RE: Proposed upgrade to the Great Western Highway from Katoomba to Lithgow (Western Advocate, December 21, January 6).
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This is a roadway I use frequently.
The proposal is a $2.5 billion spend, 31 kilometre duplication, eight years to complete with a travel saving of 10 minutes between Lithgow and Sydney.
Obviously a divided road adds a measure of safety, but I question value for money here.
This highway has had many upgrades over many years, yet what is missing here is it will never be a highway.
Endless speed zones, endless traffic lights and a restricted top speed of 80 kilometres an hour for most of the journey makes this a secondary roadway.
We know governments now struggle to deliver big projects on time and on budget. Look at the Sydney light rail - over on time and over on capital cost by $1.3 billion.
Even the demolition of a stadium recently is out by $100 million. And WestConnex has a big question mark over the final cost.
Deputy premier John Barilaro wants to unlock the Central West to reach its full economic potential by singing the praises of this highway upgrade. Unfortunately, this roadway will not cut it for that purpose.
Politicians in the past had big vision: Snowy Hydro, numerous dams across NSW, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. Generations benefited from such vision.
Unless we move away from short-termism, this region, the Central West, will continue to have restricted growth.
For example, every election for a generation, the high speed rail jar is opened, talked about and then the lid is put back on. In China, they set a goal to link major cities with high speed rail over 10 years and delivered.
A new highway could consider faster rail as part of the project at some point.
In China, again, they complete a 100 kilometre stretch of highway within 12 months. Their vision has projects going out 50 years. They have patience.
We need a super highway from Lithgow to the outer Sydney highway network using a series of tunnels and roadway.
This would take time, 30 years, and major capital covered over budget cycles, even in partnership.
Travel time could be reduced up to an hour, finally unlocking this region.
If past generations of political leaders let obstacles and capital constraints halt their vision, nothing would have been built.
It's time for our politicians to stop tinkering at the edges of the current roadway. Remove "great" and "highway" from this secondary roadway until a real highway is in place and it merits the name.
We need this as part of living in the regions and accessing services in metropolitan areas.
