Wollongong City Council has started emergency repair works on Helensburgh’s Whitty Road to return the road to two-way access.
Sections of the road are currently down to single lane traffic following damage to the road and adjacent embankments from the April natural disaster.
As a result of the event, the Camp Gully headwall had significant additional scouring around it, with stormwater washing away grass and soil to expose and move large boulders and undermine the road surface and handrail.
“Wollongong City Council already had plans in our Delivery Program for improvements to the Camp Gully headwall but now we need to revisit that design to ensure that what we’re planning takes into consideration the impacts of stormwater damage from this most recent event,” Wollongong City Council Director Infrastructure and Works Joanne Page said.
“This work is underway, but it will take some time until we’re able to get onsite and complete the works associated with the comprehensive project that’ll see a complete re-design of the current headwall.
“To support the Helensburgh community in the meantime, we’ll have teams on the ground to repair the sections of the road that are currently down to just one lane of traffic so that it can be reopened to two-way traffic enabling residents to go about their daily routines easier.”
The work along Whitty Road is expected to take about two weeks to be completed. While there will be traffic control in place during the works to support residents to move through, there may be some delays while the work is underway.
“We are continuing to work through the scheduling and prioritising of repairs for the city following the April natural disaster,” Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said.
“It continues to be a real challenge for Council to respond to this event that saw significant damage right across the city. While we completed the immediate clean up as quickly as possible, we are going to be faced with more complex repair works like that at Whitty Road for some time yet.
“We’re grateful to our residents’ patience as we continue to complete repairs as quickly as we can.”
