Three weeks of night work to start repairs on the Northern Distributor Road
The first stage of work to restore a section of the Northern Distributor Road in Orange to a State Road standard and 80 km/h speed limit for all vehicles will get under way next week.
The Northern Distributor Road, between Icely Road and the Mitchell Highway on the eastern side of Orange, has been operating under a reduced speed limit since July last year due to concerns over the poor state of the road’s surface.
As part of its planning for repairs to the road, Transport for NSW carried out testing for Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) at the site in February and, following confirmation of the existence of NOA, designs for repairs have now been finalised.
Transport for NSW Director West Maintenance and Delivery Craig Matthews said the first stage of work, to start on Wednesday 9 April, would see crews lay 100mm of new asphalt on all travel lanes and spray seal on the road shoulders.
“The confirmed existence of Naturally Occurring Asbestos in the area means there can be no large-scale excavation as part of our repairs for this section of the Northern Distributor Road, so crews need to work within those important safety parameters,” Mr Matthews said.
“Instead, we have settled on a staged repair process that will see crews slowly build up the road surface and fill potholes and rough areas with a number of layers of asphalt over the existing surface.
“The first new layer of 100mm of asphalt will be paved over 15-night shifts across three weeks from Wednesday 9 April to ensure the first improvements for the road surface are in place before the worst of the winter weather hits.
“Crews will then return later in the year, once the weather starts warming up again, to continue and complete the process with several thicker layers of asphalt along the 2.8-kilometre section of road.”
Mr Matthews said all work would be done at night under traffic control to limit the impact on motorists.
Work hours will be 7pm to 6am with changed traffic conditions including a reduced speed limit, single lane closures and stop-slow conditions in place for all road users.
“We appreciate there will be some inconvenience for motorists travelling on the Northern Distributor Road overnight, but we also know that regular users of the road have been desperately wanting to see this work get started,” Mr Matthews said.
“Motorists will see some improvement to the road surface once the first layer of asphalt is paved but a single layer will not rebuild the Northern Distributor Road to the required standard.
“We’re confident that while this staggered approach to the repairs will take a little longer, it will ultimately deliver the best possible outcome for motorists in Orange and across the Central West.”
Throughout the repairs, Transport for NSW crews will be working to an approved NOA Management Plan with guidelines endorsed by Safework NSW and the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA).
The Northern Distributor Road became a State Road in March 2023 when responsibility and care for the road was transferred from Orange City Council.
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