RECENT articles and letters from members of small action groups have contained erroneous and misleading information concerning the NSW Transport plans for the duplication of the Great Western Highway.
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Here are some facts:
Fatalities on the sections from Katoomba to Penrith have been reduced by over 76 per cent since duplication (Transport for NSW Blackheath community meeting November 2019).
There are six school zones on the Great Western Highway in the mountains. The school zone at Mount Victoria will be completely bypassed and also the one at Blackheath if the promised tunnel option proceeds. At least four sets of traffic lights in these towns will also be bypassed.
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Traffic traveling east will not have to slow down to negotiate Victoria Pass or the Mount Vic township. The duplicated route bypasses both of these with a tunnel to the east of the town (Transport for NSW upgrade web portal map).
The mountains communities are not united in opposing the duplication.
For example, 10 community groups and two community representatives are working collaboratively with Transport for NSW on the Blackheath Co-design Committee (BCC) to determine the best option to bypass Blackheath.
The preferred long tunnel route agreed unanimously by the BCC (see published meeting minutes) completely bypasses the town with no loss of houses or businesses, no impact to the natural or built environment and improved safety and tourist amenity of the town.
In fact, the mountains communities, like the Central West communities, want the safety and decongestion benefits already achieved by the duplication to Katoomba extended for the rest of the upper mountains.
