Media release - Fixing Two Mile

July 25, 2024

There's a lot of dangerous work to be done.

Two Mile the next step in Jenolan Caves Road restoration

Published 12 Jul 2024

Work to remediate the Two Mile section of Jenolan Caves Road will get under way in August with the appointment of McIlwain to oversee the extensive slope and road strengthening repairs.

The circled area is closed until repairs can be completed.

Transport for NSW Acting Director West Damien Pfeiffer said McIlwain had been selected in a competitive tender process to deliver the reconstruction work which is needed to restore the road and access through the precinct.

"The Two Mile section of road which currently carries all traffic to Jenolan Caves was substantially damaged during the 2021 and 2022 rain events which wrought havoc across regional NSW," Mr Pfeiffer said.

"There are nine failure sites, totalling 500 metres in length across about an 1800-metre section of the Two Mile access, which will need to be reinforced using soil nails and shotcrete. The soil and rock particles, which forms the foundation of the road and scour area, also needs to be rebuilt.

"This complex work will be carried out by crews on difficult terrain. To keep everyone safe, the complete closure of the road is required due to the size of the machinery needed on the narrow roadway.

"We are working closely with Jenolan Caves House to determine the timing of this closure which we know will be an inconvenience to motorists and the community, but we want to emphasise that at the completion of this remediation work, Two Mile will be restored to pre-flood pavement conditions."

A key part of the remediation work at Two Mile will be the installation of up to four rows of soil nails, up to eight metres each in length, with more than 1200 nails expected to be installed.

Transport for NSW will also replace three culverts with larger culverts and other drainage infrastructure to better handle surface run-off during rainfall. New kerb and guttering will round out the drainage improvements.

"Due to challenging terrain, specialist crews will be required to abseil down the slope at Two Mile to install soil nails, which can only be done during the daytime to ensure the safety of our workers," Mr Pfeiffer said.

"At the location of the large gully scour, we’ll clear the debris and reinforce the area with rock-filled wire mattresses.

"The slope failures along Jenolan Caves Road are significant and complex and it has taken many months of investigations to determine how best to remediate each section."

McIlwain is also the lead contractor delivering the slope remediation work at the Hampton section of Jenolan Caves Road, which is reaching its final stage of work.

Check Live Traffic for the latest updates on traffic conditions on Jenolan Caves Road. More information and updates on works being conducted along Jenolan Caves Road can be found here.

See also: Media release - Restoring Jenolan Caves Road

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