DEPUTY mayor Ian North is hoping work will start as soon as possible on the $30 million next stage of the Great Western Highway upgrade on Bathurst's outskirts.
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Transport for NSW western regional director Alistair Lunn says community consultation on the concept design for the upgrade - which will run from the Gold Panner Motor Inn at Kelso to the eastbound overtaking lane near Glanmire - has now finished.
"We are currently developing the detailed design and completing the environmental assessment," he said.
"Early work is planned for late November 2019 and will include clearing of vegetation alongside the road, with work on the upgrade of the Great Western Highway expected to start early next year."
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Cr North said this latest upgrade of the highway was long-awaited and he hoped Transport for NSW would start construction in the new year "as soon as they can".
"It was great when the State Government gave money to be used for the first stage [the duplication of the highway through Kelso, which was completed in 2017] and as soon as I knew that was going ahead, I was on to them to say why not continue," he said.
He said this next upgrade - in which the highway will be upgraded to two lanes each way from Ashworth Drive, at the Big Gold Panner, to Napoleon Street, on the western edge of Raglan - would be good for road safety but also for traffic flow in busy times.
The upgrade will also provide two lanes eastbound and one lane westbound from Napoleon Street to the east of Ceramic Avenue.
Cr North said the Bathurst 1000 weekend was always a test for the highway "and we've got the 12 Hour, the 6 Hour, a new event [at Mount Panorama] that will hit in 2020".
"When those [traffic] peaks hit, they really hit," he said.
Cr North said the upgrade to the highway would also be good for residents of Raglan - some of whom, he said, had expressed frustration to him that an accident could shut down the highway between their village and Bathurst.
Cr North said he would be watching with interest to see how the detailed design for the upgrade looked and hoped Transport for NSW had listened to residents' feedback on the concept design.
When the concept design for the upgrade was released in July, Transport for NSW's Mr Lunn said the aim would be "to maintain two lanes of traffic as much as we can" during the construction period.
