Last week the New South Wales Government announced that the Great Western Highway’s Victoria Pass will not reopen before 2027.
Construction of a new bridge is set to begin in July with plans for it to open in the second quarter of next year.
The affected stretch of highway is a main thoroughfare for travellers from Sydney to Bathurst.
While there are concerns about the time it will take for racegoers to get to Bathurst, it’s the mass egress on Monday that has been flagged as a major worry.
The Bathurst Regional Council wants to delay that exodus with an event on Monday following the Bathurst 1000.
Speedcafe understands the concept is in its infancy, though a post-race concert or more track activity at Mount Panorama is being explored as an option.
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The idea is being led by Bathurst Deputy Mayor Ben Fry.
“Early days yet in that discussion, but Bathurst is thinking about an event that would be significant enough to hold a large portion of those campers or attendees to the Bathurst 1000 for another day,” Fry told the Western Advocate.
“If we can even keep 30 percent of people that arrive for the Bathurst 1000 a day or two longer, that would mean the world to that road and the people travelling on it, and the communities between Bathurst and Sydney.”
The timing is also tricky with the spring school holidays finishing the same weekend as the Bathurst 1000.
Fry is planning to pitch an idea to the New South Wales Government and Jenny Aitchison, the minister for roads, in the hope that the state will fund it.
“I think we really need to develop a good strategy that we can put to the NSW Government,” he explained.
“Minister Aitchison’s office is helping us do that, and we want to put a compelling case forward, something they can fund, that will take the load off the road in such a peak time.”
The Bathurst Regional Council is working with the state government and promoter Supercars on a communication strategy.
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