After the closure of the ‘Dust Bowl’ on the Hume Highway at Menangle, NSW, almost a year ago, work has this week begun on a new replacement rest area for truckies.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has now revealed that construction is underway on a new oversize, overmass and heavy vehicle rest area, located along the northbound section of the Hume Motorway in Menangle, opposite the Partridge VC Rest Area.
“We have committed to hard-working truck drivers that rest facilities and options in and around Sydney will improve,” said Minister for Roads, John Graham.
“By replacing the informal Dust Bowl rest area, we are delivering a safer area for truckies to stop, park, and stage their long journeys.”
The site is expected to be completed by the end of June 2025, weather permitting.
According to TfNSW, the new rest area will feature enhanced safety measures compared to the previous site, including dedicated acceleration and deceleration lanes.
The Moolgun Creek stopping area will continue to stay operational during this time for our OSOM drivers.
During the months of January to March, standard work hours will be between 7am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. There will be an 80km/h speed limit through the Hume Motorway construction zone during standard work times – or a 40km/h speed limit while work is being carried out near live traffic and/or during night work.
To safely install concrete barriers and undertake line marking, there will be lane closures on the northbound lanes at different times. A 3-kilometre contraflow will be in place to enable the closure of one lane each night with traffic control managing traffic in both directions.
Graham continued, “This is one of many projects Transport is undertaking to enhance heavy vehicle facilities across Western Sydney, including our commitment to deliver a new western Sydney rest stop.
“We’ve listened to the industry feedback and we’re currently in the process of evaluating six different areas to find a suitable site for the new rest stop.”