Appin Road: Stage 1 is finished, the Gilead safety upgrade goes to tender

Update, 3 September 2026: ABC News reports the Noorumba Reserve koala underpass mentioned below opened to wildlife about five months ago, and that the NSW government says no koala has been recorded using it.

Three separate sets of works share the same road, and they are on three different clocks. Appin Road is not a Menangle Park street, but it is the way through for anyone here driving south to Appin or Wollongong via Bulli Pass.

The Gilead safety upgrade is the live one

Transport for NSW says the detailed design for the Appin Road safety upgrade at Gilead has been finalised and the tender has been released to the market, with construction expected to start in late 2026. The Australian Government is funding the work, which covers 3.6 km of Appin Road between Mount Gilead and Brian Road. Transport for NSW describes Appin Road as a whole as crossing the Campbelltown, Wollondilly and Wollongong council areas.

The scope is wider lanes and shoulders, increased clear zones, an improved road surface and safety barriers along the corridor, plus a new overtaking opportunity for northbound traffic, a new southbound U-turn facility so residents can enter and leave driveways more safely, and a re-aligned curve with a painted median and barriers.

The expected start has been revised: 2024 consultation material said early 2026, last year’s update said mid-2026, and the August 2026 update says late 2026. Earlier project material put the build at around two years; the August update gives no duration. As at late August 2026 no winning tenderer and no exact start date had been announced.

The koala measures

In 2025 about 700 metres of temporary koala exclusion fencing went in near Beulah Reserve on both sides of Appin Road. The August 2026 update says it will be replaced with permanent fencing, joined to the other fencing along Appin Road to form a continuous exclusion barrier, with escape poles and koala grids. Trees on either side of the road will be removed to create a clear zone so koalas cannot use them to get over the fence.

These are regional koala works east of the Hume Motorway, through Gilead and Appin — not works in Menangle Park.

The Appin Road upgrade Stage 1 is already done

Transport for NSW says construction of Appin Road upgrade Stage 1 was completed in March 2026. It widened the road from two lanes to four in part, added safety barriers, built new intersections into the Figtree Hill community, and installed five kilometres of koala exclusion fencing.

On the wildlife side, as at mid-2026 a koala underpass near Noorumba Reserve was complete and due to be opened to koalas once the landscaping establishes. Stockland was progressing final design of a second underpass between the Beulah Biobank and Browns Bush.

Stage 2, covering further safety improvements and an additional wildlife underpass at Beulah Reserve, is at strategic concept design stage. That is early. There is no construction date.

The St Johns Road intersection is determined but not started

The Appin Road and St Johns Road intersection upgrade at Bradbury was formally determined in January 2026. Scope includes widening Appin Road to three lanes with southbound safety barriers on approach, realigning the northbound right-turn lane, two right-turn lanes northbound from St Johns Road, an on-road southbound cycling shoulder, and new footpaths, lighting and landscaping. The Australian Government has committed $22.5 million and Transport for NSW said construction was expected to start in 2026 and take around 12 months.

What it means for a household here

If Appin Road is your weekend run to the coast or your commute to the Illawarra, the completed Stage 1 section is the part you notice: four lanes where there were two, and barriers on a road with a long crash history. From late 2026 the Gilead section is expected to become a construction zone instead — expected, because as at early September no contractor has been named.

The koala fencing matters for the same reason the barriers do. This corridor carries koala movement, and dusk and dawn driving still calls for care beyond the fenced sections. Getting around covers the other routes in and out of the suburb.

What to watch

A contract award and a construction start date for the Gilead works, a construction start for the St Johns Road intersection, and any movement on Appin Road Stage 2 beyond concept design. Questions go to the project team on 1800 684 490 or projects@transport.nsw.gov.au.