• Preliminary electrical works contract: Ausconnex, July 2019
• Main contract award: Daracon, October 2020
• Project cost: $224 million.

The key benefits to the community include:

• Increasing road capacity to cater for traffic growth
• Improving safety for motorists through the installation of traffic lights and a central median to separate traffic travelling in opposing directions
• Improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians by providing off-road shared paths
• Improving travel times between Blacktown and Castle Hill
• Improving access and travel times for road freight
• Improving bus accessibility at traffic lights
• Improved street lighting and landscaping
• Facilitating the development of the Balmoral Road release area precinct.

• Upgrading Memorial Avenue from a two lane to a four lane divided road with a central median
• Introducing a speed limit of 80km/h
• Providing a wide central median to allow for future widening to six lanes, when required in the future
• Providing landscaping in the median
• Constructing pedestrian/cyclist path on both sides of Memorial Avenue
• Installing bus priority capability at traffic lights and indented bus bays at Arnold Avenue and Severn Vale Drive intersections
• Providing designated turning lanes and bicycle lanes at intersections with traffic lights.

The Review of Environmental Factors for this proposal was displayed for community comment in November and December 2014 at The Hills Shire Council and Castle Hill Library. Transport for NSW also hosted two community information sessions in November 2014. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to review the documents and provide feedback.

We received 44 submissions and overall there was general support for the upgrade. Community feedback included comments on traffic congestion, local traffic access and public transport in the area. Comments on environmental factors included noise and the relevant mitigation measures. We have considered the community’s feedback, prepared a Submissions Report in response to the feedback and obtained planning approval for the project.

Please view or download the Submissions Report (PDF, 5.41Mb).

The early work program of the Memorial Avenue upgrade is now complete. It involves moving utilities in preparation for the major construction for this major project. This essential work helps to reduce the length of time for major construction.

Early work started in July 2019 and included road and soil investigations. Part of the early work involves moving overhead electrical cables underground. To do this, contractors have been busy digging trenches, laying conduits that will house the new underground cables and removing poles that are no longer required.

A number of power poles will remain during construction to power street lights on Memorial Avenue and nearby streets. You will see these relocated progressively as we move through stages of the major work later this year.

Daracon have now been appointed to deliver the Memorial Avenue upgrade with work scheduled to start late 2020. As part of the preliminary work for this stage of the project, Daracon will be setting up a site office and commencing construction activities. The community will be kept notified of works as they progress.