Progress has been made on upgrades to some of the community's most valued shared tracks within the Scenic Eastern Escarpment improving safety, accessibility and amenity for residents and visitors.
Despite the severe impacts that multiple natural disasters have taken on infrastructure in natural areas over three successive years, a number of important upgrades have been delivered within Knapsack Reserve - with more to come.
This includes providing safer, formalised steps along:
- Marges Lookout Track to Lennox Bridge, where upgrade work was completed in August this year.
- Lovers Walk to Mitchells Pass (Whitton Memorial Place), where upgrades have been completed on three of five stages of work (approximately 400metres).
Following the extreme wet weather of the past two years and a significant landslip on the lower Zig Zag track in March this year, new geotechnical surveys have been conducted to assess the safety and environmental engineering requirements for upgrades to:
- Lapstone Zig Zag track to Siding Lookout, where geotechnical data will guide detailed design planning for a new accessible pathway, and
- Marges and Elizabeth Lookouts, where balustrade replacement is anticipated to commence early next year.
As part of the current upgrade project, improved location and wayfinding signage throughout Knapsack Reserve will be installed to help people orientate themselves when visiting the area. Council will also formalise some parking at the end of Knapsack Street, with priority given to compliant accessible parking.
The next planned phase of works will necessitate the temporary closure of;
- Elizabeth Lookout to Knapsack Bridge, where the track is expected to be closed from Monday 14 November 2022 until June 2023 (weather permitting). Detours will be clearly signposted. Materials have been delivered nearby to be flown in by helicopter, and trackwork will be commencing from Monday 14 November 2022.
Blue Mountains City Council Mayor, Mark Greenhill, said: "It's critical that we're careful and sensitive about how we undertake the upgrades to the Scenic Eastern Escarpment as we're operating within an environment that's felt the full force of several extreme weather events over a short period of time.
"The repeated heavy rainstorms that have torn through the mountains in recent times have had a huge impact on the landscape and greatly impeded work to upgrade much of the area. The landslip along the lower Zig Zag walking track in March this year made this very clear.
"Adding increased complexity to this project, and others in similar bushland areas across the Blue Mountains, is the fact that we don't use large machinery to help with construction. From the delivery of materials, through to the building of the tracks and walkways, we use small, manoeuvrable vehicles and equipment, and good old elbow grease, to make sure we don't impact adjacent bushland.
"Despite all the challenges, and in the face of ongoing wet weather, Council staff have worked with contractors to deliver some important track upgrades for the community. We're already hearing visitors noting how the upgraded walking tracks between Marges Lookout and Lennox Bridge, and Lovers Walk to Mitchells Pass, have improved their walking experience.
"We want to complete the rest of the upgrades at Knapsack Reserve as quickly as possible for the community, but it has to be done safely and in ways that limit the impact on the natural environment. Most recently we've had more geotechnical work completed to ensure that's exactly how we proceed."
A major component of the upgrade project is the construction of the first fully accessible bushland path in the lower Blue Mountains. The path follows the route of the Lapstone Zig Zag railway track out to Siding Lookout, which provides views over the Cumberland Plains.
The current complete upgrade project is scheduled for completion by September 2023, weather permitting.
This project is primarily funded under the Western Parkland City Liveability Program which is part of the Western Sydney City Deal. The Western Sydney City Deal is a partnership between the three levels of government overseen by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, the Hon. Catherine King MP, the NSW Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade, the Hon. Alister Henskens SC MP, and the eight Mayors of the Western Parkland City. The Department of Planning & Environment's Metropolitan Greenspace Program has partly funding this program of works.
Photos: Before and after photographs of Knapsack Reserve walking tracks.
