BUSINESSES that have joined forces to support the duplication of more than 30 kilometres of the Great Western Highway want to ensure the project's momentum isn't lost.
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The Western Link is a collection of small businesses in Bathurst and Lithgow that is aiming to make the benefits of the duplication clear.
The group has set up a website, is running an online petition and is seeking support from councils within the region for the multi-billion dollar project.
"Given the pandemic, we understand that the progression of a project like this might come to a halt completely or at least slow and as a group, we're concerned about that," campaign spokeswoman Oleta Bin Garape said.
"And we do understand that this is a long road [to the completion of the project], but we thought why not start building awareness and support for it now."
The duplication of the Great Western Highway from Lithgow to Katoomba was announced in Bathurst in the lead-up to the 2019 state election and the NSW Government has committed $2.5 billion to the project so far.
The project has proved controversial in some parts of the Blue Mountains where tunnels and bypasses are options being considered.
"We do understand that there are sensitivities for those local villages, with which we understand co-designs are being worked on," Ms Bin Garape said.
"We're definitely sensitive to that, however, we do believe that alignments can be made within those local communities [to meet the communities' needs].
"But whatever the solution, a faster road between the Central West and Sydney is something that we want."
Ms Bin Garape works for Bathurst's Ribbon Gang Media Agency, which is one of the businesses that has formed Western Link and which is co-ordinating the campaign.
"We [Ribbon Gang Media] heard, in passing, from some of the businesses that we work with that they'd kind of been working together, but weren't too sure about how to build awareness [about the benefits of the highway upgrade] within their local communities, mainly in Lithgow," she said.
"And we wholeheartedly believe in the project as well, so said that we would help."
Also involved in the campaign are intermodal transport company VITL, first-aid product supplier FastAid of Emu Plains and cladding manufacturer Fairview Architectural and Solve Civil of Lithgow.
Ms Bin Garape said the Western Link campaign wants to highlight the positives of a duplicated highway: "better productivity, connectivity and affordability in the Central West regions, but also for those on the outskirts of western Sydney".
She said a major project such as the duplication could lead to more infrastructure spending in the Central West and the campaign group is aware the NSW Government is considering its options for improvements to rail lines.
The petition in support of the duplication is at the Western Link website, westernlink.org.au/
