Horsley residents will have a smoother ride to and from Brooks Reach Estate, with work on a treacherous stretch of Bong Bong Road near Mallon Avenue occurring this week.
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A large section has now been sealed, following a flood of safety complaints in recent months drawing attention to giant potholes and general degradation of the road.
Natalie Sikoski's husband was one of many who had raised the issue with Wollongong City Council, estate developer Stockland and contractor Menai Civil, and she is pleased something is being done.
"Definitely happy they've sealed parts of it, though the part they've sealed off wasn't really the problem area but they've made a start," she said.
"It definitely should have been done before all these people moved in ... it's a little bit frustrating, I guess, to see the Brooks Reach North part of the estate, those roads [are] immaculate."
With the mounting number of complaints regarding the main road in and out of the area, Wollongong Council notified Stockland it would not sign off on its next land releases at Brooks Reach North until the Bong Bong Road upgrade was complete and to the required standard.
Construction initially began late last year. Stockland has said the road will be completed by mid-May, and has apologised to residents and surrounding communities for the "extended duration" of the road works.
Another resident who didn't want to be named, said it was "not all negative" and had nothing but praise for construction workers often seen out at odd hours filling potholes.
"The blokes were down here on Sunday, one was in his pyjamas [holding the] lollipop while the other bloke was [working on a pothole] and they were getting abused by residents because they were working, and one actually got spat on," he said.
"Instead of 20 minutes, I'll spend two hours washing my car to get the tar off it," he said.
However, dirt and tar-covered cars aren't the only problem - there are still concerns over who is liable for worse damage to vehicles including scarred paintwork, cracked windscreens and blown tyres.
The Mercury understands at least one complainant, who suffered a motorcycle accident on the road, was given compensation by Menai Civil.
Robert Stephenson is also seeking compensation after a tyre blew and wheel rim was damaged last Friday when his wife's one-month-old Mazda 3 struck a pothole.
"I know these things happen, but if we have to buy new rims for the car that's well over a $1000 bill - that's $1000 I can throw off my mortgage," he said.
Comment was sought from Menai Civil.