
The Waterfall Way between the Pacific Highway and Dorrigo is a beautiful and popular tourist route as well as being a busy route for larger vehicles travelling west to Armidale.
Project information
The Waterfall Way is located in northern NSW and extends 170 kilometres from the Pacific Highway at Raleigh to the New England Highway at Armidale.
The Waterfall Way is an important transport corridor, particularly for the timber and agricultural industries.
Waterfall Way connects rural communities to the urban centres of Coffs Harbour and Armidale and is also a tourist route passing waterfalls on the Dorrigo Mountain and provides access to the Dorrigo National Park.
Roads and Maritime Services in collaboration with Transport for NSW developed the Waterfall Way Draft Corridor Strategy. This draft sets out the proposed strategic vision to manage and guide development of the Waterfall Way road corridor to improve safety, traffic efficiency and sustainability. There is no commitment to, or funding for, proposed actions identified in this draft.
More information about the Waterfall Way draft corridor strategy is available from the Draft corridor strategies - Northern webpage.
Roads and Maritime carried out a safety review of the Waterfall Way (PDF, 3.24Mb) in 2014. The report is a summary of investigations completed as part of a thorough road safety and road user behaviour analysis of Waterfall Way. The recommendations look at short and medium-long term strategies to address the different needs of the community and transport industry.
The review focused on the 40 kilometre stretch of road from Tyringham Street, Dorrigo to the junction of the Pacific Highway and looks at ways of improving road safety along the route. It does not examine bypassing the Bellingen township.

Project documents
Media releases
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
October 2020 - Major Waterfall Way stability work complete east of Dorrigo | 23.9Kb | |
December 2019 - Waterfall Way works | 23.5Kb |
Community updates
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
March 2020 community update
Waterfall Way improvement program |
1.85Mb | |
August 2016 community update
Community update on projects along Waterfall Way |
181Kb | |
December 2015 community update
Community update on projects and haulage along Waterfall Way |
9.38Mb | |
September 2015 community update | 107Kb | |
June 2015 community update | 79.95Kb | |
May 2015 community update
Project haulage on Waterfall Way |
102Kb | |
March 2015 community update | 57.5Kb | |
December 2014 community update | 57.99Kb | |
September 2014 community update
Work underway along Waterfall Way. |
64.1Kb | |
March 2014 community update
Waterfall Way safety review and program update. |
469Kb | |
December 2013 community update
Waterfall Way works program update |
30.4Kb | |
April 2013 community update
Pacific Highway to Connells Creek |
2.23Mb | |
March 2012 community update
Waterfall Way works program update. |
207Kb |
Letters to householder
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
September 2020 letter to householder
Field investigations west of Bellingen. |
349Kb | |
June 2015 letter to householder
Closure information |
38.8Kb | |
December 2011 letter to householder
Waterfall Way - Pacific Highway to Connells Creek |
580Kb |
Community information sessions
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
September 2014 community information session presentation
Presentation on the results of the Waterfall Way Road Safety Review |
3.63Mb | |
September 2014 notes from the community information session at Bellingen
Notes from the community information session at Bellingen |
65.1Kb | |
September 2014 notes from the community information session at Dorrigo
Notes from the community information session at Dorrigo |
46.9Kb | |
June 2014 community information session presentation
Feedback summary and traffic data presentation at the community information session held at Bellingen and Dorrigo |
338Kb | |
June 2014 community information session presentation
Safe systems presentation at the community information session held at Bellingen and Dorrigo. |
253Kb | |
June 2014 community information session presentation
Crash data analysis presentation at the community information session held at Bellingen and Dorrigo. |
1.51Mb |
Community information material
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
Value Management Workshop Community Participant Nomination Form | 49.4Kb | |
May 2011 route options display
The two route options are now on public display seeking further feedback and discussions with key stakeholders before making a final decision. |
2.84Mb | |
May 2011 feedback form | 46.8Kb | |
August 2010 workshop notes | 500Kb | |
August 2010 community workshop presentation | 618Kb | |
August 2010 project area | 1.72Mb | |
November 2008 plan of works | 2.88Mb |
Action plans
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
May 2015 updated action plan
Nambucca Heads to Urunga Pacific Highway upgrade updated Action Plan |
639Kb | |
September 2014 action plan
Nambucca Heads to Urunga Pacific Highway upgrade. |
297Kb |
Reports
Pacific Highway to Connells Creek route options development report
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
April 2013 route options development report | 3.05Mb | |
Appendix A - Option A
Concept |
4.77Mb | |
Appendix A - Option B
Concept |
4.48Mb | |
Appendix B
Preliminary Environmental Investigation |
1.75Mb | |
Appendix C
Preliminary Ecological Assessment Part A – Flora And Fauna Investigations |
3.81Mb | |
Appendix D
Preliminary Noise and Vibration Assessment |
1.3Mb | |
Appendix E
Preliminary Landscape Character and Visual Impact Assessment |
2.96Mb | |
Appendix F
Preliminary Acid Sulfate Soil Management Plan |
2.06Mb | |
Appendix G
Sediment Basin Design |
4.75Mb |
Submissions report
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
October 2012 public submissions report
Submissions report, Waterfall Way, Pacific Highway to Connells Creek |
287Kb | |
August 2009 submissions report | 1.79Mb |
Other reports
File | Title | Size |
---|---|---|
October 2015 Agenda and recommendation report | 1.75Mb | |
July 2015 Bellingen Main Street Plan | 78.01Mb | |
September 2014 Road safety review
Waterfall Way - Pacific Highway to Dorrigo |
3.24Mb |
Contact us
For further information about this project contact:
Email: Grafton.regional.office@rms.nsw.gov.au
Mail: Roads and Maritime Services, PO Box 576 Grafton NSW 2460