Concept design and road boundaries Invitation to comment · A concept design and proposed road boundaries for the future upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Mount Victoria

Mount Victoriato LithgowGreat Western Highway upgrade

JULY 2012

Concept design and road boundaries Invitation to commentA concept design and proposed road boundaries for the future upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Mount Victoria and Lithgow are on display for your comment until Friday 26 October 2012. Your input will help finalise the concept design and reserve new road boundaries for long-term improvements.

Roads and Maritime Services has engaged with the local community starting with the route options development process in 2008. The concept design currently on display has taken account of the community views and feedback received throughout the engagement process.

In this issue:• Information about the NSW and Australian governments response to a 2012 independent review.

• Information on new speed limits through the valley.

• Information about projects to be constructed including the upgrade of Forty Bends and the

enhanced road safety program.

• Information and maps outlining the key features of the concept design and proposed road boundaries.

• Information about what happens next, including details of upcoming community discussions about the

concept design and places where you can view a copy of the concept report.

• A reply paid feedback form.

• Contact details for enquiries and comments.

Governments response to independent review In September 2011 the New South Wales Government engaged Evans and Peck to undertake an independent review of the proposed upgrade of the Great Western Highway west of Katoomba. The review was initiated following concerns raised by members of the local communities about environmental, cultural, social and economic impacts of the upgrade projects and to ensure that the best value for money is obtained from the investment. The review has now been completed and can be viewed on the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) website.

The NSW and Australian governments have now agreed on a revised program of works to be delivered between Mount Victoria and Lithgow.

This program of works includes:

• Finalisingtheconceptdesignandroadboundariesforupgrading the highway between Mount Victoria and Lithgow.

• AthreelaneupgradeatFortyBends.Seepage18.

• Anenhancedsafetyworksprogram.

• Usingremainingfundsfromthejoint$250millionAustralian and NSW government commitment to fund upgrades between Mount Victoria and Katoomba.

New speed zonesAs a result of speed limit reviews conducted by RMS and the NSW Centre for Road Safety, the following changes were made to the speed limits on the Great Western Highway between the bottom of Victoria Pass and SouthBowenfels:

• ThespeedlimitfromthebottomofVictoriaPasstothebottom of River Lett Hill, a length of 7.3 kilometres, was reducedfrom90km/hto80km/h.

• ThespeedlimitbetweenthetopofRiverLettHilltoSouthBowenfels,alengthof4.1kilometres,wasreducedfrom90km/hto80km/h.

Theexisting80km/hand40km/htruckandbusspeedlimits on this section of the Great Western Highway have been retained.

These changes are based on the high crash rate, standard of the alignment, roadside development, the lack of adequate clear zones and restricted sight distance.

The changes reduce the number of speed zones from four to one between the bottom of Victoria Pass and South Bowenfelsandprovideconsistencyformotorists.

Road boundaries for long term improvements RMS has developed a concept design for the longer-term upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Mount Victoria and Lithgow. The purpose of this concept design is to identify road boundaries that can be reserved for long-term improvements. These boundaries will be provided to theBlueMountainsCityandLithgowCitycouncilsasakeyinput to future land use planning.

The proposed road boundaries include the road formation, batters and retaining structures, drainage structures, landscaping and space for maintenance activities.

The concept design for the road boundaries extends betweenSoldiersPinch,about400metreseastofBrowntownOvalatMountVictoriaandMagpieHollowRoadatSouthBowenfels.

The concept design has been primarily developed within the preferred route buffer zone displayed in May 2010. In some areas it has been necessary to go beyond the preferred route buffer zone. The reasons for this include improved road alignment, extensions to the east of BrowntownOvalandwestofMcKanesFallsRoad, service road connections, upgraded side roads and water quality measures.

Theconceptdesignintegratesroadsafety,freightefficiencyand local access improvements and includes environmental design considerations. While the concept design varies between two and four lanes, the road boundaries will be set for four lanes along the entire length of the highway to allow for long-term improvements.

Review of Great Western Highway Upgrades West of Katoomba

INDEPENDENT REVIEW Date 19 January 2012

2

Key features of the concept design between Mount Victoria and Lithgow• ThreelanesbetweenSoldiersPinchand BrowntownOval.

• Twolaneseachway,separatedbyamedian betweenBrowntownOvalandthetopof River Lett Hill, including: � Twin,twolanetunnels,about350metreslong,

under the railway line and Darling Causeway at Mount Victoria.

� Twin,twolanetunnels,about1400metreslong,bypassing Mount Victoria.

� Twinviaductsfromthetunnelstothevalleyfloorat Little Hartley.

� New twin bridges over River Lett.

