Each level of government will chip in $1 million to construct a boardwalk around the most dangerous parts of Mount Panorama to give pedestrians a safer place to walk.

The boardwalk will be in three sections between Griffin’s Bend and the Bathurst Light Car Club building, located at the top of Conrod Straight. 

It will be on the inside of the track in the area owned by Crown Lands and council, and as such won’t interfere with residential properties.

Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said this project was about improving safety and would hopefully eliminate near-misses between pedestrians and motorists. 

“We know that this area is used by walkers and families throughout the year,” Mr Toole said. 

“There are many people from Charles Sturt University that come up here every day, and every hour we can see two to three walkers all the time going around the mount.

“Now what we want to do is to make sure that we can have people walking around the mount in a safe manner. 

“We know there are many cars, there are many visitors here to the mount every year, but we want to be able to make sure that we can grow tourism, but also provide a safe environment where people can walk.” 

Mr Toole said the places where the boardwalk would be built had been identified by Bathurst’s council as the most dangerous areas for pedestrians to be.

The issues include the lack of suitable space for walk and the decreased visibility for motorists coming around the bends. 

“There have been some preliminary designs done up as to where the boardwalk would go, the costings show it is around $2 million and together we’re going to see that being delivered for the area,” Mr Toole said. 

The boardwalk will be around 1.7 kilometres long and be made of a variety of materials, including steel and timber.

Mayor Graeme Hanger said it will also be very accessible and also include a viewing area up the top with seats for people to take a break, however the boardwalk will be closed during race events. 

“There are times where it will be closed, but only for people’s safety,” he said. 

In addition to safety, Mr Toole and Mr Hanger expect the boardwalk will drive tourism by being another visitor experience for people who visit Mount Panorama.

The project will soon go to tender, but Mr Hanger could not provide a timeline of when the boardwalk will be complete.

His hope is it will be open by the end of 2019.

Local walkers have shown their support for the project as well.

Terri Larkin and Marianne Webber said it would be great for all kinds of people who use the mount for exercise, particularly families with kids.

“A lot of people love walking around the mount, so I think it will be great and well used and safe,” Ms Larkin said.