Length:

17 km

Termini:

Northern: Pacific Hwy (A43), Sandgate

Southern: Pacific Hwy (A43) and Lake St, Bennetts Green

Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:

Bennetts Green, Windale, Mt Hutton, Hillsborough, Garden Suburb, New Lambton Heights, Lambton, Jesmond, Birmingham Gardens, Shortland and Sandgate

Current: A37

Multiplexed with: A15

Former: 123

Road Authority Internal Classification: ¹

SH23

General Information:

The Newcastle Inner City Bypass (officially known as State Highway 23) between the Pacific Highway at Bennetts Green and the Pacific Highway at Sandgate is a long standing scheme to provide an orbital road to link Newcastle's road network.

The principal function of A37 is to provide improved north-south traffic flow in the inner western suburbs of the city. The bypass provides connectivity between key destinations such as Bennetts Green, Charlestown, John Hunter Hospital, Jesmond, Newcastle University and the Pacific Highway at Sandgate.

A15 (Newcastle Rd), for 1 km, between Jesmond and Dent St, Lambton.

According to the Newcastle Inner City Bypass Rankin Park to Jesmond Submissions report by the Roads and Traffic Authority, the Newcastle Inner City Bypass route was first planned in the 1950s to connect the Windale / Bennetts Green area to the Pacific Highway at Sandgate. It was approved in 1957 and subsequently incorporated in the Northumberland County Planning Scheme.

The concept of the Newcastle Inner City Bypass emerged from the decision to route the Sydney to Newcastle Freeway west of Lake Macquarie in the mid 1970s. Up to that point the freeway was proposed east of Lake Macquarie and involved corridor reservations for high standard bypasses of Swansea, Belmont and Charlestown. The corridors for Swansea and Belmont have been abandoned, however the corridor from Bennetts Green to Sandgate has been maintained by the Roads and Traffic Authority to ultimately provide a bypass of inner Newcastle as State Highway No. 23.

The road corridors between Bennetts Green and Sandgate have been progressively constructed over the last 20 or so years, with the most recent construction being the West Charlestown Bypass, which is signposted as Newcastle Inner City Bypass, from Bennetts Green to Kotara Heights completed and opened to traffic on March 10, 2003, by the Minister for Roads, Carl Scully.

The section between Kotara Heights and Rankin Park was previously the subject of community debate regarding the location and standard of road to be constructed. In the late 1960s the Department of Main Roads proposed to construct a major elevated roadway as part of this section, which would have required a strip acquisition of Blackbutt Reserve between Carnley Avenue and McCaffrey Drive.

At the time, community concerns against the proposals effect on the environmentally sensitive Blackbutt Reserve led to the Department of Main Roads working with the community to re-evaluate the proposed corridor in this section. As a result, the route through Blackbutt Reserve was abandoned and the existing Lookout Road section was widened and constructed as a four lane arterial road in lieu of freeway conditions, with at-grade intersections at Carnley Avenue, Hurn Street, Cardiff Road and Grandview Road.

10 March 2003: Newcastle Inner City Bypass, from Bennetts Green to Kotara Heights, opened to traffic. ²

2013: State Route 123 route number replaced by A37.

2014: Completion of Shortland to Sandgate bypass. ³

Sandgate to Bennetts Green

NEW Reassurance Directional Sign:

Distance sign after the Hillsborough Rd (B57) interchange at Hillsborough, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign at Hillsborough approaching Warners Bay Rd, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Warners Bay Road:

Newcastle Inner City Bypass at the Warners Bay Rd interchange at Hillsborough, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Warners Bay Road:

Newcastle Inner City Bypass at the Warners Bay Rd interchange at Mount Hutton, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Willow Road:

Newcastle Inner City Bypass passing under Willow Rd at Mount Hutton, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Lake Street Pedestrian Bridge:

Newcastle Inner City Bypass passing under the Lake St Pedestrian Br at Windale, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Advance Directional Sign:

AD sign approaching Pacific Hwy (A43) and Lake St, Windale, November 2013.

Image © Paul Rands

NEW Pacific Highway:

Corner of Newcastle Inner City Bypass (A37), Pacific Hwy (A43) and Lake St, Windale, November 2013. This is the southern terminus of A37.

Image © Paul Rands

¹ NSW Government, Transport for NSW, Schedule of Classified Roads And State and Regional Roads, July 2022.
² NSW Government, Roads and Traffic Authority, Newcastle Inner City Bypass Rankin Park to Jesmond Submissions report.
³ NSW Government, Transport for NSW, Current Projects, Newcastle Inner City Bypass.