• Threelanes,includingamedianandbarrier(whererequired) between the top of River Lett Hill and McKanesFallsRoad.

• Twolanes,includingamedianbetweenMcKanesFallsRoad and Magpie Hollow Road.

Two traffic lanesOne traffic

lane

ShoulderShoulder

Med

ian

and

barr

ier

whe

re r

equi

red

Barrier (where

required)

Note: overtaking lane provided either eastbound or westbound

Three lane cross section at Forty Bends

Two traffic lanes Two traffic lanes

Shoulder ShoulderBarrier (where

required) Med

ian

and

barr

ier

whe

re r

equi

red

Four lane cross section between Mount Victoria and the top of River Lett Hill

Not to scale

Not to scale

One traffic lane

One traffic lane

ShoulderShoulder

Med

ian

Barrier (where

required)

Two lane cross section at South Bowenfels

Not to scale

3

Near Browntown Oval

Proposal for a local service roadA local service road has been designed between the bottom of Victoria Pass and Jenolan Caves Road, connecting the ‘bypassed’ sections of the existing highway. This would improve safety and cater for a mix of through, localandtouristtraffic.Itwouldalsoprovideforlocaltripsseparate to the upgraded highway.

Aserviceroadwouldprovidemajorlocalsafetybenefitsaswell as enhanced local tourism and business opportunities. It would also cater for cyclists, pedestrians and local bus services, making a safer environment for all road users.

Ultimatelyaserviceroadwouldprovideanalternativeroute between Mount Victoria and Jenolan Caves Road, predominantly via the existing highway alignment.

The proposed local service road would require some additional land acquisition and have a slightly larger environmental footprint. Additional work would be required to connect the remaining sections of the existing highway including new road construction, overpasses, underpasses, an additional bridge, and restoration of existing road pavement.

KeysafetybenefitsThe upgraded highway would improve road safety by:

• Providingadditionallanesforimprovedtrafficflowandovertaking.

• Eliminatingabout90percentofrightturnsacrosshighwaytrafficbetweenMountVictoriaandSouthBowenfelsandimprovingroadshoulders.Thiswouldbeachieved in a number of ways: � Right turns onto the upgraded highway from the

service road would use an underpass, an overpass or u-turn bay which would enable a left turn onto the highway, reducing the likelihood and severity ofcrashesthroughfewertrafficconflicts.

� The majority of property accesses would be via service roads and not directly onto the highway.

� Onlyleft-inandleft-outturnswouldbepossiblewhere properties access directly onto the upgraded highway. Right turns would be achieved via u-turn facilities on nearby side roads.

• Separatinglocalandthroughtraffic.

• Reducingthenumberoftightcurves.

• Reducingthesteepnessoftheroad.

• Provideforbettermanagementofblackice.

• Providinganopportunityforlocalbusservicestousethe service road.

• Providingheavyvehiclerestareas.

• Providingu-turnfacilitiesandwidershouldersonsomeside roads, allowing safer turning for motorists and safer pick-up/drop-off points for school buses.

• Encouragingcyclistsandpedestrianstousethe service road.

4

FreightefficiencyimprovementsTheupgradedhighwaywouldimprovefreightefficiencyby:

• Reducingsteepnessofgradesandimprovingcurves.

• Increasingsafepassingopportunities.

• Reducinginteractionwithlocaltrafficthroughprovisionof a local service road.

Environmental design featuresThe following design features are proposed:

• Faunacrossingstoenablereconnectionofhabitatcorridors in key locations.

• Anetworkofwatertreatmentmeasuresdesignedtoprotect water quality.

• Landscapingthatcontributestothevisualsettingandfitsin with landforms and heritage sites.

More detail on the concept design and the options considered can be found in the concept report at the display locations or on the RMS website www.rms.nsw.gov.au

