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Project overview

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About the project

The Great Western Highway between Little Hartley and Lithgow is mostly a two-way undivided road with one lane in each direction. The highway services freight, tourist and general traffic with volumes of about 11,000 vehicles per day near Lithgow and traffic growth is expected to continue.

Without the Little Hartley to Lithgow upgrade, the performance of the Great Western Highway is expected to deteriorate and approach capacity within the next fifteen years. Motorists would face congestion along the highway and delays at intersections, with few opportunities to overtake slower vehicles.

Providing a four lane divided road between Little Hartley and Lithgow would increase the capacity of the highway, reducing congestion and improving intersection performance. This would allow traffic to flow smoothly, reducing travel time for motorists.

The proposed upgrade follows the general alignment of the existing Great Western Highway as much as possible, however it does diverge in places to straighten curves as much as possible. It also provides new intersections and retains sections of the existing highway as service roads and to provide property accesses.

The speed limit would be 100 km/hr from Little Hartley to Forty Bends, 90 km/hr from Forty Bends to McKanes Falls Road, and 80 km/hr from McKanes Falls Road to Lithgow.

Lanes would be 3.5 metres wide, with shoulders of about 2.5 metres and a maximum grade of 6.75 per cent on River Lett Hill. The central median would be from three metres to 11 metres wide depending on the location, and would be either paved or landscaped.

Transport respects the unique natural environment and cultural heritage of the Hartley Valley and surrounds. We have adopted an integrated design approach to help the design to minimise impacts on the existing landscape, vegetation and heritage features.

The project proposal need, objectives and options considered are described in Chapter 2 of the Review of Environmental Factors (REF).

The project proposal is described in detail in Chapter 3 of the REF, which includes information on:

the concept design
the likely construction methodology and staging
hours of work
ancillary sites such as compounds, site office locations and laydown areas
utility services impacted.

Key features

Key features of the upgrade include:

Upgrade of around 14 kilometres of the Great Western Highway between Little Hartley and Lithgow to a safer four lane divided highway
Provision of service roads for local traffic
Safer, controlled access onto the highway
Provision of two rest areas
New bridges to allow safer, separated intersections for local traffic
Upgrade of the existing bridge over River Lett
Provision of a westbound climbing (third) lane on River Lett Hill

The upgrade has been designed in four sections:

Little Hartley to River Lett Hill (east)
Coxs River Road
River Lett Hill (west) to Forty Bends
Forty Bends to Lithgow

Subject to planning approval, construction would commence at Coxs River Road in late 2022.

Environmental assessment

The Little Hartley to Lithgow (West Section) Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and concept design was publicly displayed from 23 November 2021 until 16 January 2022.

An REF is undertaken to assess the potential impacts of a proposed development or activity on the environment, to ensure compliance with the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and any other relevant state and national laws.

It includes investigations into all environmental impacts, and includes ways the project proposes to identify, mitigate and manage those impacts.

The Little Hartley to Lithgow (West Section) Submissions Report categorises and formally responds to submissions received from the community and stakeholders during the REF display.

The Little Hartley to Lithgow Upgrade has now been approved. The project will be managed by Transport for NSW and funded by the Australian and NSW Governments.

Next – Noise and vibration

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Noise and vibration

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2036 night with project

2036 night without project

Construction noise

Receivers in the study area are typically sparsely distributed rural residential properties with a small number of commercial properties at various points along the alignment. Receivers are relatively close to the alignment along the length of the proposal although they are generally few in number.

The highest impacts are expected to occur when noise intensive equipment is being used, such as rockbreakers, concrete saws, chainsaws or chippers. These items of equipment would, however, be required occasionally and would be unlikely to be in use for long periods of time. Periodic blasting would be required for construction at River Lett Hill however, these blasts would be of short duration and undertaken during standard working hours (see below).

Daytime impacts

Impacts during the daytime are predicted to be ‘highly intrusive’ or ‘moderately intrusive’ within 10 of the 13 noise catchment areas during some of the noisier scenarios such as site establishment, earthworks, utility works and road works. The worst-case noise levels are predicted to be around 85 to 90 dBA at the nearest receivers when noise intensive equipment is being used close to receivers. When noise intensive equipment is not used the noise levels are expected to be substantially lower, with worst-case levels of around 70 dBA predicted at the closest receivers.

