Great Western Highway $4.53B upgrades underway

Great Western Highway Katoomba to Lithgow. Image courtesy of Transport for NSW.

The $4.53 billion upgrade to the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Lithgow is on track to start next year, with designs for the Cox’s River Road intersection and the Medlow Bath upgrade expected to release next month.

The project, which is being funded with a $2.5 billion contribution from the New South Wales Government and a $2.03 billion investment from the federal government for the highway’s East and West sections, is expected to create over 2500 jobs during construction.

Works include duplication of the 34 kilometres section between Katoomba and Lithgow, the last major highway out of Sydney that’s not dual-carriageway.

The NSW Government has also proposed building Australia’s longest road tunnel from Blackheath to Little Hartley, cutting out the Victoria Pass and Blackheath gridlocks during peak hours.

The widening of the highway between Medlow Bath and Foy Avenue have now been complete, and the full duplication of the highway through Medlow Bath will start in 2022.

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the safety upgrades between Medlow Bath and Foy Avenue were completed following a community consultation process.

“These safety upgrades are making a real difference, ensuring locals and visitors can continue to come and go from Medlow Bath safely, even during the busiest weekends of the year,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the upgrades would help to ensure the safety of motorists throughout the state.

“This project will end the grid-lock and deliver safer, more reliable journeys along the highway,” McCormack said.

The Great Western Highway upgrade project is a critical infrastructure project, part of the federal government’s $110 billion, 10-year infrastructure investment pipeline.

Transport for NSW will release the Review of Environmental Factors and the concept designs for the Medlow Bath section of the Great Western Highway upgrade for public consultation in July.