South Bowenfels

5

Dar

ling

Cau

sew

ay

Hartley Vale Road

Wal

tons

Roa

d

Pitt

s La

ne

Fields Road

Am

berm

ere

Driv

e

Fairy Dell Creek

Vict

oria

Fal

ls Ro

ad

T

he Gap Road

Browns G

ap Road

Mid Hartley

Road

Fran

ks P

lace

Bla c

kman

s C

reek

Roa

d

Baan

ers

Lane

Hartley Vale Roa d

Brow

ns G

ap R

oad

Mount York Road

McK

anes

Fal

ls Ro

ad

Cox

s Riv

er R

oad

Jenol

an C

av

es Road

To Sydney

Great W

estern Highway

To L

ithgo

w

Finn

igan

s Cr

eek

Bla

ckm

an

s C

reek

River Lett

Reedy Cree k

Kangaroo C

orne

r Cre

ek

Gros

e Ri

ver

Kero

sene

Cre

ek

Wilsons Gully

Moy

ne C

reek

Coxs

Rive

r

Yorke

ys Cre

ek

Whi

tes

Cree

k

Boxes Creek

Bow

ens Creek

HARTLEY

GLENROY

FORTYBENDS

LITTLEHARTLEY

SOLDIERSPINCH

MOUNTVICTORIA

HARTLEYVALE

BLUE MOUNTAINSNATIONAL PARK

BELLHASSANSWALLS

RIVER LETT HILL

SOUTHBOWENFELS

SOUTH BOWENFELS -

FORTY BENDS (PAGES 8 & 9)

RIVER LETT HILL

TO JENOLAN CAVES ROAD

(PAGES 10 & 11)

HARTLEY

(PAGES 12 & 13)

LITTLE HARTLEY

(PAGES 14 & 15)

MOUNT VICTORIA

(PAGES 16 & 17)

Great Western Highway concept design

Existing highway/service road

Other roads

Waterways

Bridge/overpass/viaduct

Tunnel

Rail

LEGEND

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0km

Bu tlers Creek

Great Western Highway upgrade between Mount Victoria and Lithgow • Concept design for your comment

6 7

Mudgee Street


Existing highway/road retained

New/upgraded service road

Existing road removed/unused

Waterways

Bridge/viaduct/overpass

Roundabout

Cul-de-sac

U-turn bay

Proposed road boundary

Road fill batter

Road cut batter

Water quality basins (indicative location)