Residential receivers that are subject to noise levels of 75 dBA or greater are considered highly noise affected. Up to 12 receivers in NCA12 may be highly noise affected, up to six receivers in NCA12 and NCA13, and between one and four receivers in NCA01, NCA03, NCA04, NCA06, NCA07, NCA08, NCA09 and NCA10. The highest noise levels are conservative and would likely be apparent for relatively short periods.

Night-time impacts

Only certain work would be completed during the night-time, including transportation of bridge girders, asphalting and road tie-in work where connections to the existing road network are necessary. Worst-case noise levels may reach ‘highly intrusive’ levels in 9 of the 13 NCAs, however only a relatively small number of receivers are predicted to be impacted. Sleep disturbance screening criterion is also likely to be exceeded at these residential receivers when night work occurs. Where possible, noisy work would be completed as early as possible in each night work shift. Appropriate respite would also be provided to affected receivers in accordance with the Transport Construction Noise and Vibration Guideline (Roads and Maritime, 2016) (CNVG). Any work outside of standard construction hours would also be undertaken in accordance with the Interim Construction Noise Guideline (DECC, 2009) (ICNG).

Vibration

Occupants of affected buildings located within the human comfort minimum working distances may be able to perceive vibration impacts at times when vibration intensive equipment is in use. Where impacts are perceptible, they would likely only be apparent for relatively short durations when vibration intensive equipment is nearby. Mitigation measures will be considered for receivers located near to the work within the minimum working distances for cosmetic damage.

Noise and vibration mitigation

A Construction Noise and Vibration Management Plan (CNVMP) would be prepared prior to work commencing which would detail the approach to providing noise and vibration mitigation during construction. The CNVG contains a number of ‘standard mitigation measures’ for mitigating and managing construction noise and vibration impacts. The measures would be applied to construction of the proposal, where feasible and reasonable. Where noise impacts remain after the use of ‘standard mitigation measures’, the CNVG requires the use of ‘additional mitigation measures’ where feasible and reasonable. The ‘additional mitigation measures’ are determined on the basis of the exceedance of the appropriate management levels and range from notifications, phone calls, individual briefings, respite periods, to in some cases alternative accommodation.

Blasting

Construction of the deep cut through River Lett Hill will require a significant amount of blasting to remove the large volume of hard rock. A blasting specialist has been engaged and would further inform the blasting methodology, including times, road closures and diversions, as detailed design progresses. Blasting would only occur during standard construction hours and each blast would be of a short duration.

Twenty-seven buildings are within 170 metres of the proposed blasting location and have the potential to be impacted by structural damage and human comfort associated with blasting. Thirteen heritage items or areas are within 340 metres of the proposed blasting location. A blast management plan will be prepared prior to the start of blasting and include trial blasting plans, monitoring and notification requirements and mitigation measures. Building condition surveys should be completed before and after the work where buildings or structures are within the minimum working distances and considered likely to exceed the cosmetic damage criteria during the use of blasting activities.

Operational noise

The proposal is predicted to alter operational road traffic noise levels for many receivers in the study area due to the revised alignment of the Great Western Highway. Noise levels are predicted to reduce in locations where the alignment is proposed to be moved away from receivers, however, the alignment is closer in some locations and noise levels are predicted to increase in these areas.

Exceedances of the relevant criteria are predicted at the nearest residential receivers. These exceedances are generally due to a mixture of increasing noise levels, exceedances of the cumulative limit criteria and acute road traffic noise levels.

For these areas, forty-seven sensitive receivers are considered eligible for consideration of additional noise mitigation. At property treatment is likely to be the most appropriate form of mitigation however, the final noise mitigation strategy would be determined during detailed design.

REF Chapter 6.3 - Noise and vibration

Next – Traffic and transport

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Traffic and transport

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Speed zones

Operational impacts

Traffic modelling of future year periods indicates that the proposed upgrade would provide a safer, reliable and more efficient road corridor on the Great Western Highway between Little Hartley and Lithgow. The proposal would provide travel time savings of about 10 minutes between Katoomba and Lithgow from about 40 minutes without the proposal to about 29 minutes with the proposal. The proposal would also provide significant benefits with respect to increased safety and road network performance. Analysis indicates that the proposal is predicted to reduce the total crash rate on the highway between Little Hartley and Lithgow by 57 per cent.

