Great Western Highway upgrade at wentworth falls East NSW

green infastructure - road

This project forms part of the New South Wales State Government’s ongoing programme to upgrade the Great Western Highway between Lapstone and Katoomba. The Great Western Highway is a key link in the State’s regional road network and is the main road connection through the Blue Mountains between the NSW Central West and Sydney. It is also an integral part of the local road network for travel by residents between the villages and towns in the Blue Mountains.

The project was Roads and Maritime Services first “Design Only” Alliance with Darren leading the urban and landscape team. The main project objective was to prepare the Detailed Design and Tender Documentation for a 2.0km section of the Great Western Highway between Tableland Road and Station Street at Wentworth Falls East. This documentation formed the basis of the RMS tender package. The underlying objective for the urban and landscape design was to improve safety while reinforcing the mountain quality of the road experience within an area of great natural beauty and high ecological value. The team sought a design solution that catered to the World Heritage status of the setting as well as the European history of the mountain town of Wentworth Falls.

Key work elements included: input to the engineering of the alignment of the highway, pedestrian and bicycle shared path connections to local roads, input to the design of retaining structures and designing appropriate treatments to property frontages affected by land acquisition. The landscape design elements included: planting schedules, seed collection strategies and zones for ecological restoration. Darren worked closely and successfully with the project’s engineers and Roads and Maritime, within the Alliance structure, to ensure high quality aesthetic outcomes which scored 8/10 in an Urban Design Peer Review. Construction services were also provided.