The good news is that the Roads and Maritime Authority is fixing part of the highway at Faulconbridge.
The bad news is it doesn’t appear that it is going to install a median strip.
The section of highway near the Metro Petroleum service station has just been resurfaced.
It is one of only two sections of the highway from Katoomba to Lapstone where the median is delineated only with painted lines, rather than a physical barrier.
Some time ago council asked the RMS to review the area, which was one of the first sections to be widened.
The RMS declined so council carried out its own safety audit. The report warned warned that if no improvements were made to the road between Faulconbridge and Linden, there would be "potential for serious crashes on this section of the highway".
It recommended remedial actions be considered, in particular barriers to prevent illegal U-turns into the service station.
When the Gazette asked if the current work would include a median strip, the RMS responded: “Roads and Maritime Services is reviewing the issues highlighted in Blue Mountains City Council’s road safety audit and background information such as road geometry, adjoining land uses, development applications and reported crash history.
“Any potential improvements will be assessed on a state-wide priority basis for funding consideration and the community will be consulted before any work is carried out.”
Ward 2 Councillor Romola Hollywood said: "It is incredibly frustrating the RMS's current roadworks, between Faulconbridge and Linden, do not take account of the council's road safety audit and will do little to address the major safety issues on this stretch of highway”.
"Our council commissioned the safety audit when RMS said no to our request to do one. Our audit confirmed what our community already knew that this section of highway has a long list of major safety concerns. Eye-witness reports of near-misses on this stretch of highway and the evidence from our audit make a strong case that the RMS needs to take urgent action to keep motorists safe."