Construction is set to begin later this month to repair significant landslip damage on Bulli Pass caused by record-breaking rainfall in 2022 in an $8 million dollar project funded by the NSW and Commonwealth Governments.
Transport for NSW (Transport) is committing multiple crews to work side-by-side so the complex repairs starting on Tuesday 27 February 2024 can be completed as quickly as possible, but the work will still require several months of changed traffic conditions on Bulli Pass.
Three landslip sites are located at the top section of Bulli Pass between the M1 Princes Motorway and hairpin bend, with another about one kilometre downhill from the hairpin bend.
The total work area required to repair the four landslip sites is about the size of two Olympic swimming pools.
These landslips occurred when the Illawarra escarpment received almost five times the average monthly rainfall in March 2022, and then eight and a half times the June average.
The road must be closed in both directions overnight for five nights per week for a period of five months while the work is carried out at the sites on the top section of road.
Transport has planned these repairs to be carried out when traffic volumes are lightest – from 7.30pm to 4.30am, Sundays to Thursdays – to minimise the impact on motorists.
Detours will be in place during the road closures either via Lawrence Hargrave Drive or the M1 Princes Motorway and Memorial Drive adding up to 20 minutes to journeys.
Transport has made significant progress on its natural disaster recovery work across the Illawarra and South Coast, having completed more than half of the 100 landslip damage sites on state roads following the severe weather events in 2022.
Minister for the Illawarra and the South Coast Ryan Park said:
“This critical work will help make the slopes on Bulli Pass more resilient to future severe weather events.
“Transport for NSW will be installing more than 500 long steel rods, called soil nails, that will add strength to the mountain slope and then applying over 1600 square metres of spray-on concrete, known as shotcrete, to prevent further erosion.
“The crews will also install new drains, repair damaged road pavement and replace guardrails, as needed and help protect this important corridor for the Illawarra.”
Member for Heathcote Maryanne Stuart said:
“The landslip-damaged sections of road on Bulli Pass are steep and narrow, making the repairs very challenging, and Transport has engaged contractors with specialist skills and equipment to complete the work.
“The steep sites will involve use of large machinery, such as long-reach excavators, and workers abseiling on the slope to carry out some of the repairs.
“The conditions of the road and work involved create a unique set of risks and to keep motorists and workers safe, there needs to be a combination of full road closures and partial lane closures while the work is carried out.”