Community wants solutions for Rawson Rd level crossing

The community has renewed its calls to upgrade the Rawson Rd level crossing following an incident on the tracks in November last year but replacement with a tunnel or overpass appears unlikely.

Police were told a car stopped on the railway tracks at the level crossing before the train clipped the car containing a 64-year-old woman.

Local resident, Stephanie Short, said it was a wake-up call for local representatives to see the project completed.

“It is dangerous for those of us who walk and drive over this level crossing on a frequent basis, for car passengers and pedestrians at the intersection of Rawson Rd and Railway St, and also for visitors to the area, and of course for the train drivers and guards and passengers on the trains that go through this level crossing,” Short said.

“The pedestrian underpass has been completed. This was achieved after years of consultation and planning.

“Now, please finish the job and complete the next two stages of the project on which so much money, millions of dollars, has been spent: to complete the overpass at the base of Bull’s Hill, and to widen the current underpass on Shoalhaven Dr.

“That is the easiest and safest solution, instead of wasting more years and more dollars on consultation, planning, assessments.”

The issue of the level crossing has been in the public sphere since the NSW Government first floated the idea to replace it in 2011.

In February 2015, the former Minister for Roads and Freight Duncan Gay and Member for Gosford Chris Holstein opened the pedestrian underpass as part of the railway level crossing replacement project.

Gay said the project, which would eventually close the existing level crossing at Rawson Rd, was being carried out in two stages to improve both road and rail user safety.

“Gosford City Council has completed stage one work, which included providing a new pedestrian and cyclist underpass alongside Rawson Road and below the railway tracks,” Gay said.

“The NSW Government provided funding for the work as part of the $45M commitment to build an underpass to replace the Woy Woy Rail level crossing.

“But we have committed an additional $7M to fulfil our commitment to remove the existing crossing and replace it with a safer option.

“That is a total of $52M to deliver the two stages the community has been waiting for.”

Stage two of the project involved the upgrade and extension of Railway St and Nagari Rd and a new vehicle underpass and bridge over Woy Woy Creek at Bulls Hill.

However, in 2016, Central Coast Council said the remaining stages of the project were put on hold as a result of changing requirements by RailCorp and associated cost increases.

A notice sign that was erected adjacent to the level crossing was taken down in October 2016.

Council said they are on board with the replacement of the railway level crossing but are not yet aware of any planned works.

“Council strongly supports the replacement of the railway level crossing at Rawson Rd and has on many occasions advocated for these works to be undertaken by the NSW Government,” a Council spokesperson said.

“Council is not aware of any planned works by the State Government at the level crossing.”

The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce also called on the NSW Government and Council to collaborate on alternative solutions to the rail crossing.

President Matthew Wales said this follows a two-year campaign by the local chamber.

“The Chamber made approaches to Central Coast Council back in April 2019 for the installation of traffic lights at the Rawson Rd/Railway St intersection in a bid to improve safety at the rail crossing without the necessity of spending millions of dollars on expensive underpass/overpass solutions,” Wales said.

“Clearly, there is never going to be a case in the foreseeable future for the replacement of the rail crossing with an overpass at the base of Bulls Hill which proved far too expensive and would never have met the cost/benefit thresholds with a projected cost of $120M.

“It’s well past time to accept that a more modest and cheaper solution needs to be considered.”

Wales said the Chamber wants the NSW Government to re-consider installing traffic lights on the Railway St and Rawson Rd legs of the intersection.

“The existing rail crossing warning lights and boom gates should be retained as part of major synchronised upgrade of the intersection,” Wales said.

“These improvements would improve traffic flow and safety both during normal traffic conditions and when the rail crossing is in operation.

“This option is increasingly important with the prospect of the Ocean Beach Rd/Rawson Rd intersection due for reconstruction in 2024 with a resulting increase in traffic using Railway St as a bypass route.

“Without these upgrade works, the vehicle and pedestrian safety concerns at the rail crossing intersection will increase not only from the extra bypass traffic but with commuter conflicts crossing the rail line heading and returning from the M1.”

But local resident Bruce Hyland said there was no basis in traffic demand for closing the Rawson Rd level crossing.

“The shortcomings of the Bulls Hill project are so manifest that it is difficult to understand the enthusiasm for it,” Hyland said.

“First of all, there are not ‘tens of thousands of motorists every day that go up Woy Woy Rd’, as ex-Councillor Holstein has claimed: there are not even tens of thousands of motorists that drive on the Peninsula every day, and only a small percentage of these goes up Woy Woy Rd, so only a small number would benefit.

“Secondly, the Bulls Hill/Woy Woy Rd alignment is so bad that it is dangerous for any but private cars, and this problem could only be resolved by driving a new road through Brisbane Water Park (as the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce recognised years ago), but nobody wants to crack this nut.

“Thirdly, traffic would be greatly increased on Veron Rd and Hillview St that are not designed for heavy vehicles, and this would require more alterations at intersections further away on the Peninsula, so the project cannot be seen in isolation.

“Fourthly, the underpass only improves access to Woy Woy which is a relatively unimportant destination and does nothing to improve access to Umina, Ettalong or Ocean Beach: to achieve this would require a new link road (also as recognised by the Peninsula Chamber of Commerce).

“Furthermore, if it is going to be justified on life-saving grounds, the project has to be judged against all the other life-saving measures that could be instituted for the same price.

“If there is a spare $150M or so, jingling around in the state government’s pockets, I could easily think of half a dozen better uses for the money and I’m sure that other people could come up with even better ones.”

It comes as Council finalises their plans for the $32.5M upgrade of the Ocean Beach Rd, Rawson Rd intersection set to begin in mid-2024.

The intersection upgrade is expected to last two years.

In November 2021, Council Administrator Rik Hart said the Rawson Rd underpass project could be revisited to help reimburse costs for the Ocean Beach Rd and Rawson Rd intersection upgrade, with the estimate prepared circa 2016 placing the underpass project cost upward of $115M.

Wales said the intersection works are expected to have an impact on traffic congestion at the level crossing.

“Due to this inaction and knowing how long things take to be considered by Council and the State Government, the community is going to be faced with a major safety and congestion problem both at the Rawson Rd rail crossing and the Ocean Beach Rd/Rawson Rd intersection in 2024 when the excavators move in to dig up Ocean Beach Rd,” Wales said.

However Council said this has been factored into its plans.

“Traffic management for the works at the intersection of Rawson Rd and Ocean Beach Rd will be a key factor considered as the intersection upgrade project moves forward,” a Council spokesperson said.

“At different stages of the project, traffic management will be adjusted to minimise impact on the road network with a focus on minimising disruptions to motorists.

“The community and stakeholders will be notified of any changes to traffic associated with the works on a regular basis.”

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said he will continue to listen to the community about improvements to the road and rail networks.

“Rawson Rd is a Regional Road under the care and control of Central Coast Council,” Crouch said.

“Transport for NSW continually monitors our rail network to ensure the safety of all level crossings.

“The Rawson Rd level crossing has flashing lights and booms installed, including an active motorised swing-gated pedestrian facility beside the road level crossing.

“We are always listening to the community about improvements to the road and rail networks.

“Most recently, Transport for NSW went to the community for consultation on intersection improvements to Blackwall Rd – one of the projects allocated funding from Rawson Rd.

“We will continue to work with Council and the community to make safety upgrades to our road and rail networks.”

Maisy Rae