Katoomba to Blackheath - Great Western Highway Upgrade Program

Reviewed

Together, the Australian and NSW Governments have committed more than $2.5 billion towards the East and West sections of the Great Western Highway Upgrade, between Katoomba and Blackheath, and between Little Hartley and Lithgow, respectively.

The Katoomba to Lithgow duplication will provide major economic and safety benefits. It will improve the connection between Central West NSW and Sydney, reduce congestion, improve resilience and freight productivity, and provide a safer and more reliable journey for thousands of residents, commuters, tourists and freight operators who travel in, around and through the Blue Mountains.

Transport for NSW is proposing to widen the Great Western Highway between Katoomba and Blackheath to two lanes in each direction.

The upgrade is split into two sections:

  • Katoomba to Medlow Bath between Rowan Lane, Katoomba and Bellevue Crescent, Medlow Bath (about 3.5 kilometres)
  • Medlow Bath to Blackheath between Station Street, Medlow Bath and Evans Lookout Road, Blackheath (Approximately 2.3km).

Both the Katoomba to Blackheath (East section) and Medlow Bath upgrades have now been approved, with the Medlow Bath section to be the first section of the highway to be upgraded. The project will managed by Transport and funded by the Australian and NSW Governments.

The Submissions Reports and Community Consultation Reports for both sections are now available on the project website portals at nswroads.work/gwheast and nswroads.work/gwhmedlow

Latest news

June 2023 - Medlow Bath Work on Railway Parade from 5 June

Read the June project notification (PDF, 334.81 KB) for more information.

May 2023 - Medlow Bath - Tree clearing and power outage from 30 May

Read the May 2023 notification (PDF, 1.65 MB) for more information.

May 2023 - Medlow Bath Upgrade - weekend and night work

View the weekend and night work notification (PDF, 451.85 KB) for more information.

Apr 2023 - Ongoing work at Medlow Bath from 12 April 2023

Transport for NSW is continuing the Medlow Bath Upgrade with the first stage of work on the 1.2km upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Railway Parade and south of Bellevue Crescent now underway. The next stage of work is commencing from Wednesday 12 April.

View the project notification (PDF, 435.06 KB) for more information.

Apr 2023 - Field investigations from Katoomba to Blackheath continuing until 30 June

Transport for NSW (Transport) is continuing geotechnical and utility investigations to inform the design of the highway upgrade from Katoomba to Blackheath, as part of the Great Western Highway Upgrade Program. 

View the project notification (PDF, 273.27 KB) for more information.

Apr 2023 - Medlow Bath upgrade – tree clearing and nightwork

View the April 2023 project notification (PDF, 277.74 KB) for more information.

Feb 2023 - Major work commences at Medlow Bath

View the media release for more information.

Dec 2022 - Medlow Bath Pedestrian Bridge Design Briefings

Transport for NSW is holding the first meeting with selected local representatives to discuss heritage values to be incorporated into the Medlow Bath Pedestrian Bridge design.

The team will be available at the below venues to discuss heritage values with the wider community:

Medlow Bath Railway Station – 4pm-7pm 14th December 2022
Potbelly at Medlow Café – 8am-11am 17th December 2022

Oct 2022 - Environmental assessment for Blue Mountains communities

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond and make submissions to the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) consultation for the Medlow Bath and Katoomba to Blackheath (East section) upgrades.

Both the Katoomba to Blackheath (East section) and Medlow Bath upgrades have now been approved, with the Medlow Bath section to be the first section of the highway to be upgraded. The project will managed by Transport and funded by the Australian and NSW Governments.

The Submissions Reports and Community Consultation Reports for both sections are now available on the project website portals at nswroads.work/gwheast and nswroads.work/gwhmedlow

Project information and the full REFs and Submissions Reports for both the Katoomba to Blackheath (East section) and Medlow Bath can be found on the online portals.

 

Katoomba to Blackheath Interactive portal

To learn more about this project, view our interactive portal for more information.

 

Medlow Bath Interactive portal

To learn more about this project, view our interactive portal for more information.

Project information

Background

In March 2019, the NSW Government committed $2.5 billion towards the upgrade of the road corridor between Katoomba and Lithgow and Transport began consultation on strategic options for this upgrade.

In the 2021 Federal budget, the Australian Government committed $2.03 billion towards the delivery of the eastern and western sections of the upgrade, including the section between Katoomba and Blackheath.

Transport investigated a wide range of upgrade options between Katoomba and Lithgow, to make sure we deliver a connection that minimises environmental impacts, supports local economies, improves travel times and safety and is financially responsible.

A range of options connecting these towns were progressively evaluated against viability criteria.

The result of the options selection process was to progress a surface upgrade of the highway between Katoomba and Lithgow, including duplication of the existing roadway, improved intersections and facilities and an upgraded active transport link through the mountains.

Traffic modelling indicates that approximately 40 per cent of traffic on the Highway between Katoomba and Little Hartley is traveling between Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath, Mount Victoria and/or the Darling Causeway.

