Unless the weather interferes again, Council has announced that it plans to reopen Jamberoo Mountain Road in June, after its closure last July, to the relief of local residents and businesses.

While Council is not prepared to be more exact than that at the moment, it is good news because before this their commitment included the prospect of work stretching out until September.

The Secretary of the Jamberoo Ratepayers and Residents Association, Ros Neilson, is delighted by the news.

“The closure of the road for so long has not only inconvenienced local residents and been a real problem for Jamberoo businesses - the lack of east-west connectivity has been a problem for the whole Municipality,” she says.

“We recognise that it was a difficult engineering problem to solve and thank Council for their efforts, but some people have done it really tough through the closure.

“I think we should have a party to celebrate!”

Mark Linnertson, owner of Nerilee Antiques, is one of the business that has been badly affected by the lack of through traffic, “The impact has been very hard to bear. The newsagent shut and we were looking at shutting, but if it’s only a month off then we will probably make it.

“It was a big engineering project, so we knew it would take some time, but let’s hope it doesn’t shut again.”

But even through these times, a new business has opened looking to the future.

Charlotte Paterson of the new Jamberoo Postie café says, “I know from talking to the village that they are looking forward to it finally opening.

“Everyone is very aware of the impact it has had on small businesses, so I think it will definitely help the whole village with more through traffic, on weekends as well.”

Putting in the capping beams

Those impacted by major repairs being conducted on Foxground Road and Wallaby Hill Road are still waiting for re-opening dates.

Work is progressing on cage and gabion baskets to stabilise the former, with recent weather events and some rock movements requiring an update the program for re‑opening.

Following delays due to contractual issues, preliminary work has started on Wallaby Hill Road.

The contractor for the Jamberoo Mountain Road site, Civil and Civic, are now working on the best way forward for the project.

“Thanks to the affected residents and business owners for your patience and cooperation during this project,” says an update from Council.