Moss Vale Road repair work

Reviewed

Project overview

Transport for NSW is working to repair damage on Moss Vale Road caused by severe weather events during 2022 and make the road more resilient to future natural disaster events.

Transport is prioritising the repair work as part of the recovery response across the state’s road network following the severe weather events of 2022.

Latest news

March 2024 – Work begins to restore full road access on Cambewarra Mountain

Work will begin next month on an extensive work program to repair significant landslip damage on Moss Vale Road and restore the road to full operations at Cambewarra Mountain.

Transport is deploying maximum resources, so the repairs are completed in the shortest time possible and with the least disruption to residents, the community and motorists.

Two major specialist contractors – The RIX Group and Retaining Specialists – start work from Tuesday 2 April, weather permitting, to repair the six landslip damage sites at the top of Cambewarra Mountain caused by record-breaking rainfall in 2022.

This complex work is still expected to take four months to complete, weather permitting.

Changed traffic conditions

The road must be closed to all traffic during work hours to keep motorists and workers safe. However, Transport has planned the repair program to minimise the impacts on residents, local businesses and the Kangaroo Valley community.

Road closed – Sunday to Thursday, 7pm to 5am

Traffic access – Five-minute openings for traffic at 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 12am, 2am and 4am

The work involves drilling and installing more than four linear kilometres of long steel rods, called soil nails, to add stability and strength to the mountain slope. 

To prevent further erosion on the slope, a layer of either a spray-on concrete, known as shotcrete, or a durable mesh fabric will be applied over an area of more than 2500 square metres.

The finishing stages of the program are repairs to the damaged road, including resurfacing the pavement, constructing new drains and nearly 400 metres of concrete edge plinth to control surface water runoff, replacing guardrails and line marking, if required.

More details are included in the community notification (PDF, 633.33 KB).

 

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Project information

Background

Record-breaking rainfall during 2022 caused widespread damage to sections of Moss Vale Road.

Rain gauges at Beaumont measured double the average annual rainfall in 2022, making it the wettest year on record. Both March and July last year saw particularly heavy rain, receiving four and six times the average rainfall totals respectively.

As a direct result of this rainfall, Transport for NSW added a total of 50 sites to its natural disaster recovery project register.

Since these natural disasters struck, Transport has made significant progress:

  • Completed repairs at 24 sites. 
  • Carried out additional maintenance to clear landslip material from the road and stormwater drains. 
  • Performed detailed investigations to assist with planning and designing repairs on more complex sites.

Our geotechnical team continue to monitor all active sites until repairs are completed.

Features

Many of the landslip sites require complex repairs. 

Transport will engage specialist contractors to complete repairs that, depending on each site, could include:

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

Some factors are out of our control and can cause delays to our progress:

  • 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 – the steep site and narrow site could create some unexpected challenges.

Next Steps

Transport follows a thorough process before starting natural disaster recovery repairs. This process includes:

  • geotechical, biodiversity and heritage surveys
  • design planning
  • environmental assessment
  • final design
  • procurement.

Map

Transport for NSW added a total of 50 sites on Moss Vale Road to its natural disaster recovery project register.

Project documents

Some documents on this page may not comply with accessibility requirements (WCAG).

If you are having trouble accessing information in these documents, please contact us.

 

Community notifications

Media releases

  • 12 March 2024
    Work to start on Moss Vale Road at Cambewarra Mountain to restore full access

  • 29 May 2023
    Repair work progressing on Cambewarra Mountain

  • 5 May 2023
    Work starts on permanent repairs to Cambewarra Mountain.

  • 7 April 2022
    Work continues to ensure safe access to Kangaroo Valley.

Contact us

For further information about this project, please contact:

Email:SouthProjects@transport.nsw.gov.au

Mail: Moss Vale Road repair work, PO Box 477, Wollongong NSW 2520

Phone: 02 4421 1610