Why traffic lights could mean an extra two-year wait for the redesign of Coffs Harbour’s Jetty Strip

A long-awaited redesign of a key Coffs Harbour dining precinct is expected to take three years to complete – before construction even begins – with approval for traffic lights alone set to result in a two-year wait. 

Speaking to the Mid North Coaster, Mayor Nikki Williams said “half a billion dollars” of investment is waiting in the wings once the project is finished.

What happened: City of Coffs Harbour last week committed to fund a detailed redesign of the “Jetty Strip” - a run of cafes, restaurants and pubs along Harbour Drive - at a projected cost of $2.5 million.

• A total of $500,000 will be set aside in this year's budget for designs of the project, with $1,560,000 following in 2027/28 and $440,000 in 2028/29.  

• Initial stages of construction are expected to cost upwards of $26 million.

What will be considered?: Director of City Infrastructure Andrew Beswick said the design would consider roads, paths, water and sewer, landscaping, median strips, traffic signals, street lighting and telecommunications infrastructure. 

Life in the slow lane: So, why the three year wait?

Well, partly because of proposed traffic signals at the intersection of Orlando Street and Harbour Drive. 

According to a council report, traffic signal approval from Transport for NSW may take “in the order of 18 months to two years”. 

• “The key issue is that underground services, civil and landscape designs cannot be completed until after the traffic signal/intersection design is significantly progressed…” the report states. 

All of the underground services throughout the Strip - including water, sewer, stormwater, power and telecommunications - will also require relocation to enable the lowering of the road. 

Beyond the bypass: Councillor George Cecato, who has been championing action on the precinct for 25 years, believes a revitalised Jetty Strip can future-proof Coffs Harbour’s tourism appeal.

• “With the bypass of our city just around the corner, we need to make sure that our residents and our visitors are very happy to be here and they enjoy what we have to offer,” he said.

Investment prepared: Mayor Nikki Williams said the council was “sitting on half a billion dollars worth of investment ready to go” for the precinct.

Williams said developers were looking at both residential and tourism accommodation, while a former public works site, former forestry site and the Jetty Village shopping centre are all slated for investment.