Traffic control Mid North Coast NSW
In short: East Coast Traffic Control opened its Mid North Coast depot in Coffs Harbour in 2025 under local Area Manager Darin. From there we supply NSW accredited traffic controllers, traffic control plans to Transport for NSW's Traffic Control at Work Sites manual, and road occupancy licence support for Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Nambucca, Bellingen, Taree and Armidale.
- Road authority
- Transport for NSW (North Region) and the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Nambucca Valley, Kempsey, Port Macquarie-Hastings, MidCoast and Armidale Regional councils
- Also covering
- Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, Toormina, Woolgoolga, Bellingen, Urunga, Nambucca Heads, Macksville, Kempsey, South West Rocks, Port Macquarie, Wauchope, Taree, Forster, Armidale, Inverell, Tamworth
Traffic control on the Mid North Coast, run from Coffs Harbour
The Mid North Coast is 400 km of Pacific Highway with a string of coastal towns, river valleys and a tableland behind it, and the work reflects that. The Coffs Harbour bypass is reshaping the highway around the city. Council programs in Port Macquarie, Kempsey and Taree run footpath, drainage and reseal works through town centres full of holiday traffic. Utility crews work the Oxley Highway and Waterfall Way where the road is narrow and the drop is steep. Up on the New England, Armidale and Inverell add rural roads, frost and a different council every forty minutes.
In July 2025 we opened a depot in Coffs Harbour under local Area Manager Darin and started hiring controllers across Grafton, Armidale, Inverell, Kempsey and Coffs Harbour, because this region needs crews who live here and know which bridge floods first. Every plan we implement is built to Transport for NSW's Traffic Control at Work Sites (TCAWS) manual and staffed with NSW accredited controllers.
Who approves works on Mid North Coast roads
In NSW the road occupancy licence (ROL) follows road ownership. Many sites need both a TfNSW licence and a council permit.
| Road | Owner | What is needed |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Highway (M1), Oxley Highway, Waterfall Way, New England Highway, Gwydir Highway, Coffs Harbour bypass | Transport for NSW | TfNSW road occupancy licence for any work affecting travel lanes, plus a TCAWS compliant traffic control plan |
| Local streets in Coffs Harbour, Bellingen, Nambucca, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Taree, Forster | The relevant council | Council road occupancy or works permit and notification conditions |
| Any work affecting traffic signals, on any road | Transport for NSW | TfNSW road occupancy licence regardless of road ownership |
What the Coffs Harbour depot does
The depot is new and we would rather describe the work than invent a client list. Darin's crews support council works, civil infrastructure and event traffic across the region, and are being built around local hires. ECTC has run NSW operations since 2022 from Young, so the systems behind the depot, the ISO certified management system, the TfNSW compliant planning and the 24/7 coordination, are not new, only the postcode is.
What is specific to this coast is tourism. Port Macquarie, Forster and Coffs Harbour fill up over Christmas, Easter and the winter school holidays, and councils restrict works accordingly. Our approach in tourist towns is to widen pedestrian detours, get VMS messaging out early, keep business access open and protect emergency routes, which we have written about from our Queensland coastal work.
How coverage works from the Coffs Harbour depot
Darin is the Area Manager for the Mid North Coast and the person who scopes your job. Crews are based in Coffs Harbour and the surrounding towns, with Grafton in the north shared with our Gold Coast and Northern NSW depot. Coffs Harbour, Sawtell, Woolgoolga, Bellingen, Nambucca and Kempsey are routine. Port Macquarie, Taree and Forster to the south, and Armidale, Inverell and Tamworth on the New England, are travel jobs with start times confirmed at quote stage, and for longer programs we base a crew in the town.
For the Northern Rivers and Clarence Valley see Northern NSW traffic control. Controllers hold NSW accreditation (Traffic Controller, Implement Traffic Control Plans and Prepare a Work Zone Traffic Management Plan as required); see NSW traffic control licences.
What to send for a Mid North Coast quote
- Site address, or highway name and chainage, and whether the road is Transport for NSW or council
- Dates, hours, day or night, and whether the works fall in a holiday embargo
- The work and plant, and whether traffic signals are within or near the site
- Whether you already hold a road occupancy licence or need help applying
- Whether you need a traffic control plan prepared, or already hold one
- Site contact, principal contractor and any TfNSW or council references
Common questions
Who approves traffic control on the Pacific Highway at Coffs Harbour or Port Macquarie?
Transport for NSW. Any work that affects travel lanes on a state road, or traffic signals on any road, needs a TfNSW road occupancy licence and a traffic control plan to the TCAWS manual. Council streets need the council's own permit. We tell you which applies, and whether both do, when we scope the job.
Are your Mid North Coast controllers NSW accredited?
Yes. NSW requires its own accreditation, and a Queensland ticket is not valid here. Our Coffs Harbour depot crews hold NSW Traffic Controller accreditation, with Implement Traffic Control Plans and Prepare a Work Zone Traffic Management Plan holders for site setup and planning. ECTC does not issue tickets; registered training organisations do.
Do you cover Port Macquarie, Taree and Forster?
Yes, from the Coffs Harbour depot as travel jobs with a confirmed start time, and with a crew based in the town for longer programs. Port Macquarie-Hastings and MidCoast councils have their own permit conditions and holiday works embargoes, which we factor into the plan and the quote.
Can you work on the New England around Armidale, Inverell and Tamworth?
Yes. We hire controllers in Armidale and Inverell and service the New England Highway, Gwydir Highway and council roads from the Coffs Harbour depot. Tableland work means frost, fog and long rural stretches, and we plan for that. Start times for New England jobs are confirmed at quote stage.
Can you help with the road occupancy licence application?
Yes. We prepare the traffic control plan the licence application needs and advise on timing, which depends on TfNSW rather than us. The licence is a permission to occupy the road, not an approval of the works themselves, so your other approvals still apply. See permits and road occupancy.
Nearby locations
Need crews in Coffs Harbour?
Send the job and your local Area Manager takes it from there, day or night.