• Improve road alignment
• Water quality
• Recognising historical significance
• Improve safety
• Connecting communities
• New pathways for active Transport
• Better, safer and more reliable trips

Key features of the Katoomba to Medlow Bath section include:

• Widening around 3.5 kilometres of the Great Western Highway between Rowan Lane in Katoomba and Bellevue Crescent in Medlow Bath to provide two lanes in each direction
• Connections to the Medlow Bath Upgrade
• New concrete twin bridges (about 400 metres long) over the valley from Pulpit Hill near Explorers Road
• Upgraded intersections at Nellies Glen Road, Explorers Road and Foy Avenue
• Improved visitor parking at the Pulpit Hill heritage= interpretation area
• A new truck stopping area to the west of Explorers Road
• Upgrade of the Great Blue Mountains Trail to maintain active transport connections between Katoomba and Medlow Bath
• Providing new formalised bus stops on the highway at Nellies Glen Road (westbound), Explorers Road (eastbound) and Foy Avenue
• Upgraded and new drainage infrastructure and water quality controls

Key features of the Medlow Bath to Blackheath section include:

• Widening around 1.8 kilometres of the Great Western Highway between the existing rail overbridge in Medlow Bath to about 200 metres east of Tennyson Road in Blackheath to provide two lanes in each direction
• Connections to the existing highway, providing two lanes in each direction
• Road connection ‘stubs’ for the future Great Western Highway tunnel bypass
• Relocation of the electrical sectioning hut in the rail corridor from next to the highway opposite Coachhouse Lane, on to Station Street
• Extension of the Great Blue Mountains Trail alongside the National Park and Great Western Highway between Medlow Bath and Blackheath
• A new truck stopping area about one kilometre west of Medlow Bath
• Upgraded and new drainage infrastructure and water quality controls
• Investigating opportunities to extend utility relocations and access trails to connect to Blackheath

Transport is now seeking your feedback on the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and concept design for the proposed Katoomba to Blackheath Upgrade.

Your input is important in helping to design the best upgrade we can for the Katoomba to Blackheath section. We invite you to review the proposed plans, understand the environmental impacts and have your say.

Formal submissions on the REF and concept design are invited until Sunday 19 June 2022 and we encourage you to take the opportunity to have your say. Visit our virtual consultation room to leave feedback or register for an information session.

Katoomba to Blackheath (East Section) Review of Environmental Factors consultation May - June 2022

The Review of Environmental Factors (REF) and Concept Design for the proposed Katoomba to Blackheath Upgrade has now closed.

The REF and concept design for the Katoomba to Blackheath Upgrade was released for community consultation on 15 May 2022, with consultation continuing to 19 June 2022.

The engagement included six community information sessions, which were a mixture of online and face-to-face sessions.

Transport is preparing a Submissions Report summarising and providing responses to submissions received during the REF display period, which is expected to be released in late 2022.

Project information and the full REF can be found on the online portal.

Medlow Bath Upgrade Review of Environmental Factors consultation July – September 2021

The Review of Environmental Factors and Concept Design for the Medlow Bath Upgrade was released for community consultation on 27 July, with consultation continuing to 5 September 2021.

The engagement included six community information sessions, held online in order to comply with advice from NSW Health and Covid-19 restrictions. These sessions were attended by 146 people in total.

A number of targeted information sessions were also held with local businesses, groups and associations and a number of phone consultations were also held.

During the consultation period, we received 348 formal submissions from 250 individual members of the community, businesses and stakeholders. The Submissions Report to the Medlow Bath REF will be released when the REF is determined.

Medlow Bath upgrade consultation June - August 2020

The strategic design for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway through Medlow Bath was released for community consultation on 29 June, with consultation continuing to 31 August 2020. The engagement included eight community information sessions, held online in order to comply with advice from NSW Health and Covid-19 restrictions. The sessions were attended by 70 people. A number of targeted information sessions were also held with local businesses, groups and associations and a number of phone consultations were also held. More than 850 items of feedback were received by the project team.You can view or download the community consultation summary report (PDF, 3.7Mb).

Katoomba to Lithgow strategic design consultation November - December 2019

The strategic design for the upgrade of the Great Western Highway from Katoomba to Lithgow was released for community consultation on 07 November 2019, with consultation continuing to 16 December 2019. The engagement included nine community information sessions, two pop up displays and one public meeting held along the corridor at locations including Katoomba, Medlow Bath, Blackheath, Mount Victoria, Hartley and Lithgow. The sessions were attended by 1350 people and 1759 items of feedback were received by the project team. You can view or download the community consultation summary report (PDF, 18.5Mb).