Other roads

LEGEND

0 100 200 300 400 500M

No right turnonto highway


Magpie Hollow Road

Forty Bends Roa

d

Whites Creek

Whites Creek

Gre

at W

estern

Highway

Hassa ns W

alls

Ro

ad

O

ld Bathurst Road

SOUTH BOWENFELS

LITHGOWHASSANS

WALLS

FORTY BENDS

McKanes Falls Road

Daintree Close

To Sydney

Emergency services allowed

Great W

estern Highw

ay

One lane westbound and two lanes eastbound

Improve alignment through Forty

Bends and widen to three lanes

New bridge across Whites Creek

Upgrade existing local road network connections One lane westbound and

two lanes eastbound

Two lanes westbound

and one lane eastbound

One lane westbound and one lane eastbound

Two lanes westboundand one lane eastbound

Two lanes eastboundand two lanes westbound

Provide for wider traffic separation at South Bowenfels

Lane configuration changesU-turn bay

U-turn bay

Two lanes eastbound

One lane westbound

Two lanes westbound

McKanes Falls Road

Lane configuration changes

Two

lane

s w

estb

ound

One

lane

eas

tbou

ndOne lane eastbound

One lan

e west

bound

Forty

Bends Road

Two lanes westboundTwo lanes eastbound

Bridge

U-turn bay

One lane

eastbound

Lane configuration changes

U-turn bay

Highway concept design

Retained or upgraded service roads





South Bowenfels - Forty Bends

Aerial photo 2011

8 9

Rive

r Lett Old Bathurst

Road

Great Western Highway

Boxes Creek

Finnegans Creek

Boxes Creek

RIVER LETT HILL

HARTLEY

Blackmans C

reek Road

No right turnonto/off highway

No access to highway

To Lithgow


To Sydney


Bypass River Lett Hill and eliminate tight curves

Improve access to Jenolan Caves Road and Blackmans Creek Road

Jeno

lan C

aves

Roa

d






Off-ramp

U-turn bay

Bridge

Twin bridges

Twin bridges

Underpass

On-rampOn-rampOff-ramp

Jenolan Caves Road

Blackmans C

reek Road

Old Bathurst Road - proposed

local

service road

Detail of Jenolan Caves Road intersection





Waterways


Roundabout

Cul-de-sac

U-turn bay


Road fill batter

Road cut batter


Other roads

LEGEND

0 100 200 300 400 500M

River Lett Hill - Jenolan Caves Road

Aerial photo 2011

10 11

Old Bathurst

Road

Carroll D

rive

River Lett

Mid H

artley Road

Heavy vehicle rest area


HARTLEY

LITTLE HARTLEY

Baaners Lane

Browns G

ap Road

Butlers Creek

To LithgowWheeler Place


Improve alignment and access for residents and visitors through Hartley

Connect Hartley and Jenolan Caves Road via

Old Bathurst Road

To Sydney



Kelly S

treet





Proposed local service road

Car

roll

Driv

e

Overpass


No right turn onto/off highway

Mid H

artley Road

Detail of local access at Hartley





Waterways


Roundabout

Cul-de-sac

U-turn bay


Road fill batter

Road cut batter


Other roads

LEGEND

0 100 200 300 400 500M

Hartley

Aerial photo 2011

12 13

Butlers Creek

Butler

s Cree

k

Browns G

ap Road

Moyne Creek

Twin tunnels

LITTLE HARTLEY

Bonny Hills

Drive

Baaners Lane

Collits Place

Coxs River Road

Mor

ris

Pla

ce

Mount York Road


Butlers Creek

Dicker D

rive

Amberm

ere Drive

To Lithgow

To Sy

dney

Bypass Little Hartley to the south

Bypass Victoria Pass


Improve access for residents and visitors to Little Hartley

Apple Tree Lane

On-ramp




RoadBrow

ns Gap

Baaners Lane

U-turn bay

Improve access to Baaners Lane

Proposed local service road

Improve access to Coxs River Road C

oxs River Road

Detail of local access at Little Hartley

Overpass





Waterways


Roundabout

Cul-de-sac

U-turn bay


Road fill batter

Road cut batter


Other roads

LEGEND

0 100 200 300 400 500M

Little Hartley

Aerial photo 2011

14 15

Butlers Creek

Fairy Dell Creek

Fairy Bower Creek

Grose River

Twin tunnels

BrowntownOval

Access to BrowntownOval will be improved and remain via existing highway

No connection is proposed between

Darling Causeway and the upgraded highway

Victoria Falls R

oad

To Sydney

MOUNT VICTORIA

SOLDIERSPINCH

Blue Mountains National Park

Harley Avenue

Mount York Road


To Li

th

gow

Street


Darling C

auseway

Bypass Mount Victoria

Twin tunnels

Victoria Street

Selsdon Street

Station

Kanimbla Valley Road

Hooper Street

Grand V

iew R

oad

Innes Road

Little Zig Zag

Patrick Street

Mount Victoria Station

Vic

toria


Fal

ls Ro

ad

Service Road

BrowntownOvalHighway concept design


Rail

Detail of access to Browntown OvalGreat Western Highway concept design

Tunnel




Waterways


Roundabout

Cul-de-sac

U-turn bay


Road fill batter

Road cut batter


Other roads

Rail

LEGEND

0 100 200 300 400 500M

Mount Victoria

Aerial photo 2011

16 17

Mudgee Street





Waterways


Roundabout

Cul-de-sac

U-turn bay


Road fill batter

Road cut batter


Other roads

LEGEND

0 100 200 300 400 500M


Magpie Hollow Road

Forty Bends Roa

d

Whites Creek

Whites Creek

Gre

at W

estern

Highway

Hassa ns W

alls

Ro

ad

O

ld Bathurst Road

SOUTH BOWENFELS

LITHGOWHASSANS

WALLS

FORTY BENDS

McKanes Falls Road

Daintree Close

To Sydney

Great W

estern Highw

ay



One lane westbound and one lane eastbound



Forty Bends

Three lane upgrade of Forty Bends Realigning the highway at Forty Bends would improve safety and reliability of travel, reduce the likelihood of crashes and potential road closures in winter months due to the formation of black ice.

Other safety benefits would include reduced grades and smoother curves.

Planning and field investigations are already well advanced and work has started on an environmental impact assessment for this section of the highway upgrade. The environmental impact assessment will be displayed for community comment later in 2012.

RMS will also start discussions with potentially affected landowners in coming weeks.

Forty Bends environmental impact assessmentRMS is preparing an environmental impact assessment (Review of Environmental Factors – REF) of the proposed upgrade of the Great Western Highway at Forty Bends. Community feedback on the concept design will be incorporated into the environmental impact assessment.

The environmental impact assessment will:

• Describe the proposed upgrade and its features.

• Identify and assess the potential environmental impact associated with the design.

• Identify mitigation and management measures to reduce any impacts of construction and ongoing operation of the upgrade.

• Consider all feedback on the design.

The REF will be displayed for community comment later in 2012. RMS will consult directly with all property owners affected by the upgrade of Forty Bends.

