April 2021 Expect travel delays on Great Western and in the Blue Mountains until Sunday 18 April.

Motorists are advised that significant delays are expected in the Blue Mountains during the school holiday period, particularly on weekends. Traffic using the on the 2021 Easter long weekend experienced delays in excess of two hours, and further significant delays were experienced on the weekend of 10-11 April. Motorists are encouraged to plan their trip outside of the peak hours of 11am-7pm, use public transport or consider alternate routes. Using alternate routes Motorists travelling between and the Central West can consider using the Highway via and Yass, or the via or , particularly if travelling on weekends. However customers should also allow extra travel time on these routes due to holiday traffic.

Alternate routes to The Great Western Highway and Bells Line of Road

Using public transport Travellers are urged to use public transport to travel into or out of the Blue Mountains. Travellers going to regional NSW are also encouraged to use public transport if possible. For information on booking travel to regional centres, go to https://transportnsw.info/regional-bookings/ or call 13 22 32. Bells Line of Road Bells Line of Road is open with one section near the Botanical gardens reduced to single lane. Traffic control and a reduced speed limit of 40km/h are still in place. Specialist teams are planning works required to open this section to two lanes of traffic.

1 Traffic management at Mt A traffic management system will be on standby on key dates during the holidays – Saturday 17 April and Sunday 18 April – for the steep slope of Victoria Pass to help ease congestion. If queues begin to extend down Victoria Pass, traffic will be held at the bottom of the Pass until there is enough clear road to allow vehicles to travel freely to the top of the incline without stopping. This will help eastbound motorists to negotiate Victoria Pass more easily, improving road safety and reducing the risk of break downs.

The Great Western Highway at Victoria Pass

On the 2020 June long weekend more than 30 vehicles broke down or overheated on Victoria Pass. This traffic management plan was implemented in October 2020 and reduced queue lengths, improved travel times and no vehicles breaking down. Changed traffic conditions Transport for NSW will monitor traffic and stop vehicles at the bottom of Victoria Pass if queuing at Blackheath reaches Victoria Pass, to allow the steep roadway to clear. Traffic control will be in place on the Bells Line of Road, with single lane access and reduced speed limits. Transport for NSW will monitor traffic flow, provide real time traffic information and attend to incidents. Motorists are advised to drive to the conditions, allow extra time and follow the direction of signs and traffic control. Transport for NSW thanks motorists for their patience during this time. Plan your trip and for the latest traffic updates, you can call 132 701, visit livetraffic.com or download the Live Traffic NSW App. Contact If you have any questions, please contact Transport for NSW on 1800 953 777 or email [email protected]. Thank you for your patience during this time.

If you need help understanding this information, please contact the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call 1800 953 777.

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