Daily traffic volumes between Little Hartley and Lithgow are predicted to grow by 0.4 per cent per annum for light vehicles and about 1.3 per cent per annum for heavy vehicles between now and 2036. This would mean average weekday traffic volumes would grow from 11,100 vehicles per day in 2021 to 11,400 vehicles per day in 2026. In 2036, traffic volumes between Little Hartley and Lithgow are predicted to increase to an average 12,100 vehicles per day, equivalent to about 109 per cent of current (2021) traffic volumes. Traffic volume data between Little Hartley and River Lett Hill shows that heavy vehicles represent about 20 per cent of total traffic in 2021, or up to 2,380 heavy vehicles per day on an average weekday. The proportion of heavy vehicles is forecast to increase to 22 per cent in 2036, or up to 2,706 heavy vehicles per day on an average weekday.

Travel times and intersections level of service would also deteriorate to unacceptable levels without the proposal. By 2026, the level of service on the Great Western Highway near Little Hartley is predicted to reach operational capacity (level of service E). Future traffic growth would further increase delays at intersections on the Great Western Highway. Five intersections with the Great Western Highway are predicted to operate with an unsatisfactory level of service E or F during peak periods. This includes the Great Western Highway intersections with Coxs River Road/Ambermere Drive, Mid Hartley Road, Carroll Drive, Kelly Street, and Jenolan Caves Road/Blackmans Creek Road. With the proposal, the majority of intersections are predicted to operate at a level of service A during the AM peak and PM peak periods.

Construction impacts

During the construction periods, there is potential for additional traffic to be generated. Construction traffic is expected to increase volumes between Little Hartley and Lithgow by between two per cent to eight per cent, depending on the package of works and locations. The increase in traffic volumes would be minor and would not impact the operational performance of the Great Western Highway.

The construction staging design maintains one travel lane in each direction. However, there will be some instances during off peak times that lane closures or contraflow arrangements are required to complete works such as pavement resurfacing on the main carriageway. Throughout the construction period, haulage or traffic movements would be required to travel along the existing Great Western Highway and the connecting local road network. Traffic management plans and construction staging would be progressively developed and refined during construction to facilitate the safe and efficient movement of traffic through and around the proposal area and to and from construction locations and ancillary facilities.

REF Chapter 6.2 - Traffic and transport

Next – Biodiversity

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Biodiversity

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Nearby fauna

Impacted vegetation

Threatened fauna species

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Wildlife corridors

Subject land

A Biodiversity Development Assessment Report (BDAR) has been prepared in accordance with the Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM) (2020), as required by Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 (BC Act). The land in which biodiversity values have been assessed by this BDAR is known as the subject land.

The BAM credit calculator identified:

Eighteen candidate threatened flora species credit species associated with the Plant Community Types (PCT) identified in the subject land. Of these, nine threatened flora species are considered to have the potential to occur within the subject land and have therefore been retained as candidate species for survey.
Thirty-eight candidate threatened fauna ecosystem credit species and 17 candidate threatened fauna species credit species associated with the PCTs identified in the subject land.

Targeted surveys for threatened flora species will be undertaken in spring/summer 2021 to meet the recommended survey periods for the target flora species, to maximise the chance of detection. The survey results will be included in the Response to Submissions report.

Review of records within 10 kilometres of the subject land, paired with the presence of potential habitat, identified one additional threatened fauna species to be included in the assessment. Ten threatened fauna species listed under the EPBC Act and/or BC Act were recorded in the subject land or immediately adjacent during surveys carried out for the proposal.

Additional targeted surveys for Purple Copper Butterfly and Booroolong Frog, and surveys to detect breeding of Gang-gang Cockatoo, will be carried out in spring 2021, and findings will be included in the Response to Submissions report.

