The community is invited to have its say on the environmental assessment and concept design for the West section of the Great Western Highway upgrade between Little Hartley and Lithgow.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the NSW Nationals in the federal government’s $2 billion commitment to the Great Western Highway upgrade would help transform the vital transport link into a smoother, safer passageway for motorists.
“Thousands of motorists rely on the Great Western Highway every day and we are helping fund the upgrades these drivers need and deserve, to ensure they can reach their destination safely and smoothly every time,” Mr Joyce said.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the NSW Nationals in the state government are investing $2.5 billion to transform the Great Western Highway by upgrading it to a four-lane highway between Katoomba and Lithgow to ensure safer, smoother journeys for the main link between the Central West and Sydney.
“This upgrade has been on the books since 2013, when we identified the corridor and reserved it in both the Blue Mountains and Lithgow City Councils’ plans, and now we’re making it a reality, which is massive news for everyone who uses this section of the highway,” Mr Toole said.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the community to help design the biggest road upgrade the Hartley Valley has ever seen, and, alongside the Central and East sections of the Great Western Highway upgrade, will see more than 100km of safe, modern dual-carriageway all the way to Sydney.
“We’ve listened to the community and made a number of design changes to ensure we protect the historic village of Hartley which is a significant piece of local history and our state’s heritage.”
Federal Nationals Member for Calare Andrew Gee said the release of the Review of Environmental Factors and the concept design was an important milestone for the upgrade.
“Everyone has a horror story of being stuck in traffic coming over the mountains, with vehicles travelling at walking pace, backed up for hours,” Mr Gee said.
“Each day, about 11,000 vehicles travel on the Great Western Highway between Little Hartley and Lithgow. This large volume of freight, tourist and general traffic is only expected to increase as more and more people visit country NSW and make their move from the city to Western NSW.
“The Australian Government knows just how important the Great Western Highway is in connecting regional NSW with Sydney, which is why we have committed more than $2 billion towards the East and West sections of this game-changing upgrade.”
NSW Nationals Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier Sam Farraway said it was vital that the locals who live, move and work around the Great Western Highway help shape this legacy project.
“This is a history-making project that will unlock new opportunities for the Central West and strengthen the connection to Sydney,” Mr Farraway said.
“This work will move this critical project a step closer to becoming a reality.”
The REF and concept design will be on display until Wednesday, December 22.
The community can review the REF online at nswroads.work/gwhwestconsult, or at Lithgow City Council Administration Centre and Lithgow Library Learning Centre.
More information is available at: nswroads.work/gwhd
