| Bells Line of Road | |
| Length | 89 km (55 mi) |
| Direction | West-East |
| From | Great Western Highway, Lithgow, New South Wales |
| via | Clarence, Dargan, Bell, Mount Tomah, Berambing, Bilpin, Kurrajong Heights, Kurmond, Richmond |
| To | Putty Road / Metroad 9, Windsor, New South Wales |
The Bells Line of Road (State Route 40) is a major road in New South Wales and runs from North Richmond on the North-Western outskirts of Sydney to Bell in the Blue Mountains, where it becomes Chifley Road.
The route, part of the traditional aboriginal pathway network, was shown to Archibald Bell, Jr. by Darug men Emery and Cogy in 1823. They were accompanied by assistant government surveyor Robert Hoddle and the route they marked was known as Bells Line, to be later cleared to become the second road across the Mountains. It was rarely used until World War II. The road was improved between 1939 and 1949 as it was seen by the government as being an alternative to the Great Western Highway and could be used for war efforts.
Today, the route is still used as an alternate route across the Blue Mountains and is also a popular tourist drive.
Contents |
In November 2007, the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) announced plans to lower the speed limits along much of Bells Line of Road. Within a week, sufficient opposition was expressed that the changes were put on hold.[1] In October 2008, the same changes were again announced, with the RTA claiming that there had been community consultation, but numerous users of the road, including politicians and councillors based west of the Blue Mountains, claimed to have been unaware of any consultation.[2][3] As a result of the changes, the maximum speed limit east of Bell is now 80 km/h.
For many years road lobby groups have been pushing for what they call a "superhighway" across the Blue Mountains. They claim that the poor roads leading to the Central West of New South Wales are impeding growth. For many years the Great Western Highway was the preferred route, but after studies found that a freeway would be too expensive to build along this route the idea was abandoned.
In 2002, road lobby groups secured $2 million in funding for a feasibility study into building a freeway following the Bells Line of Road. The proposed freeway would have linked to the M2 in Sydney and dropped into the Central West via Newnes Plateau. The study report, published in November 2004 concluded that, while feasible to build from an engineering perspective, it would not be economically feasible and would have massive impact on adjacent National Parks and local communities.[4]
The next trafficable road north of Bells Line of Road that crosses the Blue Mountains is the Bylong Valley Way, which forms a more direct route between the Central West region and the Hunter Region including the port of Newcastle.