Bylong Valley Way

New South Wales
Direction sign off Golden Highway at Sandy Hollow
Bylong Valley Way is located in New South Wales
Northeast end
Northeast end
Southwest end
Southwest end
Coordinates
General information
TypeRural road
Length138.3 km (86 mi)[1]
GazettedAugust 1928[2]
Major junctions
Northeast end Golden Highway
Sandy Hollow, New South Wales
 Wollar Road
Southwest end Castlereagh Highway
Ilford, New South Wales
Location(s)
Major settlementsBaerami, Bylong, Rylstone, Kandos

Bylong Valley Way is a New South Wales regional road linking Golden Highway near Sandy Hollow to Castlereagh Highway near Ilford. It is named after the Bylong Valley, through which the road passes.

Route

Bylong Valley Way commences at the intersection with Golden Highway just south of Sandy Hollow and heads in a westerly direction, crossing the Goulburn River nearly immediately and then generally follows it along its southern bank through Baerami and Goulburn River National Park to Bylong, where it meets Wollar Road, and turns in a southerly direction and travels through Rylstone and Kandos until it eventually terminates at an intersection with Castlereagh Highway just north of Ilford.

In conjunction with the Bathurst-Ilford Road to Bathurst, this route provides a leisurely alternative to going through Sydney to travel between the Hunter Region and Central Tablelands.

History

The passing of the Main Roads Act of 1924[3] through the Parliament of New South Wales provided for the declaration of Main Roads, roads partially funded by the State government through the Main Roads Board (later the Department of Main Roads, and eventually Transport for NSW). Main Road No. 208 was declared from Sandy Hollow to Bylong (and continuing west via Wollar to Mudgee, and east via Wybong to the intersection with Great Northern Highway, today New England Highway, at Muswellbrook),[2] and Main Road No. 215 was declared from Bylong via Rylstone to Ilford,[2] on the same day, 8 August 1928. With the passing of the Main Roads (Amendment) Act of 1929[4] to provide for additional declarations of State Highways and Trunk Roads, these were amended to Main Roads 208 and 215 on 8 April 1929. The eastern end of Main Road 208 was later truncated from Muswellbrook to Sandy Hollow on 22 November 1996.[5]

The passing of the Roads Act of 1993[6] updated road classifications and the way they could be declared within New South Wales. Under this act, Bylong Valley Way retains its declaration as Main Road 215 (from Bylong to Ilford), and part of Main Road 208 (Sandy Hollow to Bylong).[7]

Sealing

Bylong Valley Way near Coxs Gap and railway line, looking west towards gravel road surface

Bylong Valley Way was not fully sealed in the Mid-Western Regional Council area until February 2009. Sealing of the road had been a political issue for decades. At the beginning of 2007, there were four sections of unsealed road totalling 32 kilometres. Two sections were between Coxs Gap and Bylong with only 850 metres of sealed road between them. The other two were south of Bylong on the way towards Rylstone, where two kilometres had been sealed a few years earlier, converting one long unsealed section to two shorter ones.

On 13 December 2006, The federal government announced A$2 million of AusLink funding towards the $4.1 million cost of completion of sealing of the Bylong Valley Way.[8] Under the announced funding arrangement, the Roads & Traffic Authority contributed $900,000 and the Mid-Western Regional Council was to contribute the remaining $1.2 million.[9] The overall cost slightly exceed the budgeted $4.1 million, with the council having to cover the overrun.[10]

The sealing work was carried out by Mid-Western Regional Council and was completed in three stages:[11]

Stage One

  • March 2007 to June 2007
  • Sealing of two sections totalling six kilometres south of Bylong
  • Widening a total of nine kilometres of remaining unsealed road in preparation for sealing in the later stages

Stage Two

  • July 2007 to June 2008
  • Sealing of two remaining unsealed sections south of Bylong totalling 12.42 kilometres
  • Sealing of one section one kilometre long adjacent to existing sealed section east of Bylong
  • Preparatory works for stage three[12]

Stage Three

  • July 2008 to March 2009
  • Completion of sealing, consisting of two sections east of Bylong totalling 12.6 kilometres

National Park access

Phipps Cutting picnic area

Access to the Wollemi National Park and Goulburn River National Park is available at various points along the road between the Golden Highway and Bylong. Over Coxs Gap, the Bylong Valley Way is flanked by the two national parks. Camping areas are available in the Wollemi National Park on the western side of Coxs Gap, and the Phipps Cutting picnic area between Baerami and Widden Creek provides an entry point for hiking in the Wollemi National Park.

Tourism

Following completion of sealing of the road, the Muswellbrook Chamber of Commerce and Industry created a web site (no longer available by 2020) for the road, to promote it as a tourist route.[13]

The section of Bylong Valley Way east of Bylong is also part of two separately-promoted tourist routes.

A self-drive tour loop route originating in Sandy Hollow, promoted as Upper Hunter Tourist Drive number 4, uses this section of road to travel west, then turns north on other local roads to rejoin Golden Highway.[14] The Phipps Cutting picnic area is shown as a rest area on that route.

