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The NSW Government today confirmed the 11-kilometre toll-free tunnel from Blackheath to Little Hartley as the preferred option following an in-depth feasibility analysis and extensive investigation process.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the proposed central tunnel would be Australia’s longest road tunnel.
“This is a history-making legacy project that will deliver safer and more efficient journeys for locals, tourists and freight travelling between the Central West and the East Coast,” Mr Toole said.
“The tunnel will reduce congestion and improve safety for local residents, tourists and freight operators.
“In May last year, we started investigating plans to join the two to create the longest road tunnel in the entire country – and today, we’re locking that plan in as the preferred option.
“This is a complex, ambitious plan but we’re on track for shovels to hit the ground on the east and west stages of the upgrade early next year because we’re getting on with the job of building a safer, stronger road network across all parts of the state.
“The Blackheath to Little Hartley tunnel design features dual carriageways for both eastbound and westbound motorists in separate twin tunnels and a gentler gradient to cut travel times and improve freight efficiencies.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said the Blue Mountains tunnel would deliver a raft of benefits that would transform the connection between Sydney and western NSW.
“This tunnel project, as part of the major upgrade of the Great Western Highway between Lithgow and Katoomba, will help improve the economic development, productivity and accessibility in and through the Blue Mountains, Central West and Orana regions,” Mr Farraway said.
“It will improve the resilience of the state’s major road corridor across the Blue Mountains during traffic incidents and natural disasters and will be built to accommodate future population growth west of the Blue Mountains.
“The straighter alignment will improve road safety through the mountains and the tunnel will help unlock the potential of western NSW, for the benefit of all residents and businesses in this important part of the state.
“Once the full upgrade to the Great Western Highway is complete, it is predicted to save motorists up to 30 minutes between Katoomba and Lithgow during busy periods.
It’s time to make the Western Highway Great again and that is exactly what this upgrade will do.”
Transport for NSW will continue its program of consultation with Blue Mountains and Central West communities and the Wiradjuri, Dharug and Gundungurra communities through a series of online and face-to-face information sessions about the tunnel project in coming weeks.
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Former Australian Test cricketer Andrew Symonds has been killed in a Queensland car crash.
The 46-year-old was involved in a single-vehicle crash late on Saturday.
Police are investigating the crash, which occurred at Hervey Range, about 50km from Townsville.
"Early information indicates, shortly after 11pm the car was being driven on Hervey Range Road, near Alice River Bridge when it left the roadway and rolled," Queensland Police said in a statement.
"Emergency services attempted to revive the 46-year-old driver and sole occupant, however, he died of his injuries."
Andrews' family has asked for privacy.
Former Australian captain Allan Border paid tribute to Symonds, who played 26 Tests for Australia and was a crowd favourite in the short format game as a big-hitting allrounder.
"He hit the ball a long way and just wanted to entertain. He was, in a way, a little bit of an old-fashioned cricketer," Border told the Nine Network.
In recent years Symonds had worked as a TV commentator for Fox Sports and was a regular on the microphone for Big Bash League broadcasts.
"He was an adventurer. Loved his fishing, he loved hiking, camping," Border said of Symonds.
Symonds, nicknamed 'Roy', was charismatic on the field, often wearing zinc cream and at times sporting dreadlocks.
"People liked his very laid-back style," Border said.
"He lived in Townsville. When I spoke to him, I think he still had a hundred head of cattle he used to muster.
"Symo away from the cameras and away from the spotlight, loved, I think, a bit of solitude and that is why he loved his fishing. Loved his own time."
Symonds' death follows the shock demise of cricketing peer Shane Warne, who died in March in Thailand.
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Australia's Sheldon Riley missed out on a top-10 spot at the Eurovision Song Contest while Ukraine took out the number one position.
Riley gave a stand-out performance of Not the Same at the competition in Italy but finished in 15th place, after receiving just two points from the audience vote.
Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won with their entry Stefania, riding a wave of public support to claim an emotional victory.
Sung in Ukrainian, the winning song fused rap with traditional folk music and was a tribute to band frontman Oleh Psiuk's mother.
After their performance Psiuk made an impassioned plea to free people still trapped in a besieged steel mill in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.
Ukraine were in fourth place based on jury voting but claimed victory with a commanding lead in viewer voting. Britain's Sam Ryder finished second.
Australia has never won the Eurovision competition, which has steadily expanded its borders beyond continental Europe, but has been a fan favourite in recent years scoring a top-10 finish four times.
Riley, 23, performed wearing a crystal mask as part of a flamboyant white outfit.
He has said Not The Same was inspired by experiences including being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, growing up in public housing and battling with his sexuality in a religious household.
"It is the story I never thought I'd ever feel I'd be able to tell," the singer, from the Gold Coast, told the competition's organisers.
The bookmakers had made Kalush Orchestra the clear favourite for the annual contest, which normally draws a television audience of close to 200 million, based in part on the plight of Ukraine following Russia's invasion in February.
Psiuk had said this week that he was hoping for a win to "lift the spirits" of his compatriots. It is the third time that Ukraine has won the annual competition.
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The first sightings of whales off the NSW east coast have been recorded as the annual migration from Antarctica to warmer northern waters begins.
Minister for Environment James Griffin said the first of about 40,000 humpback whales have started their long swim towards tropical waters.
“The whale migration is one of the longest journeys of any animal species and we are so lucky to be able to witness it right on our doorstep,” Mr Griffin said
“We have more than 880 national parks and reserves in NSW, many of which are on the coast and provide excellent viewing opportunities for these oceanic giants.
“After declining to an estimated few hundred whales in the early 1960’s, the recovery of the humpback whale population is a great conservation success story and one we can all be proud of as we enjoy watching these majestic creatures make their way up the coast.”
Whales cover about 10,000km during their annual round trip from Antarctic waters, at a migratory speed of about six kilometres per hour.
Most of the whales that travel past the NSW coast are humpback whales, however other whale species include southern right whales, dwarf minke whales, tropical whales and even blue whales.
National Parks and Wildlife Service marine fauna expert Shona Lorigan said humpback whales are easily recognisable and their behaviours, like breaching and rolling, always put on a show for whale watchers.
“Later in the year, we’ll be able to see theses whales heading south again, many with their newborn calves,” Ms Lorigan said.
Regulations require all vessels to remain at least 100 meters away from whales, aircraft can fly no closer than 300m, and drones must not be operated closer than 100 meters.
Whales in distress can be reported to the NSW NPWS on 13000 PARKS or ORRCA Whale and Dolphin Rescue’s 24 hour hotline on (02) 9415 3333.
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