Byron Bay Bypass

Construction of the Byron Bay Bypass started in July 2019 and finished in January 2021.

It is the largest single infrastructure project Byron Shire Council has delivered to date.

It was proudly funded by the NSW Government.

  • $20 million including funding from Growing Local Economies
  • $4 million from Byron Shire Council.

 The Bypass has been built to:

  • improve connectivity and traffic flow between the north and south of Byron Bay
  • provide an alternative route that avoids the town centre
  • reduce the number of cars in the town centre daily by an estimated 30 percent
  • prioritise pedestrians over cars in the town centre (a desire strong expressed by our community throughout our Masterplan process).

The Bypass was approved following a rigorous environmental and planning process.

The preferred bypass route included a section of Mitchell's Rainforest Snail habitat. 

A team of independent ecologists spent more than 600 hours surveying the area for Mitchell's Rainforest Snail. 

The intensive effort of the onsite ecologists was hugely successful. They found and safely relocated Mitchell's Rainforest Snails. 

Pre and post clearing surveys

 

Fauna underpass

As part of the construction of Stage 2, we built a fauna underpass to connect the wetland. 

The underpass floor was lined with leaf litter, logs and naturally occurring soil, to provide a suitable path for the Mitchell's Rainforest Snails.

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