Prospect Road upgrade is only the first step

Published on 10 January 2019

The announcement by the government to upgrade Prospect Highway follows years of lobbying by Blacktown City Council and local residents.

Blacktown City Mayor Stephen Bali MP said Blacktown City has had population growth of some 70,000 residents in the past eight years resulting in a massive increase in traffic congestion.

“Council and residents have been calling for the upgrade to Blacktown Road/Prospect Highway for many years,” Mayor Bali said.

“Since Council began it’s lobbying, wait times to get on the M4 using this bottleneck road have increased from approximately seven minutes to upwards of 30-to-40 minutes in recent times.

Mayor Bali has called for a holistic, fully funded plan for infrastructure improvements for Blacktown City to cater for a population estimated to reach 550,000 by 2036.

“We are anticipating a population greater than Tasmania, yet we have to rely on an election year to have a bottleneck road fixed,” Mayor Bali said. 

“The failure to upgrade the roads has hampered the movement of emergency service vehicles and caused costly traffic delays, not to mention frustration for our residents.

“Now is the time for the Government to plan and fund other major state road bottlenecks in Blacktown City.

“Council has been lobbying for years for priority funding for upgrades to Francis Road, Rooty Hill; Quakers Road and South Street, Schofields; and the Denmark Road link at Riverstone.

“We also need commuter car parks at various stations plus lifts at Doonside.

“We need a government that cares about Blacktown City and not just last minute announcements before the election.”