Moss Vale Bypass

The Moss Vale Bypass has a number of purposes.  While we are sticking with the name "Moss Vale Bypass" it's purpose is not solely to provide a bypass of the Moss Vale Town Centre.  The Moss Vale Bypass will provide an additional crossing of the Main Southern Rail Line and provide better connectivity between the east and west sides of Moss Vale.  This will help to distribute traffic more evenly across the network and reduce congestion on Argyle Street particularly during peak periods.  

Traffic heading south to Sutton Forest and the Hume Highway will still likely use Argyle Street, but our traffic counts show that the main sources of traffic to and from Moss Vale are via Moss Vale Road and Berrima Road.  The Bypass will connect these two roads and help distribute this traffic through and across Moss Vale.

You are right about the need to upgrade sections of the route from Moss Vale through New Berrima to the Hume Highway.  Council has begun work on an overbridge to replace the level crossing east of New Berrima and has identified a number of roads within the Southern Highlands Innovation Park (SHIP) (previously the Moss vale Enterprise Corridor) for upgrade.  This area is currently under review with the preparation of the Southern Highlands Innovation Park Masterplan currently underway.  Council will seek opportunities to provide the necessary infrastructure as the SHIP is developed.

Thanks for this question.  We have this information in the document library, but you may have had trouble finding it.  There are a number of relevant documents in the Document Library on the www.Yoursaywingecarribee.com.au/MVBypass website. I have included an image to assist you to find them from the main Moss Vale Bypass webpage. 

The documents that may assist you include the overall map (with four pages) which shows;

1. the overall plan, 
2. interim arrangements for Stage 1, 
3. overall network plan for the Southern Highland Innovation Park (formerly the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor), and,
4. an indicative plan of the bridge over McCourt Road, Main Southern Railway and Lackey Road.

 

The other documents highlighted show key intersection treatments and some closer views of the proposal.  It is important to note, that these concept plans were prepared in the early 2000’s and are based on aerial photos.  Some engineering standards have changed since then and the actual site conditions may mean that some aspects of these concepts may change.

Thanks for this suggestion. 

The Moss Vale Bypass connects with a number of intersecting roads, such as Argyle Street, Suttor Road, Lackey Road, Beaconsfield Road, Bulwer Road and Berrima Road.  These roads are in variable condition in terms of width, pavement condition, suitability of drainage, etc.  We will be reviewing the condition of the intersecting roads as part of the investigation and design phase of the Moss Vale Bypass Design - Stage 1 to determine their suitability to support appropriate traffic movement associated with the various stages of the Moss Vale Bypass.

In terms of staging, the central stage (Stage 1) has been identified as a key priority given this includes the crossing of the Main Southern Railway.  This will be an important improvement to movement of vehicles in and around Moss Vale and will not be impacted by height restrictions or flooding impacts.  The design process we are currently proceeding with includes the site investigation and concept design for all three stages and then the detailed design of the central stage (Stage 1).

Stage 3, while an integral part of the Moss Vale Bypass, has been prioritised as the third phase of the projects development.  I note your comments regarding the impacts to the road pavements.  These will be assessed as part of the design process in order to avoid, minimise and/or mitigate the impacts. As the design develops it will further inform council and its specialist consultants of constraints, options and mitigation strategies. Your suggestions already have and will be further considered from a traffic management/engineering perspective in order to adopt the most appropriate staging and delivery methodology.

Thanks for this comment and question.  

The intent of the Moss Vale Bypass in the current location is to support the expected growth in the Southern Highlands Innovation Park (previously the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor) and provide a robust alternative route for all traffic across the Main Southern Railway Line. When all stages of the Moss Vale Bypass are complete it will link Berrima Road and Argyle Street which are the two routes with the highest volume of traffic to/from Moss Vale in terms of both light and heavy vehicles.  

The Moss Vale Bypass will be linked to Robertson Road (Illawarra Highway East) via Suttor Road which will give traffic an alternate to Argyle Street for travel between the Hume Highway and Robertson Road (Illawarra Highway East).  

So while the Moss Vale Bypass will remove traffic from Argyle Street, there will still be a high demand for traffic movement on Argyle Street. This is going to be a challenge for both Council and Transport for NSW (TfNSW) to manage. Part of the challenge is the competing uses of Argyle Street in the Moss Vale Central Business District as both a thoroughfare and destination.  Council and TfNSW are continuing to work together with the community to identify areas of concern and work towards solutions.  The latest example of this is the Movement and Place Study conducted by TfNSW, details of which can be found here: https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/moss-vale-transport-improvements-and-station-upgrade