In recent months there has been a lot of talk about the build-up of traffic on the Great Western Highway and how to improve the road.
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Why not talk about building another road?
The present highway has reached its capacity; a tunnel will only relieve the problem for a short distance the rest of the highway has been or will be built out.
No proper highway has school signs and pedestrian crossings in profusion.
I believe it was about 10 years ago a committee led by a then-prominent politician suggested the route for a new road coming from about Riverstone west of Sydney through the Grose Valley coming out around Lithgow, this at the time was received with shock horror.
Let's talk about it again.
The present road is costing us millions in delays and restricted weight limits - let's build a road for today's transport needs.
Their argument was the road not only served a large portion of NSW, but it was an inland route from the west of Australia.
The present highway was vulnerable in the time of war, the Penrith bridge could easily be destroyed by ground forces.
They brought forward the case of the Bells Line of Road and the Putty Road, both upgraded during the second World War, for secondary routes in case of damage to the only exits to the north and west of Sydney.
Now is the time to make sure the roads from Lithgow west and northwest can handle future traffic.
