The huge infrastructure project wound up earlier this year, and this week was the first real test of the 2.8 kilometre section of highway which is now two lanes in each direction.

The upgrade began in October, 2014 and was completed in March this year.

This year’s Bathurst 1000 attracted 205,693 people across the four days of the event, with 56,042 on Sunday alone.

Western Advocate readers overwhelmingly said the upgrade had been a success in keeping traffic flowing during the mass exodus.

Lyndal Jones posted: “I had no issues and I left straight after the race and headed out Kelso-Raglan way. Then this morning for school drop off, no problem at all. Very impressed”.

Maureen Jones wrote “bloody oath congrats to all” to the Advocate’s question – Was traffic congestion in the area this morning better than previous years?

While Terry Staines wrote that the Oberon turn-off was “the best thing they ever did”.

“Pity about 200 metres up the road eastbound on the GWH [Great Western Highway] there’s a set of traffic lights that pulls the highway up to let one car out of Maccas.”