The speed limit on Eugowra Road leaving Parkes will be reduced to create a safer environment for all road users. Transport for NSW conducted a speed zone review of an 80 km/h section of Eugowra Road following a request from Parkes Shire Council over concerns about increasing roadside development, property access and traffic.

Transport for NSW Regional Director West Alistair Lunn said the review assessed a number of factors including location, crash his­tory, road environment, the number of access points, road usage, traffic mix and traffic volumes. “Eugowra Road is a regional road which joins the Henry Parkes Way at Parkes to The Escort Way just outside Eugowra, and one that has seen a significant amount of de­velopment within the 80 km/h section in recent years,” Mr Lunn said.

“The review area includes more than 20 regularly used access points and also a causeway, about three metres deep, that obscures visibility of a nearby intersection for several seconds and poses a hazard for drivers.

“There are also a number of roadside trees standing within the 5.5 metre clear zone recommended for an 80 km/h section of road and soccer fields and a racecourse that attract large numbers of roadside parking and pedestrian activity when in use.”As a result of the speed zone review, the entire 80 km/h section of Eugowra Road (1915 metres) will be reduced to 70 km/h, extending for 235 metres into the existing 100 km/h zone.

The new speed limit came into effect on Thursday the 12th of September and there will be new signage installed to advise both motorists and pedestrians of the changes.

A major construction blitz starting today (13th September) will see the Inland Rail project push forward with day-and-night works on the section between Stockinbin­gal and Parkes.

The 100-hour track possession will close the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) line from Forbes to Goobang Junc­tion from 6am on Saturday 14 September to 10am Wednesday 18 September.

The track closure opportunity will permit rail infrastructure contractor Martinus Rail to carry out works on several sites across the Stockinbingal to Parkes section to prepare the line for future double-stacked freight trains.

Some out-of-hours works related to the track possession will start earlier, at 6pm on Friday 13 September, finishing at 7am on Thursday 19 September.

At Daroobalgie, north of Forbes, new turnouts will be installed at the new cross­ing loop, preparations for which include earthworks, drainage and ballast installa­tion.

At Wyndham Avenue, Forbes the exist­ing track under the road bridge will be low­ered by 1.5 metres and new stormwater drainage installed.

At Forbes Station the track will be slewed laterally half a metre and the station awn­ing trimmed back 300mm, while scaffold­ing will be installed on the Lachlan River Bridge ahead of bridge modifications that will take place after the possession.

Due to the nature of the work at the La­chlan River Bridge, a 30-metre exclusion zone will be enforced, and environmental controls installed to protect the waterway and riverbanks.

Since July last year:

• Inland Rail has spent more than $6.5 million with 85 local businesses on the project between Albury and Parkes.

• On the same section, Inland Rail has employed a total of 404 people.

• 127 of the total are local residents, and 36 of the total are women.

• 39 of the total are First Nations people.

• Of the 127 local residents, 24 are First Nations people.

James Kennedy, Delivery Director, Albury to Parkes (A2P), Inland Rail, said “The September 100-hour possession gives us an opportunity to make great strides for­ward on the Stockinbingal to Parkes sec­tion of Inland Rail.

“We are committed to delivering Inland Rail South of Parkes by 2027 and this pos­session gives us the opportunity to safely complete a significant amount of scope as we work towards this goal.

“We are thankful for the cooperation and understanding of the communities in which we are working, and we would like to ac­knowledge the residents, business owners and road users for their patience during this period.”

Treaven Martinus, Martinus Rail CEO and founder, said “We are honoured to play such a pivotal role in the Inland Rail project, a cornerstone of Australia’s future regional infrastructure.

“This super possession represents a key opportunity for us to apply our expertise in complex brownfield railway works. Across multiple locations, our plant and equipment will be hard at work, excavating for track lowering, installing drainage lines and re­constructing track formations.

“We’re committed to driving progress ef­ficiently and safely as we work to deliver this transformative rail link.”