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Last updated: 9am
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Morning traffic flow
As residents hit the streets on their way to work and for school drop-off on their Friday morning, traffic flow remains moderate to heavy throughout the Lithgow CBD.
There is heavy congestion at the McDonald's traffic lights as cars turn off the Great Western Highway and onto Main Street.
According to Live Traffic there is moderate flow throughout Main Street with little congestion at the the James Street intersection. Moderate congestion from the Hassans Walls Road intersection to Gray Street.
There is moderate congestion from Young Street through to Railway parade.
From Cook Street Plaza there is light volumes of traffic and also behind on Railway Parade.
There is common congestion at the Lithgow Street intersection leading onto Mort Street with heavy flow along the Council chambers.
Bridge Street and Eskbank Street heading towards Lithgow High are reporting heavy traffic flow.
Methven Street overlapping with Martini Parade has some heavy congestion between the Small Arms Factory museum and Rifle Parade.
Over on the Great Western Highway at Bowenfels Live Traffic is reporting moderate congestion on Bayonet Street.
At South Bowenfels, Magpie Hollow Road heading towards Lake Lyell is experiencing light traffic flow near the service station.
IMPORTANT NOTICE - SODWALLS TARANA ROAD RAIL OVERBRIDGE
CAUTION
After another truck collision on the Sodwalls Tarana Road rail overbridge, the vehicle has now been removed and the road reopened.
The accident has resulted in damage to the road. Full assessments will be completed in the morning to quantify the impact. We recommend caution while travelling through the area
Road Closure Update- Brown's Gap road
Lithgow Council wishes to provide an update on the closure of Browns Gap Road, which was caused by the risk of rock slides following the extended periods of rainfall.
Experts have been engaged to establish the geotechnical stability of the escarpment and determine if it is safe to reopen. Unfortunately, the ongoing widespread rainfall and shortage of geotechnical consultants to conduct this work has delayed this next step.
The studies to be undertaken involve surveyors on the road and escarpment, and a drone to complete comprehensive aerial imaging. The drone will map the face of the escarpment and conclusively determine whether there has been any movement since the last survey was completed following the 2019 bushfires.
The work is weather dependent and may be postponed should inclement conditions persist. Once the results of the survey are received by Council, an informed decision can be made as to what works need to occur and if the road is safe to be opened to the public. Unfortunately, this process of review may take some time and the road will not be reopened until it is proven safe to do so.
Rumble strips
More than 2700 kilometres of rumble strips will be installed along regional highways to combat driver fatigue and save lives on country roads.
The 2021-22 program will take place from the end of June and includes the Cobb Highway (Hay to Moama) Castlereagh Highway (Lithgow to Dunedoo), Golden Highway (Singleton to Dubbo), Kamilaroi Highway (Quirindi to Bourke), Gwydir Highway (Grafton to Moree) and Oxley Highway (Wauchope to Coonabarabran).
Work will commence progressively between 7am and 6pm seven days a week, weather permitting.
For the safety of all motorists and workers, reduced speed limits of 40 km/h will be in place during work hours along with single lane closures.
Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions, obey signs and traffic control and allow extra travel time.
Faster freight
Stage two of a multi-million-dollar upgrade of the Main West Rail Line through the Central West, to provide more efficient access to market for producers via critical freight route, has been completed.
The most recent passing loop was completed at Bumberry near Parkes, along with three other projects also delivered in 2021 at Polona near Blayney, Pinecliffe near Molong and Maryvale, north of Wellington.
"These passing loops are the equivalent of rail overtaking lanes, which lead to less congestion and reduced waiting times for passenger and freight trains entering a section of track," Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said.
"The upgrade to the Main West Rail line is part of our record $14.5 billion spend into regional roads and transport infrastructure, building what matters to make daily life easier."
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As well as the four passing loop projects delivered in stage two of the program, a further $2 million has been allocated for the investigation and development of potential future projects on the Main West Rail Line including loops, rail sidings that support loading and unloading freight, and upgrades to sections of track to accommodate heavier trains.
Under stage one of the program, $21.5 million funded the construction of two rail crossing loops between Blayney and Lithgow at Georges Plains and Rydal.
Scheduled bridge work - McKanes Falls Road
McKanes Bridge on McKanes Falls Road, South Bowenfels remains closed in both directions until Friday, September 30 due to an upgrade.
Motorists are advised to allow approximately five minutes of additional travel time, plan their journey and use diversions in place.
- Northbound: Jenolan Caves Rd, Great Western Hwy.
- Southbound: Great Western Hwy, Jenolan Caves Rd.
Scheduled roadwork - Raglan
Roadwork is scheduled at Raglan on the Great Western Highway until December 20, 2023.
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Traffic is affected in both directions on weekdays from 7am to 6pm as part of the Kelso to Raglan Project.
There is a reduced speed limit of 60km. Motorists are advised to check signage and all extra travel time. Traffic controllers will be on site to direct motorists.
Update on flooding and road damage in Lithgow LGA
The Lithgow region has been subject to persistent and significant rainfall. This has resulted in damage to road, drainage and embankment infrastructure.
In the past six months, the Lithgow area has been subject to roughly 950mm of rainfall. This rain has fallen over 129 days in a 180-day period.
As a result of these inspections, Council has urgently prioritised road repairs across the 4,000 square kilometres of the LGA. All machines are operational, every available local contractor is engaged, and staff are prioritising and attending to those hazards which present the highest risk.
The first stage of Lithgow's infrastructure recovery will not involve pothole patching. Instead, entire seals will be removed, pavements reconstructed, drainage reestablished, and seals replaced with hotmix asphalt.
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Work will be on Browns Gap, Wicketty War Road, Marsden Swamp Road, Cullenbenbong Road, Sodwalls Road and many others.
"We acknowledge that this recovery process is going to be a long-term project," Lithgow City Council Mayor, Councillor Maree Statham said.
"Our estimates of damage are already approaching $10 million. Fortunately, Council has successfully attracted an additional engineer highly skilled in asset rehabilitation after natural disasters, funded by the Federal Government through the Natural Disaster Recovery Arrangements"
"I say with certainty that, Council's staff have the interests of the community in the forefront of their mind and are really working hard to improve the resilience of our assets."
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Slope instability/debris on Jenolan Caves Road
There is slope instability and debris on Jenolan Caves Road between Binoomea Ridge Trail and the Caves House.
Motorists are advised to plan their journey and allow extra travel time. Access to Jenolan Caves is only available via Oberon.
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