Macarthur region population boom puts pressure on our roads

NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey has acknowledged the frustration of drivers on Narellan Rd but said she believed the State Government was on the right track to deliver the infrastructure to cope with our region’s booming population.

The daily bumper-to-bumper traffic on Narellan Rd, which is one of the busiest and most congested roads in the Macarthur region.

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NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey has acknowledged the frustration of Macarthur area drivers on Narellan Rd but said she believed the State Government was on the right track to deliver the infrastructure to cope with the region’s booming population.

As reported in the Macarthur Chronicle, the region’s population is tipped to boom above 600,000 by 2037.

“I know the community feels frustrated by the length of time taken but we are going as fast as we can,’’ Ms Pavey said of the four-year Narellan Rd upgrade.

Ms Pavey confirmed the Narellan Rd widening, which started in July 2014, would be completed by June next year.

Click on the markers above to find out more about each road project

She said the $114 million and 6.8km upgrade had to be done at night because it would cause too much disruption to peak-hour traffic during the day.

“People need good connectivity around Sydney and the Macarthur area is a vital part of the Sydney network,’’ she said.

Ms Pavey also said the proposed Spring Farm Parkway — an east-west link between Spring Farm, Menangle, the Hume Highway and Appin — was a key piece of road in the ­Macarthur area.

She said the State Government was doing its ­homework to define the Spring Farm link road’s alignment, design and costings and an announcement on the project would be made soon.

“It’s a really important key piece of road and it’s what needs to happen,’’ she said. “Appin and Picton roads are also in our sights to improve safety and ­connectivity.’’

NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey (right, pictured with Premier Gladys Berejiklian) said the Macarthur area was a vital part of the Sydney road network.

She said the State Government was working with the Federal Government on the widening of Appin Rd and an update would be announced shortly.

The Federal Government has already committed $50 million to the Campbelltown to Appin part of the project following a Macarthur Chronicle campaign.

“We are addressing the dual challenge of providing roads for the future but also playing catch-up about what was not done in the past,’’ Ms Pavey said.

She also said the 5km Gregory Hills Drive extension between Gregory Hills and Campbelltown, being funded and built by Gregory Hills developer Dartwest, was a modern way of funding ­projects and would be a big part of future road projects in Sydney.

She said the State ­Government was also ­monitoring traffic movements on the Hume Highway, which was now a dual carriageway, and on and off ramps at Menangle could be looked at in the future.

Construction work at a roundabout joining Eagle Vale Drive and Badgally Rd. This is where Gregory Hills Drive will meet Eagle Vale Drive.

In response to a question from Joe Garai on the Macarthur Chronicle Facebook page that flyovers instead of traffic lights would improve traffic on Narellan Rd, Ms Pavey said: “I hear people’s frustration but we need a measured approach using the right data to come up with the best solution.’’

She also took the opportunity to defend tolls on roads including the WestConnex because she said toll roads allowed the government to spend more money on roads like Narellan Rd and Appin Rd.

Campbelltown state Labor MP Greg Warren said the provision of road infrastructure in the Macarthur region was four times behind the pace of population growth.

“The focus on Narellan Rd has delivered nothing more than the most congested road in the state,’’ he said.

The proposed Spring Farm Parkway will ease congestion on Menangle Rd.

Mr Warren, who is also on the state roads and infrastructure committee, said in the short term the region needed a south access to the Hume Highway in the form of the proposed Spring Farm Parkway to link Spring Farm to Menangle and Appin.

He also wanted more commuter car parking at Campbelltown and Macarthur, Raby and Badgally roads upgrades to reduce traffic on Eagle Vale Drive, and an a Raby Rd exit off the F5.

In the longer term he said the region needed an M9 ­orbital road to connect the Macarthur with Sydney’s northwest and a heavy rail extension of the southwest rail link to connect Campbelltown to the Badgerys Creek Airport and Maldon Dombarton rail.

Camden state Liberal MP Chris Patterson said the State Government was spending record amounts on roads since 2011 and he was the first to acknowledge the need to keep up with growth in the region so it does not fall behind the eight-ball.

“Spring Farm Parkway is a necessity, Narellan Rd is going gangbusters and ­projects like the Gregory Hills Drive are opening up,’’ Mr Patterson said.

“We just need to make sure that money keeps ­coming into the Macarthur region.’’

