Mitchell's Pass Bypass

[Adrian Biankin]

Since the current news of Mitchell's Pass starting to fail (and the "freeze" of the Blackheath to Hartley Tunnel), heres my proposal of a bypass to the current alignment. Follows the current alignment, with easier grades (better for heavy vehicles). 

Commences at the foot of Victoria's Pass, ending at the top of the mountain.

[AlienChex]

I’d rather they just build the tunnel, get a full divided road out of the way and get it done. Now is the perfect chance with the road irreparable and closed. Of course that won’t get done.

I see Chifley/Darling being the main route to Sydney for some time given the extent of the damages. This idea is good but they really need to just bite the bullet and replace the bridge with a new four lane bridge, making the entire ascent four lanes (2 each way) from the Little Hartley section to Mt Vic.

In the interim, something should be done about the B59 through Lithgow. This route should definitely be rerouted to a bypass route to get BLOR traffic out of the town centre. 

[Michael Faria]

The red route is too steep. There's a 160 m height difference from end to end and the existing route already has an average grade of 8%. The existing big curve at the western end is a deviation (1930s I think) to ease the grade.

I agree that the tunnel is needed. Hopefully they can get the causeway fixed without destroying it. If Victoria Pass will be closed for a while then traffic flow at Mount Victoria township could be improved by directing Sydney-bound traffic along Harley Avenue, traffic flow in Lithgow could be improved by making a one-way pair of Main and Mort Streets.

[Nihat]

tunnel is needed but the federal government cancelled projects for budgetary reasons and hard chance any of those projects will come back up for consideration, this closure may push it up the priority list. the blue mountains/sydney has been wrecked with extreme weather events, the jenolan caves rd is still closed. it will be interesting to see what happens here, a testimony to the workers back then that this bridge has lasted this long.

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[Michael Faria]

The tunnel is just so ridiculously expensive. $8B was the figure from before it was put on hold, no doubt a lot more than that if they actually built it now. If it was built though, and the surface road upgraded west of Katoomba, I don't see why it couldn't be made a B-double route.

A major reconstruction of Hartley Pass with a big cutting at the top and joining Darling Causeway south of the existing Hartley Vale Rd intersection could offer a less than 8% average grade.

[Adrian Biankin]

Another alignment, north of Mitchell's Pass could be built. This is a less steep alignment (compared to the red one).

[Michael Faria]

The green route is still very steep. Grade = rise/run so the route needs to be made longer to reduce grade which is why the 1933 deviation at the western end was built. I managed about 7% by reconstructing Berghofers Pass with easier curves, including a bridge over Butlers Creek. My other idea was constructing a spiral at the large peak east of Mitchells Causeway where the tight curve is, so the road could climb the Berghofer route, curve around over itself, gaining 40 or so metres and then using the existing route.

[Dean Sherry]

Perhaps the current two-way highway could become the westbound carriageway. The eastbound carriageway could use part of the lower Berghofers Pass route, and then climb up to the level of the westbound carriageway via a spiral.