At December’s Local Government conference in Sydney Cowra will move a motion for the conference to call on the State Government to act now to preserve the road corridor for a Bells Line Expressway.

Cowra wants the expressway budgeted for in the 2018 State Budget with council general manager Paul Devery saying its time for the state governments to stop settling for short term solutions.

“Successive state governments have opted for short-term solutions to the Great Western Highway that will never result in the level of access current and future transport needs will demand,” Mr Devery said.

“Despite nearly 100 years of advocacy and millions of dollars of plans, discussions and meetings the expressway over the Blue Mountains has moved no further.”

Mr Devery was critical of state governments spending million on Sydney infrastructure at the expense of the bush.

“Millions of dollars have been expended providing expressways into and out of Sydney to the north and south,” he said.

“It is well past the time that similar access is provided to all of the communities to the west of Sydney to enable 21^st century freight and passenger vehicle access.”

Mr Devery said preservation of the eastern side of corridor along the Bells Line is vital for its importance to the communities around Hawkesbury, Windsor, Richmond and Kurrajong up onto the escarpment as populations in those areas continue to grow.

Cowra will have three voting delegates at the conference, councillors Bruce Miller and Ruth Fagan, who is a board member, as well as mayor Bill West.