Newell Highway Flood Mitigation - West Wyalong to Forbes

Transport for NSW (Transport) has been investigating options to meet the primary objective of reducing the amount of time the Newell Highway is closed between West Wyalong and Forbes during and after flood events.

In early 2025, Transport identified a revised option for the project that maximises value for money and fits within the available funding. 

A total funding commitment of $141 million ($50 million Australian Government, $91 million NSW Government) for the project was confirmed in late 2023 following independent reviews of the Australian and NSW Government infrastructure programs.

The revised option for the project focuses on constructing culverts at existing causeways in the Marsden section of the Newell Highway to reduce the number of days the road is inundated during and after a flood event.

Transport is progressing concept design and environmental assessment for the revised option and expects to display the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) in 2026 for community and stakeholder feedback.

We will continue to update the community as work on the project progresses.

In 2019, Transport for NSW (Transport) began investigating potential flood mitigation solutions between West Wyalong and Forbes as this section of the Newell Highway is prone to flooding and has a history of road closures during periods of heavy rain in the Lachlan catchment.

In September 2016, the highway was closed for six weeks due to flooding. In late October 2022, the highway was closed for seven weeks and around 20 kilometres of this section was flooded.

Comprehensive flood studies found that the Newell Highway between West Wyalong and Forbes is particularly susceptible to flooding by the Lake Cowal/Bland Creek catchment at Marsden, and identified the causeways that flooded first and stayed closed the longest in the 2022 flood event.

Based on these findings, Transport began preparing a concept design for around 11 kilometres of flood mitigation treatments at Marsden (41km to 53km north of West Wyalong) and carried out strategic options consultation with the community and key stakeholders in June and July 2023.

From early 2024, Transport has been working on a revised scope of works to meet the funding commitment confirmed for the project following the independent reviews of the Australian and NSW Government infrastructure programs in 2023.

The primary objective of the project is to reduce the amount of time the Newell Highway is closed between West Wyalong and Forbes during and after flood events.

Transport is progressing concept design and environmental assessment for the revised option and expects to display the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) in 2026 for community and stakeholder feedback.

Transport recognises that flood mitigation treatments can alter the local environment and we will be carefully considering all potential impacts of the project through our environmental assessment process. We will actively look at ways to reduce the impact of the upgrade on the community, stakeholders and the environment.

We will continue to keep the community informed as the project progresses.

• June 2024 project notification (PDF, 194.68 KB)
  
  Winter biodiversity studies on the Newell Highway at Marsden from Monday 1 July
• December 2023 community update  (PDF, 1.45 MB)
  
  Newell Highway Flood Mitigation – West Wyalong to Forbes
• December 2023 project notification  (PDF, 338.38 KB)
  
  Further biodiversity studies on the Newell Highway at Marsden from Monday 15 January
• November 2023 project notification  (PDF, 228.8 KB)
  
  Culvert cleaning and further investigation work on the Newell Highway at Marsden from Monday 27 November
• November 2023 project notification (PDF, 200.27 KB)
  
  Field investigations on Newell Highway at Marsden from Monday 6 November
• June 2023 community update (PDF, 932.3 KB)
  
  Newell Highway Flood Mitigation – West Wyalong to Forbes
• June 2023 survey (PDF, 749.66 KB)
  
  Newell Highway Flood Mitigation – West Wyalong to Forbes
• September 2021 project update (PDF, 614.1 KB)

  Newell Highway Flood Immunity, West Wyalong to Forbes

• October 2023 Strategic Options Consultation Report (PDF, 2.6 MB)

  Newell Highway Flood Mitigation - West Wyalong to Forbes

• June 2021 Preliminary Environmental Investigation (PDF, 37.78 MB)
  
  Newell Highway - West Wyalong to Forbes Flood Immunity Project

• 20 June 2023
  
  Focus on Marsden for Newell Highway flood mitigation program.