Bypass to Finally Bring Relief to Pitt Town

After years of anticipation and delays, the long-awaited Pitt Town Bypass is finally set to become a reality.

NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the milestone during his visit to the Hawkesbury in June. “Starting today, the construction industry can submit proposals to build the crucial Pitt Town Bypass. This initiative will reduce congestion by diverting traffic away from Pitt Town, providing faster evacuations for Hawkesbury residents during floods. Transport for NSW plans to award the main construction contract for the bypass in 2025,” Minns said.

Chris Bell, President of the Pitt Town Progress Association, expressed relief at the news after years of uncertainty. “We’re eager for this to happen swiftly. We’ve had promises of funding from successive governments for years,” Bell told Channel Nine.

Pitt Town has faced mounting congestion, with up to 1000 trucks daily passing through its main street from sand quarries in the Hills district. Discussions about the bypass date back to the 1960s, yet relief for the community has been elusive despite the growing traffic burden.

The Pitt Town Bypass will establish a direct link between Pitt Town Road and Cattai Road, effectively bypassing the town center. The $100 million project will extend Pitt Town Road and introduce two new roundabouts, aimed at enhancing road safety, diverting heavy vehicles from the town center, and supporting new residential developments north of Pitt Town.

“Expressions of Interest (EOI) are invited from pre-qualified contractors under Transport for NSW’s National Prequalification Scheme, specifically in roadworks category R3, bridgeworks category B3, and financial level F25,” detailed the tender document. The project entails constructing a new 950-meter, two-lane road connecting Pitt Town Road to Cattai Road, a single-lane roundabout over Hortons Creek at the intersection of Pitt Town Road, Bathurst Street, and Glebe Road, a new bridge over Hortons Creek, and another single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Pitt Town Road, Eldon Street, and Old Pitt Town Road,” the tender document stated.

“The Pitt Town Bypass will alleviate traffic congestion in the town center, a notorious bottleneck, and assist in flood evacuations across the Hawkesbury region,” NSW Minister for Roads John Graham said.

“We are finalising plans to widen roads in the area to ensure safe evacuation for families and residents during emergencies,” he added.

These flood road upgrades are part of a $200 million commitment by the NSW Government to establish major evacuation routes in the flood-prone Hawkesbury-Nepean region.

Minns said the government was enhancing flood preparedness and mitigation, focusing on creating safer, more efficient evacuation routes, and strengthening road resilience.

“The Hawkesbury region faces the highest flood risk nationwide,” Minns acknowledged.