Clarence Valley Council meeting votes to proceed with more studies on Yamba bypass

The Yamba bypass has been in the works for at least 40 years and is still being debated by council. Find out why, and where to from here.

Yamba is a popular tourist destination

Yamba is a small coastal community in Northern NSW - but the drive along Yamba Rd from the town’s entrance to the beaches can be a traffic-packed crawl.

It’s this reality which has long bedevilled Clarence Valley Council who have spent decades debating different Yamba bypasses to ease the congestion.

On Tuesday the now infamous ‘Yamba Urban Bypass’ was brought up once again, and, as had occurred previously, no final decision was made.

During the meeting, councillors even debated whether the urban bypass had been on council’s schedule for 40 or 50 years.

Yamba bypass possible route (in pink).

The current plan for the Yamba Urban Bypass runs a path between the Oyster Channel Bridge, Yamba Rd and Coldstream St.

It includes a southern deviation from Yamba Rd at Orion Dr.

Despite the 4.3 kilometre bypass being on the books for so many years, just 550 metres of it — between Quarterdeck Rd and Angourie Rd — has been built.

Jacqui Aeschlymann.

David Ball.

Yamba local Jacqui Aeschlymann said even though the roundabouts on Yamba Rd have helped ease traffic, congestion remains an issue.

“Council needs to do something but I’m not sure what the solution is because with the volume of traffic during peak holiday seasons, the road really struggles,” she said.

Fellow resident David Ball said while through-traffic was an issue, he is more concerned about the narrow entrance road leading to Yamba.

“I think what we really need is another entrance into and out of Yamba,” he said.

Debrah Novak.

Last year, councillor and Yamba local Debrah Novak moved for a fresh report on the bypass to be commissioned.

The report found Yamba had traffic issues which needed to be addressed, but also raised concerns about the environmental impact of a bypass, including on endangered fauna.

Cr Novak said the plan is now to conduct a further transport vehicle study for Yamba more broadly.

In terms of the bypass, she said: “Nothing is dead in the water — the outcome will depend on future studies.”

All councillors voted unanimously to work with Transport for NSW on a Yamba transport study.