Chaotic, badly planned and confusing, it is less a highway and more an obstacle course for drivers, pedestrians and residents alike.

Unfortunately, the road is also the eastern entrance to Bathurst, a funnel through which motorists pass, whether they are staying in our city or heading further west.

In terms of creating a first impression, this eastern entrance has nothing good to say. It is tired and crumbling, unlike the city that lies on its other side.

Which is why the NSW Government’s $85 million upgrade of this part of the Great Western Highway, which has now moved up a gear, is good not just for the users of the road, but the residents of the city.

It’s not just a big ticket item, but a city-changing item.

Which is not to say the project will be painless.

In fact, any major infrastructure investment seems to follow the same script: excitement at the initial announcement; confusion and impatience as the finer details are laboriously worked through; anger and more impatience as the work causes inconvenience and disruption, sometimes for years on end; and, finally, relief as the ribbon is cut and the infrastructure is opened.

Often, after the new road or rail line is unveiled, no matter the pain involved, the first question asked is when work will begin on the next stage.

So Bathurstians should prepare for a period of disruption in Kelso as the present two-lane road is transformed.

The time to talk about what to do with the road has ended, and the real work has begun.

It won’t be easy, that much is certain, but it will be worth it.