Direct impacts

Direct impacts of the proposal on biodiversity include:

Removal of 75.19 hectares of native PCTs, of which
- 17.59 hectares is consistent with Tableland Basalt Forest in the Sydney Basin and South Eastern Highlands Bioregion, listed as Endangered under the BC Act and
- 5.82 hectares is consistent with White Box – Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland in the NSW North Coast, New England Tableland, Nandewar, Brigalow Belt South, Sydney Basin, South Eastern Highlands, NSW South Western Slopes, South East Corner and Riverina Bioregions, listed as Critically Endangered under the BC Act
- 3.6 hectares is consistent with White Box – Yellow Box – Blakely’s Red Gum Grassy Woodland and Derived Native Grassland, listed as Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act
Removal of 215.32 hectares of non-PCT vegetation comprising native and exotic plantings
Removal of 75.19 hectares of potential habitat for threatened fauna species
Mortality/injury of terrestrial fauna species, with potential mortality/injury of threatened fauna species. This should be minimised through pre-clearing procedures during construction and installation of fauna fencing during operation.

Biodiversity management measures would be implemented in accordance with Transport’s Biodiversity Guidelines (RTA, 2011) to reduce any impacts due to the proposal.

Biodiversity offsets required for the proposal under the BC Act will be confirmed upon completion of remaining targeted spring/summer surveys.

The proposed culvert extension and scour protection would potentially impact in-stream habitat of several creeks mapped as Key Fish Habitat. Under the Policy and guidelines for fish habitat conservation and management (NSW DPI, 2013) this would require offsetting. Final offset calculations will be carried out following further design development.

REF Chapter 6.1 - Biodiversity

Next – Water quality

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Water quality

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Temporary drainage basins

Permanent drainage basins

Soils and surface water

Construction of the proposal will include earthworks along the proposed alignment, access tracks and site compounds. Earthworks have the potential to impact soil and surface water quality through erosion and sedimentation. Earthworks also have the potential to expose acid sulfate rock.

A Neutral or Beneficial Effect on water quality assessment has been conducted for the proposal. The assessment indicates that with the proposed mitigation measures, the proposal will have a beneficial effect on water quality with reduced pollutant loads compared to existing conditions.

Hydrology and flooding

Potential flooding impacts associated with the proposal would be confined to River Lett (including Boxes Creek) and Rosedale Creek. The results of the flooding analysis showed that most of the predicted impacts would be localised to waterways and pre-existing flooded areas. Flood level increases would be within the current industry accepted tolerances for the land uses surrounding the proposal.

REF Chapter 6.6 - Soils and Surface Water REF Chapter 6.7 - Groundwater REF Chapter 6.8 - Hydrology and flooding

Next – Landscape character and visual impacts

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Landscape character and visual impacts

Construction impacts

During construction, there would be temporary landscape character and visual impacts. These impacts would include views of large earthmoving and construction equipment, construction activities, stored materials and stockpiles, activities in and around ancillary facilities, vegetation clearing and excavation.

Construction, particularly out of hours work, would require lighting at ancillary facilities and work areas. These locations could result in light spill impact on adjoining properties. This may result in a temporary visual impact at night, particularly near residences. Safeguards and management measures have been identified for temporary construction works to manage landscape character and visual impacts. Impacts from lighting are anticipated to be minor as a majority of the works will be conducted during standard hours.

Operational impacts

During operation, the proposal would result in a moderate to high impact on landscape character due to the intensification of road infrastructure in a sensitive rural landscape. There would be varied visual impacts as a result of the operation of the proposal. 27 viewpoints have been assessed that represent a range of directions, distances and sensitive receivers within the proposal area. 13 of the viewpoints are expected to have a visual impact considered greater than moderate with four viewpoints experiencing high visual impacts.

The landscape character and visual impacts associated with the proposal would generally be consistent with other similar projects, either completed or under construction along the Great Western Highway. A number of urban design principles have been developed for the proposal which take into account urban design and visual character of the surrounding area. These urban design principles would be incorporated into the detailed design to integrate the project within the surrounding rural landscape to minimise the visual impact of the proposal.

REF Chapter 6.9 - Landscape character and visual impacts

Next – Heritage

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Heritage

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National parks

Aboriginal heritage

An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report (ACHAR) was prepared to provide an assessment of Aboriginal cultural values potentially impacted by the proposal.

Test excavations carried out for the proposal at 16 locations found repeated evidence of Aboriginal stone artefacts in the areas of River Lett Hill and Hartley, camping activity along River Lett at Jenolan Caves Road, and artefact scatters along tributaries associated with Whites Creek, Butlers Creek and Boxes Creek. Evidence of activities along minor watercourses and occupation at the western margin of the construction footprint were also confirmed.

