MEDIA RELEASE
14 December 2009
PLAN AHEAD AND TAKE CARE WHILE DRIVING
ON THE GREAT WESTERN HIGHWAY THIS FESTIVE SEASON
Motorists are being urged to plan ahead, take extra care while driving and ensure vehicles
are in safe condition before travelling on the Great Western Highway this Christmas and
New Year holiday period.
The RTA spokesperson said traffic increases by up to 50 per cent during the busy
Christmas school holidays, especially on major roads like the Great Western Highway.
“We all know the holiday period over Christmas and New Year is a busy time on NSW
roads,” the spokesperson said.
“The Great Western highway is one of Sydney’s oldest and most popular highways. It is
about 200km long and goes from roughly Haberfield in Sydney and travels out to Bathurst.
“Take care, obey the road rules, drive safely and have regular breaks if you are planning to
travel long distances.”
The spokesperson said to ensure the safety of motorists, major road work would be kept to
minimum.
“The Great Western Highway upgrades total around 47kms. There will be no work taking
place on the upgrades over the holiday season but work sites will be at Lawson and
Wentworth Falls. Each of these sites are about 2kms long,” the spokesperson said.
“The continuing upgrade to the Great Western Highway to four lanes between Emu Plains
and Katoomba and to mostly three lanes between Katoomba and Mount Victoria will also
have benefits for people travelling west.
“These work sites will be closed, but motorists still must follow any road signs, including
work site speed limits, for the safety of everyone on the road,” the spokesperson said.
“Traffic delays are expected from Friday 18 December through to Monday 4 January at
several locations along the Pacific Highway including Bulahdelah, Kew, Kempsey,
Macksville, Coffs Harbour and Ballina.
The RTA will have in place a holiday traffic management plan to manage the expected
additional holiday traffic
“Traffic volumes on all major highways are expected to be at their highest on Friday 25,
Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 December.
“Motorists are urged to plan their trips and take a break every two hours, making use of the
more than 1400 rest areas and driver reviver sites across the state,” the spokesperson
said.
There are also a range of road closures and special event clearways associated with
Christmas and preparation for New Year’s Eve as well as removal of festive season
decorations after the events.
The spokesperson said in Sydney there will be a number of events which will impact on
traffic.
“For full details of road closures, safety tips and rest areas are available from the RTA
CONTACT:
RTA Media Unit 8588 5999
NEWS 
