Bullaburra West

As part of the Great Western Highway upgrade, the RTA will widen the existing two lane highway to a four lane divided highway between 600m west of Genevieve Road, Bullaburra and Tableland Road, Wentworth Falls.

Status

The Review of Environmental Factors went on display until 15 July 2008 and comments closed on 22 July 2008. All comments received were be taken into account and the proposal has now been approved.

Funding

This project is fully funded by the NSW Government.

Overview

Presently, this section has generally one eastbound lane and one westbound lane for about 600 metres, before it becomes two lanes.

Surrounded mainly by bushland between the Bullaburra and Wentworth Falls townships, it is a winding and steep road.

It runs along the railway line for about a kilometre and then climbs Boddington Hill. There are no intersections with the highway in this section of the upgrade at Bullaburra.

Project features

• The highway will be widened to a four lane divided road with an 80 km/h speed limit.
• Except on Boddington Hill, westbound lanes will be lower than eastbound lanes in order to reduce the height of retaining walls, lessen the impact on the existing bushland and improve the visual appearance.
• The westbound cutting through Boddington Hill will be wider to allow for a future third lane for slow vehicles. Initially only two lanes will be completed.
• A fauna underpass will be constructed near the base of Boddington Hill to allow safer movement for the wildlife.
• Impacts on significant vegetation and Blue Mountain Swamp will also be minimised.
• A median will separate the carriageways and there will be small-scale planting to improve the visual character of the widened highway.
• Three property access points will be ‘left in’ and ‘left out’ only.
• The highway will have a two metre wide shoulder in each direction for cyclists.
• There will be no off-road pedestrian/cycleway in this section of the highway due to the presence of retaining walls, significant vegetation and steep hill slopes.

Project benefits

• Improved travel times, improved safety and less congestion for road users.
• Minimised impacts on private properties.
• Protection of significant plant communities and heritage items.

Community consultation

The RTA prepared a review of environmental factors (REF) for the preferred proposal for the upgrade. The review was put on display for public comment until 15 July 2008, with an information day held at Lawson Bowling Club on 28 June 2008.

Next steps

Community comments will continue to be considered as the project is designed for construction. Once the detailed design is complete, the RTA will invite tenders for construction and continue to consult the community throughout the construction phases.