Consultation with Aboriginal community members has confirmed that the entire proposal area is significant to Aboriginal people. A number of specific sites near to the proposal have been identified as having high cultural significance, with several falling within or partly within the proposal area.

Based on the results of the ACHAR and in consultation with registered Aboriginal parties (RAPs) it is considered that there are 20 Aboriginal sites within the construction footprint that would be directly impacted by the project. These direct impacts range from negligible to major. In addition, nine Aboriginal sites are located within the study area, but outside of the construction footprint, including two sites that will be subject to minor indirect impacts associated with vibration and settlement, and one site subject to moderate indirect impacts also associated with vibration and settlement.

Management recommendations have been developed in consultation with RAPs to avoid impacts where possible and where impacts are unavoidable, to effectively mitigate them. Management of Aboriginal sites would include protection and salvage measures, development of a curation policy for salvaged Aboriginal objects and procedures for unexpected discovery of Aboriginal objects. Site specific management measures would be described in an Aboriginal Heritage Management Plan (AHMP) that would form part of the construction environmental management plan (CEMP) that would be developed for the project.

Non-Aboriginal heritage

Construction activities associated with the proposal have the potential to directly and indirectly impact on heritage items within the study area including demolition/destruction of items, vibration impacts, and works within the heritage curtilage.

A review of previous heritage studies, aerial imagery, and a search of relevant heritage registers identified 36 listed heritage items and 14 locations of heritage potential (including archaeological potential) within the study area. Following the desktop assessment, 25 listed heritage items and six areas of heritage potential situated within or adjacent to the construction footprint were further assessed. One potential item, the causeway of Billesdene Grange has been considered as part of the listed heritage item.

The proposal would have a major impact to one listed heritage item, Lyndoch Orchard (LEP I019) that would experience major direct (physical) and indirect (visual) impacts.

The proposal would also have major impacts on three unlisted heritage items. The bridge over the River Lett (located on the Old Great Western Highway, over the River Lett) would experience major direct (physical) and indirect (visual and vibration) impacts. Archaeological potential on an unidentified Lot would experience major direct (physical) and archaeological impacts. The historic bullock track and creek crossing would experience major direct (physical) and indirect (visual) impacts.

The proposal would have a moderate impact to three heritage listed items. Billesdene Grange (LEP I023) would experience direct (physical), indirect (visual) and archaeological impacts. The state heritage listed Hartley Historic Village (SHR00992 and LEP I020) would experience direct (physical), indirect (visual and vibration) and archaeological impacts. The state heritage listed Fernhill (SHR00225 and LEP I043) would experience direct (physical) and indirect (visual and vibration) impacts.

The proposal would also have a negligible or minor impact to 23 heritage or potential heritage items.

Management and mitigation measures would be implemented to address these impacts based on the impact type and level, including but not limited to archival recording, archaeological test excavation, landscaping and sympathetic plantings, monitoring of ground disturbance works and engagement of subject matter experts (such as heritage structural engineer and an arborist) where appropriate.

REF Chapter 6.4 - Aboriginal cultural heritage REF Chapter 6.5 - Non-Aboriginal heritage

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Before/after: Looking south on the highway from the Mazda Dealership on Station Street

Before/after: Looking south on Railway Parade toward the proposed footbridge

Before/after: Shared zone for driveways looking north at 104 Great Western Highway

Before/after: Looking south along Station Street

Before/after: Looking north on the highway in front of the Hydro Majestic Hotel

Before/after: Looking north from the Medlow Bath Railway Station towards Railway Parade

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Cross section north of Bellevue Crescent

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Indicative Fauna crossing - rope bridge

Indicative Fauna crossing - rope bridge

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Shared zone for driveways looking north at 104 Great Western Highway

Looking north on the highway in front of the Hydro Majestic Hotel

Looking south on the highway from the Mazda Dealership on Station Street

Looking south along Station Street

Looking north from the Medlow Bath Railway Station towards Railway Parade

Looking south on Railway Parade toward the proposed footbridge

Looking south on Railway Parade toward the proposed footbridge

Great Western Highway Upgrade Wast REF information session

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