The new shared path linking Newport Beach with The Serpentine at Bilgola Beach is entering its final stage, with construction expected to be completed in September 2026, weather permitting.
Construction began in September 2025 on the approximately 710-metre off-road path, which runs from Newport Beach car park through Eric Green Reserve to The Serpentine. The path has a minimum clear width of three metres and is designed for pedestrians, cyclists and people using mobility aids.
Northern Beaches Council has identified the Newport to Bilgola Beach section beside Barrenjoey Road as a priority connection, providing an alternative route for walkers and recreational cyclists away from traffic.
Final works underway
Council’s latest construction update says crews are installing the final fibreglass reinforced plastic platforms on elevated sections, pouring concrete for the remaining ground-level sections and completing balustrades and handrails.
Work is also continuing on the connection with the existing Bicentennial walkway at Newport Beach car park, along with line marking and signage. Once the main construction work is complete, contractors are expected to largely demobilise from the Newport Beach site compound while landscaping continues.
As part of the final works, four overnight shifts were scheduled between 31 August and 4 September to backfill the shared path along Barrenjoey Road using trucks and excavators.
The path remains an active construction site and is not open for public use while works continue. The finished route will include a non-slip surface, stainless steel balustrading and handrails. Low-impact lighting will be installed through Eric Green Reserve, with puck lighting embedded in handrails along The Serpentine to provide a gentle ambient glow. Native trees and plants will also form part of the landscaping works.
Years of planning
The Newport to Bilgola connection has been under consideration for several years.
Council says it has been working with the community on improved connections between Newport and Avalon since 2018. Consultation began in 2020, with designs later refined following community feedback about safety, environmental impacts and the proposed shared-zone arrangements at Bilgola Beach.
On 12 November 2024, Council approved detailed design and construction of the Newport Beach to The Serpentine section. A Review of Environmental Factors was also completed as part of the planning process.
The project forms part of the broader Coast Walk program, originally proposed as a continuous 36-kilometre coastal walking route between Manly and Palm Beach. Council’s 2017 Coast Walk plans identified the Bilgola Bends Shared Path as one of the proposed major investments in the route.
The Bilgola Bends section has long been regarded as a difficult gap in the local network for many cyclists. Bicycle Network described the Bilgola Bends connection in July as the Northern Beaches’ “most significant missing link” for cyclists.
Funding for the connection has also developed over several stages. In 2020, NSW parliamentary records identified $2.4 million in Cycling Infrastructure Initiative funding for a shared-user path between Newport Beach and The Serpentine. Council says the current project is funded by the NSW Government through the Transport for NSW Cycling Infrastructure Fund, Infrastructure NSW Restart NSW Fund and the Stronger Communities Fund.
The Serpentine connection
At the northern end of the path, crews are completing a raised threshold on The Serpentine. It will provide a transition for bike riders entering The Serpentine and for pedestrians continuing towards the existing walkway and stairs to Bilgola Beach.
Construction in the area has required stop-go traffic arrangements and partial road closures, with further restrictions used when machinery and materials need to be moved through the site.
Accessibility constraints
Council says the full route cannot meet compliant accessibility gradients because of the steep terrain and limited space beside Barrenjoey Road.
The existing on-road section between Neptune Road and the eastern end of Eric Green Reserve has an average gradient of about 1:15. The existing Coast Walk route also includes stairs, uneven surfaces and sections of varying width, preventing it from providing a fully accessible continuous route.
Further Coast Walk works planned
Council is also finalising designs for further works at Bilgola Beach, including a connection between the beach car park and Allen Avenue, as well as a footpath and stairs between the top of the Allen Avenue stairs and the Barrenjoey Road roundabout.
Bilgola Beach foreshore works are anticipated to begin in 2027, while the connection from the top of the Allen Avenue stairs to the roundabout is expected in 2027–28.
Other sections between The Serpentine and Surfside Avenue, Surfside Avenue and Avalon Beach, and Whale Beach and Palm Beach via Whale Beach Road still require revised designs, further consultation and significant additional funding.
Published 1-Sept-2026
