Work set to start on Victoria Pass slope repairs on the Great Western Highway

March 6, 2025

Transport for NSW Media Release
March 3, 2025

The mammoth construction task of rehabilitating two Victoria Pass slopes damaged during heavy rain will start in April following almost three years of complex investigation, planning and design work.

The westbound slow lane of the Great Western Highway down Victoria Pass, west of Mount Victoria, has been closed since July 2022 after two slopes were significantly damaged during a storm that was later declared a natural disaster.

Initial investigations confirmed it would be a complex task to remediate the slopes and Transport for NSW crews have carried out extensive studies including LiDAR, geotechnical investigations and field surveys to inform the final design.

Transport also worked closely with Heritage NSW to minimise impacts on the heritage-listed corridor and obtain approvals to complete the work.

Throughout the design process Transport for NSW aimed to minimise the disruption to traffic during construction, before calling for tenders in October 2024.

Transport for NSW Acting Regional Director West Holly Davies said McIlwain had been awarded the contract to carry out the repair work following a competitive tendering process and would begin moving plant and machinery to site in mid-March ahead of a start of work on Tuesday 1 April.

"We're pleased to see work get under way to repair the damaged slopes to eventually allow a return to two-lane traffic," Ms Davies said.

"We appreciate the patience of motorists who travel this highway every day. Right from the start we were committed to getting this fix right to ensure Victoria Pass can better withstand future heavy rain events."

To minimise the impact on motorists, all work at Victoria Pass will be done at night between 8pm to 5am from Monday to Thursday and from 7pm to 5am on Sundays, weather permitting.

Westbound traffic will be detoured via the Darling Causeway and Chifley Road during the night work hours to ensure the safety of workers.

Several full road closures will also be required at night in April with all traffic detoured. Confirmed dates for the full closures include April 1-3, April 6-10, April 14-16, April 22-23 and April 28-29, with the community to be kept informed as further full closures are added.

Motorists are advised to plan their journeys and allow for about 15 minutes of additional travel time.

Repair work on the upslope failure will include replacing and extending drape mesh to bind the slope, installing a shotcrete chute and rock bolting, and rockfall fencing to protect passing motorists. Downslope repairs will include installing about 300 soil nails across the embankment slope along with mock-rock shotcrete.

Transport crews will take advantage of the full road closures to also carry out vital culvert work to improve drainage during future heavy rain periods, and to carry out maintenance work such as water blasting to improve the safety of the road surface.

Repairs are expected to take up to nine months to complete, weather permitting.

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