MOTORISTS converging on Bathurst from the Oberon side of town should be spared lengthy delays during the morning and afternoon peak hour when work on the $85 million upgrade of the Great Western Highway at Kelso hits top gear.
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A breakthrough in lengthy negotiations between Roads and Maritime Services, Bathurst Regional Council and John Holland Rail has resulted in an arrangement for traffic to be diverted around the worksite.
Motorists on O’Connell Road will be able to turn onto Lee Street, just past The Scots School and drive across the former rail level crossing that has been closed for years. From there they will proceed onto Stockland Drive, behind Bunnings, before re-entering the highway.
The key to this route being given the all- clear comes with the proviso that the railway crossing will be manned by stop/go marshalls.
According to local traffic guru Matt Irvine from Panorama Road Safety, it’s a victory for common sense.
“It’s the best news we could hear. What a great decision. Brilliant. A lot of people will really benefit from this move,” he said yesterday. “What is also fantastic is how good it is to see stakeholders such as the government agency (RMS), working with council and the rail people to bring this off.
“John Holland Rail would have had to accede to the requests to get that wish to use the crossing. Many years ago Lee Street was the major link into Bathurst from that side of town, so there should be no issues with this decision.
“There is some work which needs to be done to bring traffic through there, but it’s hardly insurmountable and not that big a deal.”
Mr Irvine said the crossing would be manned to keep delays minimal, saving the need for boom gates to be installed.
“This really should keep traffic moving at busy times because there’s good access back onto the highway with the new traffic lights on Stockland Drive,” he said. “While it’s only a short-term solution at present, I think many people would think it’s great to have it open forever.
“There’s still a lot of congestion that occurs at Littlebourne Street and the Great Western Highway and doing this would help address the issue.”
Mr Irvine also noted the option for motorists heading into Bathurst from Sydney and Lithgow was to take a right at the Gold Panner Motor Inn onto Ashworth Drive, then onto Bonnor Street and left back onto Limekilns Road, linking back up with the Great Western Highway near the car yard and Kelso Hotel. He also believes Marsden Lane and Hereford Street will become busier as motorists look to enter town via the low level bridge at the bottom of George Street.
Bathurst Regional Council’s director of engineering services Doug Patterson said there was a lot of negotiations involved to ensure the Lee Street rail crossing option came about.
“The RMS is co-ordinating all of this, but it is seen as a major way of improving traffic flows during the reconstruction of the Great Western Highway between Gilmour and Littlebourne streets,” he said.
“At the centre of talks was ensuring the appropriate safety measures are undertaken at the rail crossing. This was paramount to negotiations.”
Bathurst MP Paul Toole said the rail crossing at Lee Street would only be operating at strategic times when traffic would be at its heaviest.
“That’s basically during the morning and afternoon rush hours and depending on what stage the roadworks are at,” Mr Toole said.
“Outside these times traffic will still be able to use the highway as they usually would. I was involved in the negotiations along with RMS officials, Bathurst mayor Gary Rush and general manager David Sherley and, after some lobbying with Roads Minister Duncan Gay, was able to get the go-ahead.”
