The commute between Lithgow and Bathurst is set to be a little more smoother for those on the road, with $13 million in upgrades to be carried out.
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Federal Member for Calare and Minister for Decentralisation and Regional Education Andrew Gee has welcomed the funding from the Australian Government's Road Safety Program.
Work is starting immediately on two sections totalling 10 kilometres of the Great Western Highway between Lithgow and Bathurst.
Mr Gee said the works would include shoulder sealing, rumble strips and median upgrades.
"The rumble strips will alert drivers when they are moving out of their lane, median upgrades will prevent head-on collisions and barriers will be upgraded to prevent crashes and protect against roadside hazards," he said.
Regular commuter Annmarie Tomazin travels from Lithgow to Bathurst three times a week to take her husband for dialysis.
She says the current situation on the road is frustrating and time consuming with current road works adding 20 minutes of extra travel time. Having more road works to be completed, concerns her.
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"We travel between the hours of 7am and 8am, there are numerous amounts of speed limit reductions and the current conditions [of the road] are frustrating with potholes," she said.
Despite the current state of the road, Mrs Tomazin hoped the new upgrades would benefit all road users when complete.
"I understand it's time consuming, I just hope the end results will be worth it.
"I'd love to see a dual carriageway or at least more overtaking lanes as well," she said.
Mr Gee said the highway between Lithgow and Bathurst was one of the busiest stretches west of the Blue Mountains.
"The Federal Government contribution is $11.7 million to these Great Western Highway upgrades, representing 90% of total funding, and we know how important they will be to our community.
"With more and more people crossing the Great Dividing Range to discover the Central West, it's vital we keep investing in road safety. This funding will help keep our local residents and also visitors to the area safe," he said.
He said the works were underway and expected to be completed in a few short months.
The funding is part of a $16.1 million road safety package which includes $3 million for the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange.
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