The sudden closure of the Great Western Highway by Transport for NSW at Mount Victoria Pass is having an immediate disruptive impact across Regional NSW, with the effects being felt most significantly in Lithgow. With no timeframe announced by the NSW Government for the reopening of the critical section of the Great Western Highway, residents and businesses have been left facing the uncertainty of longer commutes and concern about future road access to Sydney.
The sudden unplanned increase of an additional 11,000 cars and trucks everyday now being redirected through the Lithgow town centre is already placing a strain on the local road network. Lithgow City Council is still waiting on $7.2 Million in Disaster Recovery Funding payments from the NSW Government for road works already completed. The prospect of a prolonged closure resulting in increased deterioration of our local roads is not one that the Council can tolerate without meaningful support from the NSW Government.
Lithgow Mayor Cassandra Coleman has addressed the impacts the closure is having on the Lithgow community saying “The closure is fundamentally changing life in Lithgow, the impact of thousands of additional cars and trucks passing through town is already being felt by residents and we are experiencing traffic and noise unheard of in Lithgow – its like we’ve suddenly had a highway interchange dropped into the middle of our town.” The Mayor expressed her concern for businesses in Hartley Valley who are likely to experience a further economic downturn while the highway is closed at Mount Victoria Pass due to a significant reduction in traffic passing their businesses. “My heart goes out to the Hartley community who are now facing longer trips in and out of the valley, and the prospect of significantly reduced business traffic. This community already experienced recent significant disruption while the new segment of the highway was built and now they have to deal with this closure. I want to encourage locals to support these businesses any way they can while the closure is ongoing.”
The Mayor extended an invitation to those now traveling through Lithgow to consider supporting the local economy saying “a lot of travellers pass by Lithgow without visiting our town centre. With the new extended travel time, Lithgow is a perfect place to stop, have a rest, get some food or something to drink, we have public EV Fast Chargers available close to the main Street so you can charge up the car while exploring the town. Lithgow CBD is suddenly on the route to or from Sydney for the foreseeable future, so why not see what Lithgow has to offer and give Lithgow a go, who knows, you might not want to leave.”
Lithgow Council has committed to working with the NSW Government to find workable solutions to the immediate problems caused by the closure of the pass. The Mayor has doubled down on the Council’s advocacy efforts for long term access improvements saying “The Lithgow LGA and the wider Central West relies on ageing, fragile roading infrastructure to get to Sydney. It is critical we continue to advocate for clear, long-term, properly funded transport solutions that ensures safety, resilience, and fair investment for our communities”.
