Katoomba to Mount Victoria Safety Upgrade - Safety Improvement Upgrades - Great Western Highway Upgrade Program

Transport for NSW has completed the safety upgrade work at Blackheath. We have been improving road safety in Blackheath by widening the highway shoulders and providing dedicated turn lanes and other safety work.

This was the final section of work to be delivered under the $250 million Katoomba to Lithgow safety upgrades package. Road users are experiencing safer journeys and improved travel times from completed upgrades open to traffic at Forty Bends, Hartley Valley, Mount Victoria village and Blackheath.

Transport for NSW prepared a Review of Environmental Factors to examine the potential impacts of the proposed upgrade to the Great Western Highway, Katoomba to Mount Victoria, and outline measures to reduce and manage the impacts. More than 100 submissions were received after the display of the Katoomba to Mount Victoria Review of Environmental Factors in early 2016.

The safety upgrade has improved traffic flow and road user safety at a number of intersections along the Great Western Highway, including the major intersection in Blackheath of the Great Western Highway, Govetts Leap Road and Bundarra Street.

The final design for the intersection includes right and left turn bays to:

• reduce the chance of rear end crashes by moving vehicles waiting to turn right out of the path of through traffic
• improve traffic flow, allowing drivers to travel through Blackheath at a consistent and safer speed.

As a result of community feedback, the project has been through a series of design refinements which considered environmental impact and available funding, while meeting the objective to improve safety along the route.

Transport for NSW acknowledges community feedback about the work proposed for the Hill 33 area between Hargraves and Jellicoe streets. As a result of this feedback Transport for NSW met with local community group representatives to hear further feedback about how we can improve the urban design appearance of the road cutting on the southern side of the highway.

The revised proposal includes extensive planting of shrubs behind the kerb to screen the cutting from view and maintain the bush land character in this area. Every effort has been made to minimise the loss of trees associated with the road safety upgrade.

Following completion of the highway safety upgrade the project area has been landscaped with trees, shrubs and ground covers. The landscape design aims to retain the qualities of the Blue Mountains highway experience.

The upgrade is now open to traffic.

• March 2023 project notification (PDF, 292.96 KB)
  Temporary night closures of the Great Western Highway at Mount Victoria from Wednesday 22 March
• February 2020 project notification

  Continuing night work for Great Western Highway safety upgrades at Blackheath from 1 March 2020.

• January 2020 project notifcation

  Partial access closed between Sutton Park, Hargraves Street, Blackheath and Great Western Highway for night work from Thursday 6 February 2020.

• December 2019 project notification
  Night work to continue for Great Western Highway safety upgrades at Blackheath from 5 January 2020.

• November 2019 project notification
  Continuing night work for Great Western Highway safety upgrades at Blackheath from 30 November 2019.

• September 2019 project notification
  Continuing night work on Great Western Highway, Blackheath from Monday 16 September 2019.

• August 2019 project notification
  Temporary closure of Hargraves StreetatGreat Western Highway, Blackheath from Monday 2 September 2019.

• August 2019 project notification
  Access between Abbott Street, Blackheath and Great Western Highway remains restricted until Wednesday 14 August 2019.

• June 2019 project notification
  Night work on Great Western Highway, Blackheath from Monday 17 June 2019.

• May 2019 project notification
  Access between Hargraves Street, Blackheath and Great Western Highway closed until end of July 2019.

• March 2019 project notification
  Sutton Park rest area closed for two weeks from Monday 25 March 2019.

• February 2019 project notification
  Night work on Great Western Highway, Blackheath from Thursday 28 February 2019.

• November 2018 project notification
  Work continuing on Great Western Highway, Blackheath from Monday 3 December 2018.

• November 2018 project notification
  Night work on Great Western Highway, Blackheath from Monday 12 November 2018.

• October 2018 project notification
  Katoomba to Mt Victoria Safety Upgrade - site compound establishment.

• July 2018 project notification
  Utility relocations in Blackheath.

• July 2019 project update

  Katoomba to Mount Victoria safety upgrade – Blackheath.

• February 2019 project update
  Katoomba to Mount Victoria safety upgrade – Blackheath.

• November 2018 project update
  Katoomba to Mount Victoria safety upgrade – Blackheath.

• February 2021

  Highway history to be preserved for future generations.