Mount Victoria to Lithgow Great Western Highway Upgrade

Study Area Investigations and Corridor Identification

Appendix A Community update and advertisement – May 2008

Information displaysProject team members will be present at the followinginformation displays to address your initial commentsand questions:

• Saturday 21 June 2008 from 10am to 2pm.Farmers Inn, Old Bathurst Road,Hartley Historic Site, Hartley.

• Saturday 21 June 2008 from 10am to 2pm.113 Great Western Highway, Mt Victoria (Next to the old Post Office).

• Thursday 26 June 2008 from 4pm to 7pm.Valley Plaza Shopping Centre, corner Lithgow and Bent streets, Lithgow.

• Saturday 28 June 2008 from 10am to 2pm.Valley Plaza Shopping Centre, corner Lithgow and Bent streets, Lithgow.

More informationGo to the RTA’s website for more backgroundinformation.

The first stepsThe RTA will hold community meetings (see below):

• What is the process to select the preferred option?How do we compare possible route options?

• What happens if there are differing views in the community? How are they reconciled?

• How do we value and compare different types of land? eg village residential, rural residential,agricultural, crown land or special uses such as schools etc? What are the local community values that are important for this study?

• To understand how people want to be involved in the study.The RTA doesn’t want to determine the style of forum and then expect people to join in. We want your advice now so we can set up discussions that you can participate in.

• What do you and your community see as theobjectives for an upgrade of the highway?

Tell us your viewsYou are invited to the following community meetings:

• Monday 16 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm.Hartley school building, corner Mid Hartley Road and Great Western Highway, Hartley.

• Tuesday 17 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm.Mt Victoria Public School, Great Western Highway,Mt Victoria.

• Wednesday 18 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm.Union Theatre, Bridge Street, Lithgow.

• Thursday 19 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm.Comet Inn, Hartley Vale Road, Hartley Vale.

Please RSVP to the phone number listed in the contactinformation below to ensure we can cater and set upthe rooms adequately.

We look forward to meeting with you.

RTA/Pub.08.133

For more information:

Contact the RTA on 1800 035 733 (toll free).Or email western_projects@rta.nsw.gov.au.

If you would like to attend a community meeting:

Please ring Anthony Dawson on 1800 035 733 by 11 June 2008 (toll free).

Mt Victoria to LithgowGreat Western Highway UpgradeMay 2008

What are the steps in planning the upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Mt Victoria and Lithgow?

Field work:

• Geotechnical investigations

• Flora and fauna

• Aboriginal heritage and culture

• Non Aboriginal heritage

• Noise and vibration

• Agriculture

• Land uses and land planning

• Social and economicissues and communityimpacts

• Hydrology and water quality

• Contaminated land

• Views and landscape

Project refined

Community workshops on:

• The issues: safety,freight, level of service,transport needs.

• The area of investigation.

• The study process.

• Options for communityinvolvement: how do you want to be consultedthroughout the process?

• Timeframe.

• Way forward.

Community consultations undertaken (these processes to be determined in first round of communitymeetings)

• Local communities.

• Road user groups.

• Environment groups.

• Government agencies.

Environmental impact assessment of the preferred route

Develop and display corridors within whichroutes could be developedfor community comment.

Develop and display route options for community comment.

Preferred route identified and displayedfor community comment.

Announce start of project and community involvement Wearehere

The Great Western HighwayThe Great Western Highway is the main road linkbetween Sydney and Lithgow and beyond to the centralwest of New South Wales. The Great Western Highwayserves as:

• A key freight route between Sydney and the central west of NSW, including the timber industry in the Oberon area.

• A tourist route with destinations including the Blue Mountains, historic Hartley, Jenolan Caves,Mudgee and Bathurst.

• A connection between the many towns and villagesalong its length.

The existing Great Western Highway between Mt Victoriaand Lithgow is generally two or three lanes and includessome passing lanes on the steeper grades.

The steep grades and tight curves on Victoria Pass andRiver Lett Hill limit the safe operation of heavy vehicles.The often slow speed of heavy vehicles constrains howsmaller vehicles travel.

About 14,000 vehicles a day travel on this section of thehighway. Heavy vehicles make up about 15 per cent ofthis traffic with more than half the road freight transportbetween the central west and Sydney using the GreatWestern Highway.

