AN information session was well-attended, but a firm start date is still not known for the $45 million upgrade of the Great Western Highway from Kelso to Raglan.
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Transport for NSW held an online industry information session on Monday for prospective contractors and suppliers wanting to find out more about construction opportunities.
"We had 60 attend the industry briefing session and the website has had over 200 views from interested parties since - which is pretty good local engagement," Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said.
"We are making sure that sub-contractors and contractors can be in a position to undertake some of the works that are going to be required."
The land acquisition process, however, is still holding up the start date.
A concept design for the Kelso to Raglan upgrade - in which lanes will be added, and traffic lights will be installed to give better access to Bathurst Airport - was released in July last year and survey work was undertaken late last year.
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It was announced in May that the project had been given planning approval and Mr Toole said in June that the "plan's done, the design's done, it's been approved", but land acquisitions were holding up the process.
Mr Toole said this week that the acquisition process was continuing.
"We are expecting some early works to commence at the end of October, early November, but we are still going through the process of acquisition of land where the highway is going to be widened," he said.
"We are expecting major physical works to commence early next year.
"We are still talking to a number of property owners about property acquisitions to enable that large physical work."
Mr Toole acknowledged that the process had been "a bit slow", but said there should be no doubt the upgrade is going to happen.
"The $45 million [for the project] is there," he said.
The upgrade will provide two lanes each way from Ashworth Drive, at the Big Gold Panner, to Napoleon Street, on the western edge of Raglan; and two lanes eastbound and one lane westbound from Napoleon Street to the east of Ceramic Avenue.
The Kelso to Raglan work will follow the $100 million upgrade of the highway through Kelso, which opened to traffic in March 2017.
