With the contract awarded $100 million of safety upgrades for the Bells Line of Road, the assessment and planning phase is now underway for this vital project.
Traffic numbers are increasing on the Bells Line of Road but, in recent years, it has been heavily impacted by extreme weather from floods to fires.
Following the Australian Government’s 2023 announcement that it would fund safety upgrades to this key route through the Blue Mountains, civil engineering specialist firm Civil Consulting and Highway Design (CCHD) has won the tender to investigate and identify strategic upgrade options, which will support future works.
A range of improvements are being considered including new overtaking lanes, realigning curves, installing safety barriers and intersection upgrades.
Participating councils and other targeted stakeholders will be thoroughly consulted to ensure that there is a complete understanding of local priorities, plans and options to provide a safer, more resilient and reliable transport network for all road users.
Further development will be required in future stages. The wider community and other stakeholders will be consulted on a proposed shortlist of projects, by the end of this year.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said that the Bells Line of Road is a key link between Lithgow and the Hawkesbury, through the north of the Blue Mountains.
“As local tourism businesses in Bilpin and surrounding regions boom, the road is getting busier and ensuring it has the necessary safety and resilience improvements is essential,” King said.
“The Blue Mountains is one of Australia’s most beloved national parks, so as we proceed, we’ll ensure the future upgrades are designed to minimise heritage and conservation impacts.”
NSW Minister for Regional Transport, Jenny Aitchison, said, “We are grateful to the Federal Government for their commitment and support to improving resilience and safety in the Blue Mountains.
“The road is very vulnerable to closures from bushfires and landslips, which result in delays for motorists and makes it difficult to manage traffic during incidents,” Aitchison said.
“It also has a crash rate higher than other similar NSW roads.
“Transport for NSW will engage with local councils and other targeted stakeholders to make sure that options put forward align with council and community aspirations.
“This will help ensure that upgrades will benefit both local traffic, and the commuters, tourists and freight operators who travel along it every day.
“There has been a substantial planning and engagement on the corridor in recent years, and Transport for NSW will draw on this knowledge – as well as valuable input from local experts – in identifying upgrade options.”
