Coffs Harbour Bypass opens in December, the old highway will be renamed Solitary Islands Way.
Traffic on the old road is expected to drop from 34,000 to 20,000 vehicles a day, and the City of Coffs Harbour says that opens up a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinvent it.
The draft vision came out of an intense express design process for stakeholders, known as a charrette.
“The charrette process showed a high degree of alignment for using trees to beautify the road, and to maintain adequate parking capacity,” said City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams.
It includes large canopy trees in the centre median strip where space allows, more parkland, and the closure of some slipway roads.
A reduced speed limit, possibly 40km/h, is proposed from Combine Street to Coff Street.
A dedicated on-road cycleway would run between Coff and Orlando streets, linking the City Centre and Park Beach Plaza.
But the road will still have a job to do.
“While traffic volume on the old highway will lessen with the opening of the Bypass, the road will remain an important transport connector so function for that purpose also needs to be factored in,” Mayor Williams said.
The guide also sets out choices for street trees, entry statements, parking, new cycleways, and the “palettes” of paving and outdoor furniture.
Tree options include leopard trees, tallowwoods, and brushbox, with northern and southern entry statements at Patrick Burke Park and Coff Street.
The first focus will be the stretch through the City Centre, from the Combine and Albany Street intersection to Coff Street.
“The estimated total capital cost of the Stage 1 works is put at $19.6 million and we’ll be looking to NSW and Federal government grants for support as we reposition the City for a post-Bypass world,” said City of Coffs Harbour Planning and Communities Director Ian Fitzgibbon.
“The bypassing of Coffs Harbour will be a game-changer.”
“As a major Australian regional city it’s in every government’s interests for us to thrive as a key destination on the Eastern Seaboard.”
Patrick Burke Park would be one of a series of enhanced pocket parks.
“The draft guide outlines a vision to transform the corridor from a vehicle-dominated transport route into a connected network of streets, public spaces and landscapes which support walking, cycling, local businesses, community activity, economic vitality and environmental resilience,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.
Submissions close on Monday, 26 October. A video fly-through of the corridor and the draft guide can be viewed at https://haveyoursay.coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au/draft-city-spine-renewal-design-guide.
Read all the way through to the end of the story? So did lots of other people. Advertise with North Coast Times to reach locals who are interested and engaged. Find out more here.