Richmond Road upgrade, Marsden Park
Review of Environmental Factors (REF)

Transport for NSW is continuing with planning and design to upgrade Richmond Road north of Elara Boulevard for about 1.5 km to provide access to Marsden Park and Marsden Park North Precincts.

As part of the planning for the upgrade a draft environmental impact assessment, called the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) has been prepared and is available for public comment until Friday 27 November 2020.

Download the community update

Review of Environmental Factors (REF)

The REF for Richmond Road examines potential impacts of the proposed road upgrade, and how Transport will manage these to the community and surrounding environment.

Design improvements include new turning and overtaking lanes, widening and sealing of road shoulders and an improvements in access along the road particularly in peak hours.

Potential impacts listed are discussed in detail in the REF. To view the REF online, please visit nswroads.work/richmondrd

Listed below are discussed in detail in the REF:

Traffic: The upgrade will result in a safer and more efficient flow of traffic due to dedicated turning and overtaking lanes, and to the widening of the road in some areas.

Heritage: The proposal would encroach on the State listed curtilage of Clydesdale (House, Barn, Cottage and Farm Landscape heritage items), however it will not impact on any built structures.

Biodiversity: The proposal would require the removal of about 1.52 hectares of native vegetation, however it is not likely to significantly impact threatened species or ecological communities or their habitats.

Urban Design and Landscape: Where the removal of trees is required during construction, the area will be landscaped in consultation with Blacktown City Council to help integrate the proposal with the surrounding environment and landform.

To view the REF online, please visit nswroads.work/richmondrd

Key features of upgrades include:

  • Widening 900 metres of Richmond Road from two lanes to four lanes and merging with the existing road over a distance of 600 metres
  • Providing a wide central median for future widening of the road to six lanes, if needed
  • Providing a new set of traffic signals 800 metres north west of Elara Boulevard
  • Providing bus bays and bus priority lanes at the main intersection
  • Providing a new shared user path for pedestrians and cyclists

Benefits of the upgrades include:

  • Improving road capacity and safety to meet future traffic growth
  • Supporting residential and employment growth
  • Improving flood evacuation requirements
  • Improving freight productivity

What are the next steps?

Have your say

What happens next?

At the end of the REF display period, a submissions report which summaries comments or questions received for each project, and our responses, will be published on the Transport for NSW website.

If you make a submission, you will receive an email or letter advising of any changes to the proposal as a result of feedback. A community update will also be distributed to advise the availability of the submissions report.

We will keep community members and other stakeholders informed of progress throughout delivery of the projects. You can access information on the individual projects through the Transport for NSW website, community newsletters and the project phone number and email provided below.