Road works to transform Katoomba town centre into a high pedestrian activity area (HPAA) will start on the evening of Monday, February 6.
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To minimise disruption for the community, work will mostly take place at night, between 8pm and 5am, and will begin by raising the pedestrian crossings on Bathurst Street and Parke Street, near the roundabout.
Ahead of the road works, new street lights for the raised crossing on Parke Street will be installed on the evening of Friday, February 3. This follows the removal of the old lights at this location in mid-January.
In total, six separate traffic calming upgrades will be installed along Katoomba Street, Bathurst Road and Parke Street to support a reduced speed limit of 40km/h, making the town centre safer for all road users, particularly pedestrians, cyclists and children.
The work is expected to be completed by the end of March 2023 (weather permitting) and includes:
- Raising four existing pedestrian crossings
- Significantly upgrading the intersection at Parke Street and Waratah Street, and
- Installing a speed hump on Katoomba Street at Davis Lane
- Providing new street lighting at the pedestrian crossing on Parke Street (outside the Family Hotel)
HPAAs are areas of high pedestrian activity near shopping strips, railway stations, bus interchanges and services where the maximum speed limit is 40km/h at all times. The different road environment helps to alert drivers to the lower speed limit and makes them aware of the presence of pedestrians moving about or near the road.
Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill said: "Katoomba town ventre is one of the Blue Mountains' major pedestrian locations. It's a great mix of shops, services, experiences and people and a popular destination for visitors to the Blue Mountains.
"The HPAA upgrades will help to safeguard and grow this vibrant pedestrian environment by improving road safety for everyone.
"Slower vehicle speeds and enhanced pedestrian crossings help people to move about and they're especially important in assisting children, the elderly or those who are less mobile navigate busy roads safely."
Traffic and pedestrian management will be employed throughout the upgrade works, to ensure the safety of everyone. This will include some temporary fencing but this will not restrict access to pathways or local shops.
The upgrades will be completed in sequence and a staging plan, together with more information about the project, is available at bmcc.nsw.gov.au/katoomba-hpaa.
The project is fully funded by the NSW Government as part of the Transport for NSW Safer Roads Program.
