Major work on what is considered the final stage of the NSW government's redevelopment of Honeysuckle has begun.
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Crews arrived to the vacant waterfront land on Honeysuckle Drive on Thursday to start work on transforming the final piece of the foreshore precinct.
The $55 million project, unveiled by Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC) in January, involves realigning Honeysuckle Drive, opening up Cottage Creek, stabilising harbour walls and expanding Tree of Knowledge Park.
The former Hansen Yuncken building will be knocked down and a new pathway created through Throsby car park.
"Once this is complete, we'll use more than 160,000 tonnes of rock, the equivalent to 500 Boeing 747s in weight, to stabilise the century-old wharf in the west of Honeysuckle," acting chief executive of HCCDC Valentina Misevska said.
"Honeysuckle's renewal has been underway for almost 30 years and is an Australian success story, with HCCDC transforming more than 50 hectares of unused maritime lands to a waterfront precinct for Novocastrians to live, work and play.
"HCCDC is getting on with delivering essential works that will allow growth, development and sustained renewal for years to come."
Ms Misevska said the work would increase over comings months and some traffic and pedestrian disruption was expected.
"The Honeysuckle works require some changes to ensure the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, including diverting the existing path connecting Honeysuckle to the Wickham Marina for at least 12 months," she said.
"Later this year we plan to straighten Honeysuckle Drive between Cottage Creek and Hannell Street, a major piece of work which will improve drainage and reduce the risk of flooding in the area, while also enhancing traffic flow.
"There will be some disruption during construction, and HCCDC is committed to delivering its works as quickly as possible, coordinating with the various contractors and stakeholders in the area, and keeping the community informed."
About 10 per cent of existing spaces in Throsby car park will be lost for the work but HCCDC says they will be offset by extending the car park west.
However, available parking could be stretched in coming months with the amount of construction work in the area.
The HCCDC project, along with multiple developments under construction or soon set to begin, will create a hive of activity within a few blocks of the city's west.
Major projects will be in progress on either side of Stewart Avenue, including residential development in Wickham, Doma Group's bus interchange and car park on the old Store site, and a variety of other projects on Honeysuckle Drive.
While still in planning, the straightening of Honeysuckle Drive could be expected to involve a partial or full temporary closure of the road at some point during the works.
City of Newcastle also has plans to continue Cottage Creek's transformation into Newcastle West by knocking down buildings it owns on Hunter Street to create a thoroughfare to King Street.
