Bulli Pass natural disaster recovery

Transport for NSW completed an intensive nine-month work program in 2024 to repair significant landslip on Bulli Pass caused during 2022 natural disaster events.

This work was part of almost $30 million worth of landslip repairs carried out in the year on state roads across southern NSW.

Transport for NSW crews and specialist contractors carried out more than 35,000 work hours during the year to repair the landslip damage on Bulli Pass.

During this work, crews removed tonnes of landslip spoil (rocks, soil and vegetation), installed hundreds of soil nails and sprayed thousands of square metres of concrete, also known as shotcrete.

Their efforts have helped to stabilise the landslip areas and prevent further erosion in future severe weather events.

The landslip damage on Bulli Pass was valued at more than $8 million, which was provided by the Australian and NSW government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

Planning is in progress to repair more landslip damage caused during 2024 events.

Floods, bushfires and other natural disasters have caused significant damage in recent years to NSW state roads across the Illawarra and South Coast.

These natural disasters have caused landslips on mountain roads that require extensive work programs to repair the damage and restore the roads.

Transport for NSW manages these repair programs from initial investigation and design through to completion.

Landslip damage requires complex repairs. 

Work depends on the specific conditions at each site, but could include:

• removing loose rocks, soil and vegetation
• stabilising and adding strength to the damaged slope
• upgrading stormwater drains
• repairing road surfaces and replacing guardrails.

Some factors are out of Transport’s control and can cause delays to repair progress, including:

• weather - heavy rain and storms could make working conditions unsafe.
• workload – the statewide increase in demand for qualified contractors, equipment and resources could mean longer timeframes for repairs.
• worksite – steep and narrow sites could create some unexpected challenges.