Tamarind Drive Lane Duplication

To support a growing community and address road congestion, Council has started planning works to duplicate a section of Tamarind Drive and North Creek Road.

Tamarind Drive carries a large volume of traffic in and out of Ballina and is currently at capacity during peak hours. Our traffic modelling predicts this proposed dual lane configuration will cater for current and future traffic volumes beyond 2036.

The concept design plan includes:

• Dual-lanes on Tamarind Dr from Kerr St to 400m west of Tamarind Dr/North Creek Rd roundabout, to improve roundabout performance
• Dual-lanes on North Creek Rd between Tamarind Dr and Southern Cross Drive
• Construction of a second bridge over North Creek Canal, which will include an off-road shared path
• A new footpath on the southern side of the existing Canal Bridge and along the southern side of Tamarind Dr
• Stormwater improvements to replace the open drain with underground drainage (on the southern side of Tamarind Drive). This will futureproof the alignment, reduce the loss of vegetation and improve amenity.
• Additional street trees
• Pedestrian crossing points will be retained at the Tamarind Dr and North Creek Rd roundabout, and on North Creek Rd
• The west-bound right turn from Tamarind Drive into Southern Cross Drive will be retained
• The parking lane along the western side of North Creek Road will be retained
• Bus facilities on Tamarind Drive and North Creek Road will be retained.

This project will also improve pedestrian connectivity and complete the missing links to deliver a footpath along the southern side of Tamarind Dr, and a shared path along the northern side of Tamarind Dr.

The projected cost to deliver this project is $30 million (including $8 million for construction of the second bridge). At this stage the project is not fully funded, however we are actively exploring relevant grant and funding opportunities. Following this consultation period we will continue with the planning assessment, including a Review of Environmental Factors.

Thank you for your submissions during our Public Exhibition. Council staff have assessed submissions, endorsed by council December 2022.