Mitchell Hwy safety upgrade - Bathurst to Orange - Saving Lives on Country Roads
Project overview
The NSW Government is funding safety upgrades between Lithgow to Bathurst under the Safer Roads Program. Between October 2014 and September 2019, there were 76 casualty crashes recorded, resulting in a total of 125 casualties. These crashes included 7 fatal crashes, 25 serious injury crashes, 42 moderate injury crashes and 2 minor injury crashes Everyone wants their friends and family to return home safely, and we’re no different. Far too many lives have been lost on country roads which is why the NSW Government has committed $822 million to the successful delivery of our NSW Safer Roads Program. The NSW Government is committed to improving road safety in the regions. As part of the $1.9 billion invested to deliver the NSW Road Safety Plan 2021, $640 million was committed to the Saving Lives on Country Road initiatives for infrastructure safety upgrades, with $217 million committed during the 2020/21 financial year. Following a Route Safety Review of the Kamilaroi Highway, the NSW Government is funding $26.4 million to boost safety on a 17km stretch between Baan Baa and Turrawan under the Safer Roads Program. Between July 2012 and October 2019, there were 18 crashes recorded, resulting in four fatal crashes, seven serious injury and four moderate injury crashes. A high proportion of these crashes (7) involved vehicles crossing the centre line of the road; recorded as either run off road to the right, or headon crashes. These alarming numbers triggered significant investment under the Saving Lives on Country Roads program to implement treatments that will reduce the incidence and severity of cross centreline crashes in this location. The NSW Government is funding $12 million for safety upgrades along the 96 kilometre section of road between Orange and Parkes over the next two years. Safety improvements on the Mitchell Highway from Bathurst to Orange are progressing with emergency and incremental improvements at Summer Hill Lane, Shadforth, Cashens Lane and Houses Lane.
Project information
Transport for NSW is delivering safety improvements for the Mitchell Highway, between Bathurst and Orange. Along with the NSW Government investing $50 million to improve safety for road users and reduce the risk of crashes along the 50 kilometre section of the highway, a number of emergency repairs have also taken place to improve the safety of all road users.
We are seeking feedback on your experiences travelling the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange, and how this experience might be improved in the future.
This feedback, along with feedback received during consultation previously carried out by Transport for NSW, will be used to give us a better understanding of customer needs to inform further improvements.
Emergency works:
Following severe weather at the end of 2021, major repair works were carried out between Bathurst and Orange. Extensive patching and pothole work was carried out along the Mitchell Highway along with safety upgrade work, including sealing road shoulders and widening centre lines
Emergency and incremental improvements include:
Summer Hill Lane: Motorists are enjoying a 1km length of widen road with improved road shoulders and a wider centre line to increase space between oncoming traffic. Wide centre lines are estimated to reduce head-on crashes by 50 per cent.
Shadforth: 1.7 kilometres of the road has been upgraded with an enhanced centre line and smoother road surface completed as part of these works.
Cashens Lane Intersection: A new road surface has been installed across 500 metres of this intersection.
Houses Lane: A new wide centre line has been created and road shoulders widened along 1km of the highway.
Safer Roads Program:
Road safety improvements are advanced with the construction of a westbound overtaking lane at Guyong, widening of the road at Vittoria East, and road surface improvements and culvert works at East Guyong.
Further safety improvements include the installation of flexible safety barriers to significantly reduce the severity of head on crashes and run off road crashes, widened centrelines to reduce the likelihood of head on crashes, and rumble strips (also known as audio tactile line marking) to reduce the likelihood of head on crashes and run off road crashes. Read more about the benefits of safety treatments on Towards Zero Saving Lives on Country Roads.
The aim of these safety improvements is to increase the separation of oncoming vehicles, alert drivers when they leave a lane, and provide a more forgiving road environment for when people make mistakes
Works will also include road widening, intersection upgrades, vegetation removal and drainage improvements throughout the project.
Construction is currently underway for our projects at Guyong, East Guyong and Vittoria East. A number of other sites are undergoing investigations for project development. We are committed to keeping our community informed and will provide updates when they are available.
Project documents
Project notifications
| File | Title | Size |
|---|---|---|
| December 2022 project notification Night detour of the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange from Tuesday 6 December. | 419Kb | |
| November 2022 project notification Changed traffic conditions on the Mitchell Highway at Vittoria. | 328Kb | |
| September 2022 project notification Detour for night work on Mitchell Highway at The Rocks continuing from Sunday 18 September. | 761Kb | |
| September 2022 project notification Night work on the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange at Vittoria East. | 205Kb | |
| September 2022 project notification Detour for night work on Mitchell Highway at The Rocks. | 758Kb | |
| May 2022 project notification Detour for night work on Mitchell Highway at The Rocks from Sunday 29 May. | 300Kb | |
| May 2022 project notification Changed traffic conditions on the Mitchell Highway at Guyong from Monday 9 May. | 476Kb | |
| April 2022 project notification Safety works Mitchell Highway Vittoria East from 27 April. | 232Kb | |
| April 2022 project notification Night works on Mitchell Highway, Guyong from Sunday 10 April. | 196Kb | |
| March 2022 project notification Detour for night works on the Mitchell Highway at East Guyong from 30 March to 2 April. | 228Kb | |
| March 2022 project notification Mitchell Highway night works for essential maintenance from Wednesday 23 March. | 259Kb | |
| February 2022 project notification February 2022 Detour for night work on the Mitchell Highway at Guyong from Monday, 7 March. | 889Kb | |
| December 2021 project notification Detour for night work on the Mitchell Highway at Guyong from Monday, 13 December. | 888Kb | |
| February 2021 project notification Changed traffic conditions for night works on the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange. | 451Kb | |
| January 2021 project notification Controlled blasting starts on the Mitchell HIghway between Bathurst and Orange at Guyong. | 371Kb | |
| Controlled blasting - frequently asked questions | 297Kb |
Review of Environmental Factors (REF)
| File | Title | Size |
|---|---|---|
| October 2020 REF Mitchell Highway East Guyong safety upgrade. | 105Mb | |
| May 2020 REF Mitchell Highway Guyong overtaking lane and safety upgrade. | 1.69Mb |
Media releases
| File | Title | Size |
|---|---|---|
| December 2022 Night-time repairs for the Mitchell Highway between Bathurst and Orange | 0 | |
| July 2021 Reduced speed limit along Mitchell Highway near Thompson Road in Orange | 25.1Kb | |
| February 2021 Work continues for a safer Mitchell Highway at East Guyong | 25.5Kb |