THE first major work on the multi-billion-dollar upgrade of the Great Western Highway from Lithgow to Katoomba will start next week, the NSW Government says.
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It comes four years after then-NSW Deputy Premier John Barilaro visited Bathurst to announce that a re-elected Coalition Government would begin the design and construction of the highway duplication in the next term of government.
It also follows a difficult 2022 for the highway duplication project which included the Federal Government's decision to delay its committed funding and doubts being cast on a proposed tunnel between Little Hartley and Blackheath.
The NSW Government has said for some time that the road widening through the village of Medlow Bath would be the first section of the highway project to be started and that March would be the starting date.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway confirmed that on Thursday.
"This is a major milestone in this legacy project which will deliver a better road through the mountains for the thousands of people who use it every day," Mr Farraway said of the construction work to start next week.
"Crews will begin the road widening work on the eastbound section of the highway. They'll build a central traffic median, then switch all traffic onto this section before commencing work to duplicate the westbound lane."
Mr Farraway said the head contractor for this section, Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure, will lead the work on the upgrade to double the lane capacity and improve safety and turning options along a 1.2 kilometre stretch of highway.
He said a site compound will be built next to the United Service Station, and crews will also be conducting some "minor clearing" of shrubs and other vegetation as well as installing fencing and traffic barriers within the project site.
The NSW Government has split its Lithgow to Katoomba highway duplication into sections: the eastern section from Katoomba to Blackheath; the central section from Blackheath to Little Hartley, for which two 11km tunnels are proposed; and the western section from Little Hartley to Lithgow.
The small Medlow Bath section is separate again.
Mr Farraway said designs for a new pedestrian bridge at Medlow Bath were close to being finalised and the construction of the bridge is expected to begin towards the end of this year.
"The whole package of work at Medlow Bath is scheduled for completion in early 2025," he said.
Once the work is complete, according to Mr Farraway, there will be four traffic lanes separated by a median with dedicated right turning lanes; new traffic lights at the intersection of the highway and Bellevue Crescent, including a left turning bay; and a new pedestrian bridge for improved access from the train station across the highway to the other side of the road.
The Medlow Bath Action Group has previously said that the highway duplication through its village "will turn the town centre into a five-lane freight corridor wedged between the Hydro Majestic Hotel and the train station, both heritage listed".
Though the proposed tunnels beneath the highway between Blackheath and Little Hartley remain in doubt as the NSW Government continues to seek Federal Government funding, an environmental impact statement for the project is accepting submissions from the public.
And the Central NSW Joint Organisation - a collection of councils that includes Bathurst Regional - is encouraging people to have their say.
"A safe, swift and secure link between Sydney and Central NSW remains a priority for our communities," Central NSW Joint Organisation chair (and Cabonne Council mayor) Kevin Beatty said.
"The safety, time and productivity benefits are so important for our visitors, our freight and for us as we travel to and from Sydney."
Cr Beatty said the highway is vulnerable to closure - whether through car crashes or extreme weather - because it is only one lane in each direction in sections and there is a lack of alternative routes.
"Realisation of a safe, swift and secure link between Sydney and Central NSW is a very big opportunity and the mayors of the region are keen to ensure that we support it every step of the way," he said.
