ANY momentum built up for an expressway over the Blue Mountains has disappeared within days after two senior members of the NSW Government poured cold water on the idea.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The new push by Central NSW Councils (Centroc) for a better route west from Sydney looked to have gained traction when Parliamentary Secretary for Western NSW Rick Colless backed the idea last week.
In advocating for some sort of work to start on an expressway in the next two years, Mr Colless said the people of the Central West should have the same sort of access to the capital as those living in other directions.
“If you look at the Bells Line and the Great Western Highway, both of those roads are basically goat tracks compared to the roads that run north and south of Sydney,” he said.
But Member for Bathurst Paul Toole and Member for Dubbo Troy Grant were less bullish about the project when contacted.
Mr Grant said he supported an expressway, but in a statement very similar to his Nationals colleague and Roads Minister Melinda Pavey, said it was “too early to speculate” on a design or engineering solution.
In his statement, Mr Toole said he “would continue to advocate for short, medium and long term outcomes for the Bells Line” but didn’t answer any questions about his position on an expressway.
He was far more enthusiastic to talk about the current work being done on Bells Line of Road.
"The NSW government continues to invest huge amounts of money for upgrading and improving our roads right across the Bathurst electorate,” he said.
"I welcome the completion of the seven new overtaking lanes on the Bells Line of Road. This project has made an important contribution to the safety and access on that stretch of road.”
Mr Grant said transport and freight access over the Blue Mountains was being examined in the draft Future Transport 2056 plan.
“I support an expressway from Dubbo to Sydney, I always have. It is a vital nation building project that would bring obvious economic benefits to the Central West and Western Plains,” Mr Grant said.
“An upgraded Bells Line of Road corridor is included in the draft plan, as is the vital ‘Castlereagh Connection’ corridor between the M7 and Kurrajong.”
Their responses were in contrast to Nationals MLC Mr Colless, who said it was time something was done.
Mr Colless said he believed his fellow Nationals did want to see it built.
“My colleagues in western NSW hold a similar view to me. Some of them are in cabinet so they have to be a bit more restrained in what they say, but they want it,” he said.