Spring Farm resident Craig George said Narellan Rd was so congested that he avoided it of an afternoon and chose to drive home on Menangle Rd instead.

CONGESTION A LESSON IN FRUSTRATION

SPRING Farm dad-of-two Craig George has rated traffic congestion on the Macarthur area’s roads as three to four times worse than it was nine years ago when he moved to the suburb.

The baker, 39, who works at Woolworths at Macarthur Square, drives to work on Narellan Rd each morning and has branded the trip a nightmare and a frustration.

“When I leave home at 5.30am to start work at 6am, Narellan Rd flows along but when I start at 8am, I sit and crawl along in the traffic,” Mr George said.

“It can take 20 minutes to drive between Tramway Drive and Hartley Rd (near Currans Hill).

“Narellan Rd should have been widened to four lanes each way.”

He said traffic congestion on Narellan Rd was so bad of an afternoon he avoids it and drives home via Menangle Rd instead.

However, he said other drivers had also cottoned on to this and there was now much more peak-hour congestion on Menangle Rd.

The Northern Rd is being upgraded between Peter Brock Drive and between Peter Brock Drive and Mersey Rd as part of the $3.6 million Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan.

When Mr George worked in Riverwood, he said it took him less time, about 35 minutes, to drive home to Spring Farm than it took his wife Ellen to drive home from her marketing job at Leumeah.

“They are quick to put more houses in but the infrastructure is 10 years behind,” he said.

Mr George said he was heartened to hear investigation work had started on the proposed Spring Farm Parkway to take pressure off Narellan Rd.

Meanwhile, resident Paul Byers posted a video on the Macarthur Chronicle Facebook page asking why traffic on Narellan Rd in the vicinity of Kenny’s Hill near the freeway overpass was reduced to two lanes.

He said the two lanes caused traffic to bank up 3km or more in the afternoon peak hour.

A spokesman for NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said the Kenny Hill section of Narellan Rd would be widened to three lanes.

Resident John Plested (pictured near a memorial on Appin Rd) joined our campaign calling for the notorious road to be upgraded.

EDITOR’S COMMENT: OUR ROADS ARE A HUGE PRIORITY

ENSURING the Macarthur region’s struggling road network is upgraded to meet the needs of our booming population is one of the biggest challenges facing both current and future governments.

With more than 600,000 people calling our region home within 20 years, and with Camden’s population skyrocketing by 156 per cent by 2037, the pressure on our roads will be immense.

Planning needed to have started years ago to cope with the influx of people and their vehicles.

When we asked ­Macarthur Chronicle Facebook readers what questions they would like us to put to State Roads Minister Melinda Pavey ahead of our interview with her on Friday, they didn’t hold back.

Apart from pleas to “finish Narellan Rd”, they raised Appin Rd, the Spring Farm link road, Badgally Rd and the bridge into Campbelltown, Camden Valley Way (widen it) and Hume Motorway access south of Campbelltown as other essential projects.

To her credit, Ms Davey listened to the comments and wanted to let the community know the government was well aware of the issues and working to resolve them.

There is no way our roads will cope (they are not coping now) with the influx of people, without major upgrades.

If we cannot get around easily, our quality of life will be stuffed. And, of course, we need rail urgently in the Camden growth corridor.

So much work to be done.

Macarthur Chronicle editor, Mandy Perrin

Traffic banks up on Narellan Rd between Smeaton Grange and Mt Annan.

KEY UPDATES:

1 On and off ramps on Hume Highway, Menangle, and widening of highway

For growth in southern suburbs. Discussion at this stage.

2 Northern Rd

11.5m upgrade between Peter Brock Drive and Mersey Rd to be completed by 2020.

3 Spring Farm Parkway

Investigation work being carried out to redefine design. Road set for completion in early 2020s.

4 Camden Valley Way

Upgrade completed in 2015. No future upgrades planned.

5 Appin Rd

Investigation work, between Mt Gilead and Ambarvale, to end on October 20. No work start date.

6 Narellan Rd

To be complete by June 2018.

7 Picton Rd

Picton and Menangle roads intersection upgrade started yesterday.

8 Badgally Rd

Widening to accommodate extra traffic from Gregory Hills Drive. Discussion at this stage.

9 Gregory Hills Drive

$45 million road opens in weeks.