The next stage of repairs will begin on Brown Mountain this month.
$1.9 million in State and Federal Government funding has been released to kickstart the next stage of landslip repairs on the Snowy Mountains Highway between Bega and Nimmitabel.
Jointly funded through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, Transport for NSW is expected to commence work on the next of nine landslip sites on Monday June 17.
Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain said as someone who drives the Brown Mountain every week, she knows how frustrating the ongoing closures from landslips and rockfalls are.
“This is why we’re getting on with this critical repair work,” Ms McBain said.
“Releasing this $1.9 million towards the next stage of repair works will help prevent further erosion, and improve the safety of this busy route,” she said.
“Having a reliable road network makes it easier for locals to get to work and for tourists to uplift Eden-Monaro businesses, which is why I’ll continue to advocate for a longer-term solution for the Brown Mountain section of the Snowy Mountains Highway.”
Set to improve safety and travel times when complete, the work will see a damaged section of road fully restored and built back to better withstand the threat of future disasters.
Once work is completed, motorists will be able to use both lanes in each direction as the single lane limit put in place in March 2022 will be removed at this location, which is located about 1.5 kilometres east of the Fred Piper Memorial Lookout.
The work will include installing almost 1100 linear metres of soil nails, applying 180 square metres of shotcrete as well as repairing damaged road surface and reinstating guardrail.
NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said natural disasters have had a devastating impact on this section of the Snowy Mountains Highway at Brown Mountain.
“We understand the inconvenience this has caused motorists,” Ms Aitchison said.
“The teams at Transport for NSW have been working tirelessly to progress repair plans and I’m pleased to see the next step being taken in restoring access to the road.”
Since 2022, extensive repairs have been carried out at three of the landslip sites along the Snowy Mountains Highway with frustration over delays reaching boiling point for many local and visiting motorists.
Work currently being carried out at the largest of these sites is expected to be completed by mid-August, with a procurement process under way to book in repairs for three of the four remaining sites.
Work is also continuing on a design solution for the ninth landslip site which was damaged during a severe weather event in November last year.
The work will be carried out within the existing temporary barriers for the single lane operations with traffic lights operating 24-hours until work is completed. This means there will be no additional impact on traffic during the work.
This $1.9 million is part of the $6 million being invested in the repairs to date.
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Images: ARN Bega Bay
