Part of the Northern Distributor Road in Orange has been operating under a reduced speed limit since July 2024 due to concerns over the poor state of the road’s surface.
Now, the first stage of work to restore the section between Icely Road and the Mitchell Highway on the eastern side of Orange to a State Road standard and 80 km/h speed limit for all vehicles will get under way next week.
As part of its planning for repairs to the road, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) carried out testing for Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) at the site in February and, following confirmation of the existence of NOA, designs for repairs have been finalised.
TfNSW Director West Maintenance and Delivery Craig Matthews said the first stage of work, to start on Wednesday April 9, will see crews lay 100mm of new asphalt on all travel lanes and spray seal on the road shoulders.
“The confirmed existence of Naturally Occurring Asbestos in the area means there can be no large-scale excavation as part of our repairs for this section of the Northern Distributor Road so crews need to work within those important safety parameters,” Matthews said.
“Instead, we have settled on a staged repair process that will see crews slowly build up the road surface and fill potholes and rough areas with a number of layers of asphalt over the existing surface.
“The first new layer of 100mm of asphalt will be paved over 15 night shifts across three weeks from Wednesday 9 April to ensure the first improvements for the road surface are in place before the worst of the winter weather hits.
“Crews will then return later in the year, once the weather starts warming up again, to continue and complete the process with several thicker layers of asphalt along the 2.8-kilometre section of road.”
All work will be done at night under traffic control to limit the impact on road users.
Work hours will be 7pm to 6am with changed traffic conditions including a reduced speed limit, single lane closures and stop-slow conditions in place for all road users.
“We appreciate there will be some inconvenience for motorists travelling on the Northern Distributor Road overnight but we also know that regular users of the road have been desperately wanting to see this work get started,” Matthews said.
“Motorists will see some improvement to the road surface once the first layer of asphalt is paved but a single layer will not rebuild the Northern Distributor Road to the required standard.
“We’re confident that while this staggered approach to the repairs will take a little longer, it will ultimately deliver the best possible outcome for motorists in Orange and across the Central West.”
The Northern Distributor Road became a State Road in March 2023 when responsibility and care for the road was transferred from Orange City Council.