Future traffic increaseIt is expected that traffic using the Great Western Highwaybetween Sydney and the central west will increase byapproximately 3 per cent each year.

Traffic on the rural sections of the Great Western Highway,between Mt Victoria and Lithgow is expected to increaseto about 20,000 vehicles each day by the year 2025.

Planning to upgrade the highwayThe Australian Government has committed funding tostart planning for the bypass of Mt Victoria and River LettHill on the Great Western Highway between Katoombaand Lithgow.

The Australian and NSW governments, with thecommunity, are investigating this section of the GreatWestern Highway to determine the preferred alignmentfor an upgrade.

A highway upgrade would:

• Improve road safety.

• Improve road freight efficiency.

• Cater for the mix of through, local and tourist traffic.

• Be sensitive to the area’s natural environment,heritage and local communities.

Mt Victoria and Little Hartley villages

The highway through Mt Victoria village is narrow with anumber of historic buildings close to the road. There isminimal opportunity to improve the road on the existingalignment with no possibility of providing additional lanes.The highway through Little Hartley is also narrow andconstrained with a number of historic buildings close tothe road.

A preferred alignment is expected to be identifiedsomewhere within the broad study area shown onthe right.

Why such a big initial study area?The process to locate a highway involves:

• The community.

• Field investigations.

• Engineering design.

We need to:

• Identify the constraints to locating the highway.

• Identify possible highway options with thecommunity.

As such, we start with a study area and work with thecommunity to narrow down to corridors, route optionsand then the preferred route.

Two traffic lanes

Median width could vary depending on location

Barrier(where required)

Two traffic lanes

Shou

lder

Shou

lder

Barr

ier

POSSIBLE FOUR LANE CROSS SECTION

Two traffic lanes

Narrow median

Barrier(where required)

One traffic lane

Shou

lder

Shou

lder

Barr

ier

POSSIBLE THREE LANE CROSS SECTION

Mt Victoria to Lithgow – initial area to be investigated/discussed with communityWhat could the future upgrade look like?The most suitable configuration for the upgraded road willbe investigated. Possible cross sections for a three lane and afour lane upgrade are shown below.

These cross sections show how a three or four lane highwaywould look – depending on traffic need.

LEGEND

Great Western Highway

Study area

Other main roads

Residential areaRiverNational parkRailway

Elevated areas1000 –1200 metres

900 – 1000 800 – 9000 – 800 metres

7cm by 12cm Font Gill Sans light min 9 Gill Sans min 12

The Australian and NSW governments are investigating a study area from Mt Victoria to Lithgow to determine the preferred alignment for an upgrade of the Great Western Highway. You are invited to the following community meetings: •Monday 16 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm.

Hartley school building, corner Mid Hartley Road and Great Western Highway, Hartley.

•Tuesday 17 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm. Mt Victoria Public School, Great Western Highway, Mt Victoria.

•Wednesday 18 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm. Union Theatre, Bridge Street, Lithgow.

•Thursday 19 June 2008 from 6.30pm to 8pm. Comet Inn, Hartley Vale Road, Hartley Vale.

Please RSVP to 1800 035 733 (freecall) to ensure

Mount Victoria to Lithgow Great Western Highway upgrade Comm nit meetin s

The Australian and NSW governments are investigating a study area from Mt Victoria to Lithgow to determine the preferred alignment for an upgrade of the Great Western Highway. You are invited to information displays on the Mt Victoria to Lithgow upgrade of the Great Western Highway at the following locations: •Saturday 21 June 2008 from 10am to 2pm.

Farmers Inn, Old Bathurst Road, Hartley Historic Site, Hartley.

•Saturday 21 June 2008 from 10am to 2pm. 113 Great Western Highway, Mt Victoria (Next to the old Post Office).

•Thursday 26 June 2008 from 4pm to 7pm. Valley Plaza Shopping Centre, corner Lithgow and Bent streets, Lithgow.

•Saturday 28 June 2008 from 10am to 2pm. Valley Plaza Shopping Centre, corner Lithgow and Bent streets, Lithgow.

Project team members will be present at the displays to address your initial comments and

For more information phone 1800 035 733 (freecall) or visit www.rta.nsw.gov.au.

Mount Victoria to Lithgow Great Western Highway upgrade Information displa s