Camden Bypass / Liz Kernohan Drive intersection

[Andrew Ison]

This opened to traffic today, providing direct access to the new residential estates in Elderslie and Spring Farm. A large section of Liz Kernohan Drive was also opened too, between Lodges and Richardson Roads. Ultimately, it will be a key east/west route between Camden Valley Way at Kirkham (Kirkham Lane intersection) and Menangle Road at Menangle Park / Gilead (likely to use the existing Glenlee Road /M31 overpass).

What was a free flowing section will now be slightly disrupted with this at-grade intersection. However, one redeeming factor is that the 100km/h speed limit still applies between this intersection and Narellan Road. There were rumours that the whole of the bypass would be reduced to 80km/h.

I'll see if I can take some pics sometime before the end of the week.

[Sam Laybutt]

Thanks for the update Andrew - looking forward to seeing some photos. Does/will the intersection have direction signs?

Do you know what the timeframe is for the east-west link through to Menangle Road?

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Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 05:19:16 -0700
From: andrew...@gmail.com
To: aussie-...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Aussie Highways] Camden Bypass / Liz Kernohan Drive intersection

[Paul Rands]

Can't say I am a fan of adding more at-grade junctions along there, it was already way too easy misjudge the traffic flow when entering the bypass from Macarthur Rd.

 

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Paul Rands
li...@paulrands.com

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[Andrew Ison]

Pics here: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=116718667&postcount=1917

No intersection signage. It might happen later on maybe when the Elderslie and Spring Farm village centres take shape, but then again there is no signage on Narellan Road for Mt Annan and Smeaton Grange at the Waterworth Drive / Hartley Road intersection either, so in my mind at least it is maintaining a trend.

From what I heard a few years ago, it was initially planned to have it as a grade separated interchange to maintain the integrity of the road (for want of a better term), but the costs were prohibitive. Actually, further up the road there are what appears to be reservations around the Richardson Road overpass, which suggested that there was perhaps an intention at a time after the bypass opened to have on/off ramps there, perhaps when the Narellan Release Area (i.e. Mount Annan / Narellan Vale / Currans Hill) reached a certain critical mass.

As for the time frame through to Menangle Road, I'm not sure, but the Glenlee employment land precinct (to the south east of Spring Farm) as well as large new proposed residential subdivisions adjoining the Menangle and Menangle Park villages may have contingencies as to when this connection was to open, in terms of when it reaches a certain number of registered lots, as was the case for this intersection (600 for Elderslie and 900 for Spring Farm, from memory).

[Brendan Terrett]

No noise walls? I predict in about 10 years the residents will be complaining that this noisy road was built next to their homes and will be writing angry letters petitioning for noise walls.

[Andrew Ison]

They're "quiet houses" - i.e. they act as a noise wall for the dwellings further in. They are generally typified by dwellings that are 2 storeys and minimal building separation to maximise bulk and scale, and are also insulated by double glazed windows and other noise insulating materials.

With that photo looking south towards Macarthur Bridge, another reason for there being no noise wall is because it is a defined view corridor looking from the highest parts of Spring Farm to the south west towards Camden (and in particular St Johns Church), but also further west as far as the Blue Mountains (you can just make it out in the far background). There was initially plans to have properties in that part backing on to the bypass, but the recommendation from the noise study for that particular subdivision had something like a 5-6m high wall from memory, which was going to obscure the corridor, but also wouldn't look good.

That said, there are still noise walls in the other sections that are not within protected view corridors.  

[Nihat]

Thanks for the info Andrew. Obviously when your driving those noise walls no matter how decorated don't look good and you feel like driving through a tunnel, not good for the visual amenity. Not to mention the graffiti they attract. Much prefer the "at house treatments."

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[Paul Rands]

How thoroughly disappointing. We should be making more grade-separated routes, not less. If anything the developer and the residents buying into this estate should've been billed to grade-separate the junction. If the developer protested, then I guess they suddenly find themselves without land to develop.

I am sick of transport being bent over and rammed by developmental interests. Same thing happened with the rapid transitway and bus interchange when Westfield redeveloped Belconnen Mall in Canberra. Now we have 2 separate bus interchanges, most of which is not undercover properly and major bus congestion in the town centre. Not to mention the old busway that was meant to be part of the project and originally planned to run to Charnwood sits unused and the reservation between Florey and Charnwood is not being used either.

Paul Rands
li...@paulrands.com