A SECTION of one of Bathurst's two routes to Sydney has been reduced to one lane as work gets serious to prevent future problems on the troublesome road.
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Transport for NSW announced in May that slope repair work would be carried out at Mount Tomah, east of Lithgow, after that part of the road had been affected a number of times by heavy rain.
Bells Line was closed for weeks on end in March and April 2021 due to landslips, has also been closed by bushfires and snow in recent years and is regularly affected by vehicle crashes.
"The Bells Line of Road is a key link between Sydney and western NSW, a diversion route in the event of a Great Western Highway closure and also a popular drive for tourists and Blue Mountains Botanic Garden visitors, but we've seen the road closed far too often over the past two years due to unusually high rainfall," Transport for NSW regional director west Alistair Lunn said in May.
"The three slopes earmarked for remediation are all within one kilometre of each other along the Bells Line of Road and two of them fall within the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden."
In a new traffic alert, Transport for NSW says traffic conditions have changed near Mount Tomah from Monday, September 11 for "essential piling works".
Bells Line has been reduced to one lane for 300 metres east of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden entry and Transport for NSW says a pilot vehicle and portable traffic signals will be in place from 7am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, and timed alternating traffic signals will be in place at all other times until Thursday, September 21.
A 40 kilometres an hour speed limit will also be in place and motorists are being asked to allow up to five minutes of extra travel time during the work.
Separately, Transport for NSW announced last month that a seven-month project had started to permanently repair a slope near Mount Victoria where damage closed part of the Great Western Highway in March 2022.
| For the latest traffic information, visit www.livetraffic.com, download the Live Traffic app or call the Transport Management Centre on 132 701.
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