Regional NSW companies say transportation delays cost them tens of thousands of dollars a month as the state government spends billions of dollars in road improvements to improve the main link west of the Blue Mountains to Sydney.
Important points:
- A Central West company claims to lose $ 15,000 a week due to road closures and upgrades
- The delays are expected to continue as Australia’s longest tunnel is built along the Great Western Highway, which connects western NSW and Sydney
- The Minister of Roads and Regional Transport says the government is devoting all resources to restoring the road network
At least one transport company west of the range is calling on the state government to compensate for the losses caused by road closures and modernizations along the Great Western Highway.
Travel times to the city have effectively doubled for Oberon Quarries, a major supplier of road products to Western Sydney Airport.
Equalization calls
The company said it had more than $ 15,000 a week out of pocket due to route diversions in the central west and the Blue Mountains.
CFO Jake Hargraves said flood damage on Jenolan Caves Road, a shortcut from Oberon near Bathurst to Sydney, had disrupted his business significantly.
Drivers have been diverted to Bathurst and forced to drive along the Great Western Highway, which is undergoing major modernization with four ongoing projects.
“It was about two hours or 150 kilometers down there,” said Hargraves.
“It’s been four hours or 150 miles now,” he said.
Jenolan Caves Road has been closed in both directions from start to finish. (
Delivered: Paul Toole
)
Mr Hargraves said the extra travel time meant that labor costs doubled.
“There are no leaflets or help for our sector,” he said.
“We are a small family-owned quarry with employees whom we have to look after rather than shareholders.”
Mr Hargraves suggested that the government give a tax break or a tax rebate to companies that lose due to road closures and construction.
Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole said the New South Wales government was working to restore road access as soon as possible.
“We know the importance of restoring these road networks as soon as possible to ensure that the communities can get back on their feet,” said Toole.
Mr. Toole would not say whether the government would consider providing financial support to affected businesses.
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Big plans cause big delays
Road works along the Great Western Highway from Orange to Hartley mean vehicles will have to slow to 40 km / h several times along the way.
ABC News: Lauren Bohane
)
The New South Wales government is providing US $ 2.5 billion to build a central tunnel between Katoomba and Lithgow on the Great Western Highway.
The federal government effectively approved the bill, with $ 2 billion earmarked for budget appreciation.
Construction on the first part of the project will begin in Medlow Bath next year. However, work on the tunnel is not expected to begin until 2024.
Mr Hargraves said there was no end in sight to an uninterrupted trip to Sydney.
“The solution is years away,” said Hargraves.
“We’re getting new challenges all the time, and this is one of the new ones.”
Works are widespread
The congestion in the Blue Mountains, especially on the weekends at hotspots like Mount Boyce, turns a three-hour trip into a six- to eight-hour nightmare. (
Delivered: Transport NSW
)
Mr. Toole said Transport for NSW “provided all available resources to repair both the Great Western Highway and the Bells Line of Road”.
Investigations along the Bells Line of Road are ongoing.
Traffic conditions have changed since the floods in March.
Meanwhile, $ 1.5 million has been allocated to improve Duckmaloi Road, which meets Jenolan Caves Road in Oberon as part of the Safer Roads program.
