"It's not going to change the world," Cr Richardson said. "It's not going to change the traffic in a way that allows us to now cruise down and remember the 80s, but what it will do is allow locals to get around town. "For me, it's a locals' road. "It's not going to turn us back decades but it will make a difference." Nationals MLC Ben Franklin and Byron mayor Simon Richardson at the opening of the Byron Bay Bypass on Saturday, February 27, 2021. Picture: Liana Boss The project was funded for $24 million, $20 million of which came from the state government, the rest from council.