About $50 million in emergency funding will be injected into strengthening detour routes motorists are being forced to use over the Blue Mountains due to the closure of a critical highway, which Premier Chris Minns concedes will require a lengthy and “complicated rebuild”.
A stretch of the Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass has been shut indefinitely since March 12 after engineers found serious cracking and ground movement in a 200-year-old stone causeway built by convicts.
The state funding will be spent on asphalting, shoulder widening and other improvements to detour routes along Darling Causeway, Chifley Road and Main Street in Lithgow, which are experiencing a surge in traffic as a result of the highway’s closure.
Premier Chris Minns acknowledged on Wednesday that the closed stretch of highway would require a “complicated rebuild”, which would “not be quick”.
“Whatever it costs, we will fix it. It is an essential artery for the Central West,” he said. “As soon as I have got the blueprint for a plan to fix the road, we will release it to the public along with an estimated time of completion.”
Minns said the fix for the highway used by 12,000 vehicles a day would “probably the most expensive” of its regional spending, while he encouraged people to stick to plans to visit the Central West despite the detours over the Blue Mountains adding to their journey times.
“It would be an extreme measure to just cancel your holiday. The road is closed but the Central West and the Blue Mountains are not closed, and I would encourage people to stick to their plans for the Easter long weekend,” he said.
The likely length of the closure should be better known within days once Transport for NSW completes engineering analysis and geotechnical testing to determine the extent of the repairs required.
The government has previously said the closure of the state’s major east-west link will be in place for at least three months, which is hurting business owners who rely on passing traffic and motorists who are also suffering from a spike in fuel prices due to the Iran war.
Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said the government was acting to strengthen the detour routes, supporting communities and carrying out engineering and planning to determine the “best path forward”.
“We know this disruption is significant for local residents, businesses and freight operators, and we will continue working every lever available to support them,” she said.
Two trucks have been located in the area to remove heavy vehicles if they break down and obstruct lanes along the alternative routes.
Blue Mountains Labor Mayor Mark Greenhill said local roads were copping a flogging from increased traffic, and residents and businesses needed to know how long the highway would be closed.
“Local road options are completely suboptimal. They get us through a short period, but they can’t replace the main highway,” he said. “Businesses need certainty, and local communities that travel between Lithgow and the Blue Mountains need certainty.”
Greenhill said businesses suffering from a loss of up to 40 per cent in through traffic on the Great Western Highway needed support, while he encouraged people to visit the Blue Mountains. “The highway might be closed, but the Blue Mountains isn’t,” he said, citing alternative routes.
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Matt O’Sullivan is transport and infrastructure editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.
