Upgrades to link Central West Region to Sydney networks
New South Wales plans to spend $95 million in upgrading access routes from the state’s Central West into Sydney, through the Blue Mountains, the government announced earlier this week.
Currently in the planning stages, the upgrade will ultimately see 30km of the Great Western Highway duplicated between Katoomba and the location of Forty Bends, south of Lithgow, and bypassing the smaller towns of Blackheath and Mount Victoria.
The government will commit $15 million to planning the highway duplication in the 2018-19 financial year, with Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey saying the plan would help provide a safe and efficient link between Central West NSW and the Sydney motorway network.
Work is also underway for upgrades to the Bells Line of Road corridor, often used as an alternative route across the Blue Mountains. Parliamentary Secretary for Western New South Wales Rick Colless says shovels are ready for a number of projects along the corridor, including $28 million for a realignment of Chifley Road at Scenic Hill and another $22 million for a rail bridge at Clarence.
“We have already invested $48 million on the Bells Line of Road corridor improvement program which included installing overtaking lanes, stabilising slopes and widening existing lanes to improve safety and travel times for road users,” he says.