Jamberoo Mountain Road has reopened to the public this morning 14 July, three days ahead of the scheduled reopening.

There will still be a handful of short closures in the coming weeks to complete minor works, which have been scheduled to avoid disturbances during peak traffic times.

Significant damage – caused by a number of landslides and flood water from storms in July last year – forced the closure of the key connecting infrastructure between the Kiama LGA and the Southern Highlands.

Repairs didn’t begin until six months after its closure in January due to the extent of the damage at four different sites above and underneath the road, and the challenging geography of the sites.

Director Infrastructure and Liveability Michael Malone says while this may feel like it extended the length of the road closure, it was critical to invest time and effort in coming up with repairs that would last, noting the road has been closed in the past from August to December in 2020.

“It was important to spend time getting the investigations done and design right, otherwise we’ll be literally back at the drawing board if they fail,” Mr Malone says.

He assures they have designed the damaged sections to withstand the sort of storms and flooding we saw last year, rather than restoring them to what they were before.

 The damaged road

The 12-month wait was a big blow for Jamberoo businesses who, through their busiest time of the year, lost their tourist and commuter trade.

It was reported by The Bugle in August, just one month after the initial closure, that Kings Patisserie & Café, Nerilee Antiques and Jamberoo Newsagency were suffering with a significant decline in customers.

Jamberoo Newsagency originally adjusted its trading hours to counter the loss of tradies that would come through in the mornings – which was estimated to account for 20 to 25 per cent of their customer base – before closing their doors earlier this year.

Nerilee Antiques reported they were down to three customers on the weekend compared to the usual 30 and admitted in May that they were considering shutting their doors after 50 years.

Owner of Jamberoo Pub, Jamie Warren, says the road’s closure has flowed onto a reduction in the employment of his staff and has ultimately made it harder for him to pay the bills.

“We’re coming off the back of a lot of difficulties, as are many of the other businesses, and the flow through of traffic in Jamberoo has just made all that much difficult,” he says.

“It has been a very long haul so we’re really looking forward to having the road reopen and getting a big boost back into our business.”

Jamie acknowledges that it has been a difficult job to get the road reopened and appreciates the efforts of Council, Member for Kiama Gareth Ward and the Government in making it happen, as well Council staff and contractors who have been working on it.

While the closure has hurt businesses, the lack of east-west connectivity has also inconvenienced local residents, especially those who use the mountain for their daily work commute, school run or shopping trip.

Mayor Neil Reilly thanks the people of Jamberoo for their patience and acknowledges the significant impact it has had on the local community and businesses.

“I want to simply say thank you for persevering throughout the last year while we worked to reconstruct the significant amount of damage to the road,” Mayor Reilly says.

He also thanked the NSW and Australian Governments, who provided disaster relief funding and their expertise on large-scale construction projects, and Council staff and contractors, who met numerous challenges along the way.

To further extend his gratitude, and to give locals a chance to chat with the engineers face-to-face about the lengthy repair process, Council hosted a community barbeque.

Given this isn’t the first time the road has closed and its significance as an east/west corridor, Council is lobbying for the road to be classified a State road rather than left a Council responsibility as a regional road.

The reopening is the culmination of Council’s $4.8 million Road Repairs Construction Program, to restore Jamberoo Mountain Road, as well as other local roads damaged by the storm.

A 40km/h speed zone will be in place through the repaired areas, while minor works are completed, with traffic controllers in place for the safety of workers and motorists.

This story was updated on Friday 14 July to include that Jamberoo Mountain Road was opened three days ahead of schedule.