Benefits

  • Improve road alignment
  • Water quality
  • Recognising historical significance
  • Improve safety
  • Connecting communities
  • New pathways for active Transport
  • Better, safer and more reliable trips

Features

Key features of the Katoomba to Medlow Bath section include:

  • Widening around 3.5 kilometres of the Great Western Highway between Rowan Lane in Katoomba and Bellevue Crescent in Medlow Bath to provide two lanes in each direction
  • Connections to the Medlow Bath Upgrade
  • New concrete twin bridges (about 400 metres long) over the valley from Pulpit Hill near Explorers Road
  • Upgraded intersections at Nellies Glen Road, Explorers Road and Foy Avenue
  • Improved visitor parking at the Pulpit Hill heritage= interpretation area
  • A new truck stopping area to the west of Explorers Road
  • Upgrade of the Great Blue Mountains Trail to maintain active transport connections between Katoomba and Medlow Bath
  • Providing new formalised bus stops on the highway at Nellies Glen Road (westbound), Explorers Road (eastbound) and Foy Avenue
  • Upgraded and new drainage infrastructure and water quality controls

Key features of the Medlow Bath to Blackheath section include:

  • Widening around 1.8 kilometres of the Great Western Highway between the existing rail overbridge in Medlow Bath to about 200 metres east of Tennyson Road in Blackheath to provide two lanes in each direction
  • Connections to the existing highway, providing two lanes in each direction
  • Road connection ‘stubs’ for the future Great Western Highway tunnel bypass
  • Relocation of the electrical sectioning hut in the rail corridor from next to the highway opposite Coachhouse Lane, on to Station Street
  • Extension of the Great Blue Mountains Trail alongside the National Park and Great Western Highway between Medlow Bath and Blackheath
  • A new truck stopping area about one kilometre west of Medlow Bath
  • Upgraded and new drainage infrastructure and water quality controls
  • Investigating opportunities to extend utility relocations and access trails to connect to Blackheath

Community information

Community consultations

Katoomba to Blackheath (East Section) Review of Environmental Factors consultation May - June 2022

The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and Concept Design for the proposed Katoomba to Blackheath Upgrade has now closed.

The REF and concept design for the Katoomba to Blackheath Upgrade was released for community consultation on 15 May 2022, with consultation continuing to 19 June 2022.

The engagement included six community information sessions, which were a mixture of online and face-to-face sessions.

Transport is preparing a Submissions Report summarising and providing responses to submissions received during the REF display period, which is expected to be released in late 2022.

Project information and the full REF can be found on the online portal.

Medlow Bath Upgrade Review of Environmental Factors consultation July – September 2021

The Review of Environmental Factors and Concept Design for the Medlow Bath Upgrade was released for community consultation on 27 July, with consultation continuing to 5 September 2021.

The engagement included six community information sessions, held online in order to comply with advice from NSW Health and Covid-19 restrictions. These sessions were attended by 146 people in total.

A number of targeted information sessions were also held with local businesses, groups and associations and a number of phone consultations were also held.

During the consultation period, we received 348 formal submissions from 250 individual members of the community, businesses and stakeholders. The Submissions Report to the Medlow Bath REF will be released when the REF is determined.

Medlow Bath upgrade consultation June - August 2020

The strategic design for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway through Medlow Bath was released for community consultation on 29 June, with consultation continuing to 31 August 2020. The engagement included eight community information sessions, held online in order to comply with advice from NSW Health and Covid-19 restrictions. The sessions were attended by 70 people. A number of targeted information sessions were also held with local businesses, groups and associations and a number of phone consultations were also held. More than 850 items of feedback were received by the project team.You can view or download the community consultation summary report (PDF, 3.7Mb).

Katoomba to Lithgow strategic design consultation November - December 2019

The strategic design for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway from Katoomba to Lithgow was released for community consultation on 07 November 2019, with consultation continuing to 16 December 2019. The engagement included nine community information sessions, two pop up displays and one public meeting held along the corridor at locations including Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath, Mount Victoria, Hartley and Lithgow. The sessions were attended by 1350 people and 1759 items of feedback were received by the project team. You can view or download the community consultation summary report (PDF, 18.5Mb).

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Project documents

Some documents on this page may not comply with accessibility requirements (WCAG).

If you are having trouble accessing information in these documents, please contact us.

 

Community notifications

Project notifications

Reports

REF documents

Media releases

  • 28 July 2022

    Noise mitigation for Medlow Bath homes on the upgrade route.

  • 15 May 2022
    Have your say on the Katoomba to Blackheath Great Western Highway upgrade.

  • 22 February 2022
    New approach for environmental assessment for Blue Mountains communities.

  • 31 August 2021
    Preservation of Aboriginal heritage a key part of Blue Mountains Highway upgrade.

  • 27 August 2021
    Medlow Bath highway design consultion extended.

  • 27 July 2021
    Community shapes refined design for Medlow Bath Highway upgrade.

  • 14 June 2021
    Great Western Highway upgrade powering ahead.

  • 14 June 2021
    Safer passage through Medlow Bath ahead of full highway upgrade.

  • 4 June 2021
    Archaeological dig to explore Aboriginal connection to Blue Mountains.

  • 18 December 2020
    Contracts awarded for Great Western Highway upgrade works.

  • 17 December 2020
    Safety drives highway upgrade at Medlow Bath.

  • 28 September 2020
    Contract awarded for Great Western Highway upgrade through Medlow Bath.

  • 6 August 2020
    Medlow Bath residents have more time to consider Great Western Highway design.

  • 7 June 2020
    Medlow Bath residents invited to have their say on Great Western Highway design.

  • 13 May 2020
    Locals have their say on Great Western Highway upgrade.

  • 7 November 2019
    Have your say on Great Western Highway.

  • 11 March 2019
    Green light for $2.5 billion Great western highway duplication.

Contact us

For further information about this project, please contact:

Phone: 1800 953 777

Email:gwhd@transport.nsw.gov.au

Post: Great Western Highway Upgrade Program - PO Box 2332, Orange NSW 2800.

 

 

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