Port Macquarie-Hastings Council has accepted a $457,705 quotation from consultants AT&L for the preconstruction project.

The project will deliver the detailed design for the duplication of Hastings River Drive from Hughes Place to Boundary Street.

The construction phase is as yet unfunded.

Director Jeffery Sharp described Hastings River Drive as "a main entry point to Port Macquarie and an important transport link used by around 18,000 vehicles each day".

"More than $11 million has been invested to upgrade the road since 2014," He said.

"Improvements currently in the planning phase for the section of road between Hughes Place and Boundary Street will aim to further improve safety of motorists and access to local businesses in the area, while also ensuring congestion is minimised at peak times as our population grows in the coming years."

Harvey Norman flooring franchisee Glenn Blattman said the council's acceptance of the quotation for the detailed design phase was a step in the right direction.

He believes the upgrade will improve traffic flow and safety.

Mr Blattman has seen Hastings River Drive progressively upgraded over the years.

"In the last 10 to 12 years, they have been upgrading it but it would be good to see it finished," he said.

"The quicker, the better, but you have to be a realist."

Maca's Mechanical partner Chris Jackson would like the consultants to speak with nearby businesses to gain an understanding of what they believed was needed as part of the detailed design.

"It's extremely important because it's a commercial road with businesses that all have different factors and needs," he said.

"Our ideas would be vital to get the right result."

The upgrade of Hastings River Drive has been a work in progress over the years.

A roundabout opened to traffic at the Hastings River Drive/Newport Island road intersection in November 2018.

The roundabout, designed to handle the expected increase in traffic as the population grows, improved safety at the busy intersection.

A $6 million upgrade between Gordon Street and Aston Street was completed in 2016.

That upgrade started in October 2015 with the first stage from the Gordon Street traffic lights through to the Park Street roundabout and extending to Buller Street traffic lights.

The second stage included the duplication of a 450 metre section between Park Street and Aston Street.

The project also improved safety, drainage and pedestrian access and added a roundabout at the Findlay Avenue intersection.

Meanwhile, traffic lights at the intersection of Hastings River Drive and Boundary Street were switched on in 2014.

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