The Tablelands Way tourist route between Canberra and Muswellbrook uses this section of Bylong Valley Way as part of the route between Mudgee and Muswellbrook.[15]

Bridges

Kirk's Bridge at Baerami after new concrete sections were completed, November 2007

Muswellbrook Shire Council

The dilapidated timber sections of Kirks Bridge, crossing Baerami Creek at Baerami were demolished and were planned to be replaced with new concrete sections by 31 August 2007.[16] Unfortunately, flooding during the 2007 New South Wales storms delayed the work by around a month. The bridge had previously been partially rebuilt, with both buttresses and two spans at one end having been reconstructed in concrete.[17]

Muswellbrook Shire Council maintained a temporary deviation on private property for several years to allow access during bridgework and for heavy vehicles. After the bridge was reopened, that deviation was removed and the land returned to its owner.

The single-lane timber bridge over Widden Creek has also been replaced. Muswellbrook Shire Council had committed to spend $480,000 by 30 June 2007 to Manage the investigation, design and construction works[18] but the discovery of a serious problem on Kirks Bridge saw that money diverted to the more urgent project. Muswellbrook Shire Council subsequently replaced the Widden Creek bridge between January and June 2009 at a cost of approximately A$910,000.[19]

Once the Widden Creek bridge was replaced, the 38 tonne load limit was lifted, allowing heavy vehicles to again use this route.

Mid-Western Regional Council

Mid-Western Regional council plan to replace the single lane Carwell Bridge between Kandos and Ilford between mid-2009 and mid-2010.[20]

Railway

Rail bridge carrying Ulan line over Bylong Valley Way near Coxs Gap

The Sandy Hollow-Gulgong railway line and part of the Merriwa railway line, which form the Australian Rail Track Corporation's Ulan line between Muswellbrook and Gulgong, follow the same valleys as the Bylong Valley Way from near the Golden Highway to near Bylong, where the railway line continues west as the road turns south.

The Ulan line crosses the road three times, twice at level crossings and once on a bridge over the road. One level crossing is close to Golden Highway while the other is close to Bylong. The railway bridge is on the western side of Coxs Gap, between the level crossings.

The Gwabegar railway line crosses the road on at a level crossing the northern side of Rylstone. All three of the level crossings have flashing warning lights but not boom gates.

Major intersections

LGALocationkm[1]miDestinationsNotes
MuswellbrookSandy Hollow00.0 Golden Highway (B84) – Merriwa, DenmanNortheastern terminus of road
0.50.31Sandy Hollow–Gulgong railway line
Goulburn River0.850.53Bridge over river (no known name)
MuswellbrookBaerami8.05.0Yarrawa Road – Denman
Baerami Creek13.98.6Kirks Bridge
Widden Brook26.216.3Bridge over river (no known name)
Mid-WesternBylong59.637.0Sandy Hollow-Gulgong railway line
59.637.0Wollar Road – Wollar, Ulan
Rylstone109.167.8Lue Road – Lue, Mudgee
112.670.0Gwabegar railway line
114.371.0Fitzgerald Street, to Glen Alice Road – Glen Alice, Capertee
Kandos120.574.9Cooper Drive – ClandullaT junction
Ilford138.385.9 Castlereagh Highway (B55) – Mudgee, MarrangarooSouthwestern terminus of road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Route transition

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Google (22 August 2022). "Bylong Valley Way" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "Main Roads Act, 1924-1927". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 110. National Library of Australia. 17 August 1928. pp. 3814–20. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. ↑ State of New South Wales, An Act to provide for the better construction, maintenance, and financing of main roads; to provide for developmental roads; to constitute a Main Roads Board Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
  4. ↑ State of New South Wales, An Act to amend the Main Roads Act, 1924-1927; to confer certain further powers upon the Main Roads Board; to amend the Local Government Act, 1919, and certain other Acts; to validate certain payments and other matters; and for purposes connected therewith. Archived 12 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 8 April 1929
  5. ↑ "Roads Act". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 134. National Library of Australia. 22 November 1996. p. 134. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  6. ↑ State of New South Wales, An Act to make provision with respect to the roads of New South Wales; to repeal the State Roads Act 1986, the Crown and Other Roads Act 1990 and certain other enactments; and for other purposes. Archived 11 August 2022 at the Wayback Machine 10 November 1924
  7. ↑ Transport for NSW (August 2022). "Schedule of Classified Roads and Unclassified Regional Roads" (PDF). Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  8. ↑ "Auslink Strategic Regional Program - Projects selected for funding" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2007.
  9. ↑ NSW Nationals announcement of funding for Bylong Valley Way
  10. ↑ http://www.midwestern.nsw.gov.au/files/Executive/Attachment_-_Corporate.pdf Mid-Western Regional Council 2008/2009 Management Plan, monthly report January 2009
  11. ↑ Auslink details of project for sealing of Bylong Valley Way AusLink
  12. ↑ Mid-Western Regional Council - Quarterly Review, June 2008
  13. ↑ "The Bylong Valley Way". Archived from the original on 15 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ↑ "Sandy Hollow self-drive tour loop".
  15. ↑ http://www.tablelandsway.com.au/ The Tablelands Way web site
  16. ↑ "Muswellbrook Shire Council tender documents for bridge construction". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 9 March 2007.
  17. ↑ Muswellbrook Shire Council 2004-2005 capital expenditure report
  18. ↑ "Muswellbrook Shire Council 2006-2007 management plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 February 2007. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
  19. ↑ Cordell Connect - Project : WIDDEN CREEK BRIDGE
  20. ↑ Mid-Western Regional Council 2007-2008 management plan

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