December 18, 2024

Jenolan Caves Road reopens to two-way traffic near Hampton after almost four years

A section of Jenolan Caves Road which has been closed to two-way traffic for nearly four years is now open,providing smoother safer journeys for local residents, tourists and freight operators.

Jenolan Caves Road between Old Bindo Road and Duckmaloi Road at Hampton was restricted to single lane access in March 2021 after it was damaged in a series of weather events.

But with contractor McIlwain three months ahead of schedule with the remedial work, both lanes are now open to motorists.

Transport for NSW Acting Regional Director West Holly Davies thanked the community for their patience and said this section of Jenolan Caves Road is now returned to pre-disaster condition.

"It’s a significant milestone and one that will improve the accessibility, safety and efficiency of the road in years to come," Ms Davies said.

"Crews faced many challenges in completing work ahead of schedule and we commend contractor McIlwain for their continuing efforts."

Mayor of Oberon Council Andrew McKibbin said the resumption of two-lane access would greatly improve the flow of goods and supplies on this route.

"Jenolan Caves Road is a key route connecting Oberon to Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the north and south coasts, as well as being a supply road for freight carriers and tourism to Oberon," Cr McKibbin said.

"Being able to open up the road once again to two-way traffic will help make driving conditions safer for all.

"Importantly, it will also ease the heavy vehicle traffic on alternative routes."

Beginning in July with an initial expected completion date of April 2025, the work involved laying new asphalt, installing safety barriers, line marking, and remediation to an embankment slope adjacent to Carlos Creek near the Hampton section of Jenolan Caves Road.

This section of Jenolan Caves Road will be restricted to single lane access from Monday 6 January to Friday 17 January for work to install a final section of guardrail.

A final layer of asphalt will then be applied in February after the school holidays, weather permitting, to minimise the impact on tourism in the Oberon area. The exact dates for this work in February, and traffic impacts, will be shared with the community as the program is confirmed.

Transport for NSW explored several plans to remediate the embankment slope at Carlos Creek before settling on the solution of installing grout injection piles to improve the shear characteristics of the existing fill material prior to the installation of 10-metre-long soil nails and shotcrete.

Ms Davies said four mini Marini drilling rigs were deployed down the face of the slope to install 190 soil nails horizontally into the embankment.

"In difficult terrain, this reduced the time needed to complete the work and importantly minimised the impact on the public."

The full extent of damage at Carlos Creek was discovered during work to rehabilitate the nearby Hampton downslope, which started in January 2024. Work on the Hampton downslope was completed in July by McIlwain, two months ahead of schedule.

Transport for NSW then engaged McIlwain on the Carlos Creek project, negating the downtime required to bring a new contractor to site and delivering a significant advantage in terms of existing project knowledge.

McIlwain has also been appointed to oversee extensive slope and road strengthening repairs on the Two Mile section of Jenolan Caves Road. Additionally, they will replace three culverts with larger culverts and other drainage infrastructure to better handle surface runoff during rainfall. New kerb and guttering will complete the drainage improvements.