Western Sydney Flood Resilience Program
Hill Road as we all know, is our main road into Wentworth Point and our main way out. It is also one of the main sources of our frustration for many in our community.
Flooding is a safety risk, and flooding often results in closure of Hill Road. Road closures with few alternative routes cause great distress for the community including residents and the 2,200 vehicles that travel along the 4km road each hour during peak times.
For many years, City of Parramatta has advocated on behalf of residents in Wentworth Point and the Carter Street Precinct for additional resources to better manage flooding in this area.
With $50M in funding now provided by the NSW Government under the Western Sydney Resilience Program, Council will begin a long-term program to manage flooding to reduce flood risk and minimise disruption to the community.
The flood work will be supported by $8.5M in funding from the Australian Government for upgrades to Hill Road, including improved lighting, and intersection treatments that address current safety concerns.
What causes Hill Road to flood?
There are many contributing factors to flooding on Hill Road including the gradient of the road (Hill Road is as little as 0.2% grade and is actually very flat), the number of roads and dwellings which drain to Hill Road.
High tides also play a part in reducing the amount of stormwater that can be discharged into the Parramatta River. In high tide, with the drainage outlet covered by the Parramatta River, water cannot easily drain to the river. Water banks up in the drain and pools at the drain inlet.
Western Sydney Flood Resilience Program
While improving drainage and reducing flood impact is the key focus of this project, the solution will not be simple or quick.
Expected to take around four years, the scope of the project will include technical investigations and then design and construction of a major drainage system to capture and divert large flows and reduce the depth of water on the road.
City of Parramatta will keep the community informed as the project progresses and highlight points within the program where there will be opportunities to provide feedback on draft design concepts.