Holidaymakers urged to allow extra travel as storm recovery continues

As school holidays kick off today, families gearing up for road trip getaways are being reminded to allow extra travel time and review their routes before heading off in the wake of severe weather across the state last week.

Transport for NSW Acting Chief Customer Officer Roger Weeks said with NSW public schools breaking up this Friday 12 April and holidays continuing until Sunday 28 April, there would be a rise in road-trippers across the state.

“Autumn holidays are when we typically see lots of families head off camping, caravanning and adventuring, and we need people to be mindful that crews are still working hard to address the aftermath of last weekend’s storms,” Mr Weeks said. 

“Our teams and local council crews have been diligently repairing roads impacted by debris and flash flooding.

“Don’t get caught out by assuming that clear skies now will mean an uninterrupted journey. Reduced speed limits or detours may still be in place for sections of your route or at your destination. 

“Please drive to the conditions as roads may not be in the condition you’re used to, and check the Live Traffic NSW website or app before you set off to avoid unexpected detours or delays.”

In the Blue Mountains, Megalong Road remains closed between Blackheath and the Megalong Valley.

In the Illawarra, a single lane of Lawrence Hargrave Drive has reopened at Coalcliff after multiple landslides, with stop/slow traffic control in place. 

For those using public transport, passengers are reminded that buses continue to replace South Coast Line trains between Kiama and Bomaderry.

Trains on the rest of the South Coast Line are running to a reduced timetable between Sydney and Kiama and also between Wollongong and Port Kembla.

Mr Weeks said the recent cold snap means motorists should switch from summer driving mindsets when journey planning, as the change of season begins to impact our roads.

“We’ve started to see morning frost bringing potentially slippery conditions to the ranges, and this week’s icy southerly blast even brought a dusting of snow to the Alps,” Mr Weeks said. 

People should plan ahead and also start considering their return journeys – with the end of the school holidays coinciding with the Anzac Day public holiday on Thursday 25 April. 

“The first weekend of the New South Wales school holidays overlaps with the last weekend of Queensland’s school holidays with extra congestion anticipated over this weekend on the Pacific Motorway at Tugun near the New South Wales-Queensland border,” Mr Weeks said. 

“Congestion and delays are also expected on the M1 north and south of Sydney, the Great Western Highway through the Blue Mountains and the Hume and Princes Highways to the south.

“We know that plenty of people might extend their weekend following Anzac Day, so motorists should expect delays heading into Sydney on Sunday 28 April.”

Traffic will be impacted around the Sydney CBD on April 25 for the Anzac Day 2024 Dawn Ceremony and marches in most locations across the state. 

Other events likely to lead to increased traffic include Hunter Valley Steamfest 13 - 14 April in Maitland, the Hawkesbury Show 19 - 21 April in Clarendon, and World Triathlon Cup 20 - 21 April in Wollongong, along with NRL games on 20 April at Carrington Park, Bathurst and 25 April at Alliance Stadium, Moore Park.

For more details about predicted delays and known holiday traffic pinch points see the NSW Holiday and Journey planning website.

For the latest public transport information, visit www.transportnsw.info or download a transport app. 

For the latest traffic information, visit www.livetraffic.com or download the Live TrafficNSW app.

For the latest information about local council roads, make sure the "Council Supplied Information" filter on www.livetraffic.com or the app is selected, or check with local councils.