18

SELECTION OF PREFERRED ROUTE (2010)

RESERVE ROAD BOUNDARIES

FOR LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS

ENHANCED SAFETY WORKS

PROGRAM

CONCEPT DESIGN (2012)

FORTY BENDS ENVIRON- MENTAL

ASSESSMENT

DETAILED DESIGN AND

LAND ACQUISITION

DETAILED DESIGN

CONSTRUCTION TENDERS

CONSTRUCTION TENDERS

CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION

DISPLAY FOR COMMUNITY

COMMENT

DISPLAY FOR COMMUNITY

COMMENT

The planning and decision making process for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway

between Mount Victoria and Lithgow

WE ARE

HERE

Thank you for contributing your comments. You may wish to provide your contact details below; however, this information is not a requirement to provide feedback.Name

Address

Suburb Postcode State

Phone number Email address

Please return this form to the Mount Victoria to Lithgow Alliance, Reply Paid 164, St Leonards, NSW 1590. For more information: Mail to the above address, phone 1800 035 733 (toll free), Email [email protected] or visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au

Privacy: Roads and Maritime Services (“RMS”) is subject to the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Action 1998 (“PPIP Act”) which required that we comply with the Information Privacy Principles set out in the PPIP Act.

All information in correspondence is collected for the sole purpose of assisting in the assessment of this proposal. The information received, including names and addresses of respondents, may be published in subsequent documents unless a clear indication is given in the correspondence that all or part of that information is not published. Otherwise RMS will only disclose your personal information, without your consent, if authorised by the law. Your personal information will be held by the Mount Victoria to Lithgow Alliance, 100 Christie Street, St Leonards NSW 2065. You have the right to access and correct the information if you believe that it is incorrect.

Concept design feedback form

You are invited to comment on the concept design. Mail and email address details are included on the back page of this community update. If you prefer, you may use this feedback form to make comment. Comments close on 26 October 2012.

Forty Bends

Enhanced safety works program The enhanced safety works program includes existing commitments such as the completed works on the bottom curve of Victoria Pass and the current upgrade on the top curve of Victoria Pass.

Work will soon start on safety improvements along the Great Western Highway for the Mount Victoria township, including intersection and pedestrian safety improvements.

New safety works in Hartley Valley will be displayed for community feedback later in 2012.

What happens next? RMS will consider feedback from the community in the process of refining the concept design and confirming the road boundaries for long-term improvements.

Once finalised, the proposed four lane road boundaries will be provided to Lithgow City and Blue Mountains City councils for inclusion in their Local Environment Plans.

Hartley Valley

19

To mail this feedback form fold along the dotted line and seal with clear tape.Mail your completed form (no stamp required) to address below.

FOLD HERE FIRST

FOLD HERE SECOND

For more information:

Mail to Mount Victoria to Lithgow Alliance, PO Box 164, St Leonards NSW 1590 T 1800 035 733 (toll free) E [email protected] or visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects

July 2012RMS 12.183

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How you can be involved

Display locationsThe concept design is on display until 26 October 2012. Displays will be at the following locations:

Blue Mountains City Council 2-6 Civic Place, Katoomba Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm.

Katoomba Library Town Centre Arcade Katoomba Street, Katoomba Monday to Friday from 10am to 5.30pm and Saturday from 9am to 4pm.

Lithgow City Council 180 Mort Street, Lithgow Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm.

Lithgow Library 157 Main Street, Lithgow Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm and Saturday from 9am to noon.

Lithgow Motor Registry Shop 51, Valley Plaza Corner of Lithgow and Bent Streets, Lithgow Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.

RMS websiteThe concept report is available on the RMS website at www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roadprojects.

Community meetingsRMS representatives will discuss the upgrade priorities and concept design (particularly Forty Bends) at:

Hartley School Building Mid Hartley Road, Hartley Wednesday 1 August 2012 Noon to 2pm

Mount Victoria Public School Great Western Highway, Mount Victoria Wednesday 1 August 2012 6pm to 8pm.

The project team will be presenting the concept design followed by time for discussion at the following locations. This will provide an opportunity for the community to look at the concept design in more detail.

Hartley School Building Mid Hartley Road, Hartley (focus on River Lett Hill, Hartley and Little Hartley) Thursday 9 August 2012 Noon to 2pm.

Mount Victoria Public School Great Western Highway, Mount Victoria (focus on Mount Victoria) Thursday 9 August 2012 6pm to 8pm.

Union Theatre 63-65 Bridge Street, Lithgow (focus on Forty Bends and South Bowenfels) Saturday 11 August 2012 10am to Noon meeting and 1pm to 3pm staffed display.

The project team will remain at the venue to discuss any matters the community and stakeholders may have regarding the concept design.

Feedback Feedback on the concept design will be received until Friday 26 October 2012.

A feedback form is provided in this community update for your comment. Alternatively you can send your written comments to the Mount Victoria to Lithgow Alliance at the mail and email addresses shown below.

Mount Victoria to Lithgow Great Western Highway UpgradeConcept design

July 2012

RMS 12.184 ISBN 978-1-922040-80-0

Concept report

Documents

Concept design and road boundaries Invitation to comment · A concept design and proposed road boundaries for the future upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Mount Victoria