IT'S the news that Bathurst-Orange commuters have been waiting to hear: work has been completed at two more sections of the Mitchell Highway between the two cities.
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Transport for NSW says the safety upgrades at Vittoria East and East Guyong are done and the traffic barriers have been removed in time for the Christmas holidays.
Work at the Vittoria Curve section is still going, though Transport for NSW says that project is due to be finished by mid-next year.
The end to the work at Vittoria East (on the Bathurst side of the Beekeeper's Inn) and East Guyong (about halfway between Bathurst and Orange) are the latest signs of progress after five years of upgrades on the highway between the two cities.
They began with a road widening and barrier installation at East Lucknow that was completed in July 2018, followed by improvements at Oaky Creek Lane completed in October 2019 and a safety upgrade at Guyong that was completed in September 2022.
Transport for NSW regional director west Alistair Lunn said the Vittoria East and East Guyong safety upgrades, funded through the NSW Government's Safer Roads Program, "have included road widening to allow the installation of flexible safety barriers that help prevent head-on and run-off-road crashes, asphalting and drainage work, new safer turning lanes, and the installation of audio and tactile line marking (rumble strips) in some locations to help keep drivers alert".
"In addition, new overtaking lanes have been built as part of the NSW Government's Network Efficiency Program," he said.
"We acknowledge the impact that this continued work has had on motorists but we thank them for their patience and trust they will reap the benefits for years to come."
On the other side of Bathurst, the almost-three-year upgrade to the Great Western Highway between Kelso and Raglan is set to be finished by Christmas.
