A contract has been awarded for the assessment and development of strategic options for a $100 million upgrade to the Bells Line of Road in New South Wales.
The Bells Line of Road (State Route 40) is an important road linking north-western Sydney with central and western New South Wales. The road is one of two road crossings of the Blue Mountains, the other being the Great Western Highway.
Traffic numbers are increasing on the Bells Line of Road, with the connection also being heavily impacted by extreme weather from floods to fires in recent times. A range of improvements are being considered including new overtaking lanes, realigning curves, installing safety barriers and intersection upgrades.
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Civil engineering specialist firm Civil Consulting and Highway Design (CCHD) Pty Ltd has won the tender to investigate and identify strategic upgrade options, which will support future works.
“The road is very vulnerable to closures from bushfires and landslips, which result in delays for motorists and makes it difficult to manage traffic during incidents,” Aitchison said. “It also has a crash rate higher than other similar NSW roads.
“This will help ensure that upgrades will benefit both local traffic, and the commuters, tourists and freight operators who travel along it every day.”
Transport for NSW will engage with local councils and other targeted stakeholders, with the wider community set to be consulted on a proposed list of additional works by the end of this year.
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