The prospect of a year-long road closure doesn't sit well with residents of Kembla Grange.
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Since April, Darkes Road in that suburb has been closed due to damage to a bridge.
A corner of the bridge has become undermined, causing the road surface to fall away.
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Rebekah Murray-Smith lives on Darkes Road and claimed Wollongong City Council told her the road could be closed until next year.
The road provided a direct link to the Princes Highway; now motorists have to take the long way around to get in and out.
"We've got to go up West Dapto Road, pretty much circumventing the rest of Kembla Grange to get anywhere," Ms Murray-Smith said.
"It pretty much adds on another 15-20 minutes travel time, not to mention all the fuel that it takes and the wear and tear on cars as well because that road is just in the worst state."
She has started up a Change.org petition which has collected almost 800 signatures, calling on council to speed up the bridge repairs.
"It makes perfect sense to have it closed so it can be repaired," Ms Murray-Smith said, "but council have indicated that it's not going to be until a year's time that they actually reopen it.
"That's just not good enough. We pay our rates to use the roads around here and we can't use the main road."
A council spokeswoman said the road was closed "as an urgent matter of public safety".
"We appreciate that this is an inconvenience to some residents and businesses, and we're working as quickly as possible to repair the road so that it is safe for people to access," the spokeswoman said.
When asked whether the road would be closed for a year, the spokeswoman said council did not have a time-frame in place for the project.
"Design investigations have already begun," she said.
"We will be looking to fast-track any works. Due to the complexity of the road repairs required, this project will take some time to complete and we will continue to keep our community informed on this project.
"Council will provide an update on anticipated time-frames once design and approvals are finalised."
The spokeswoman also reminded motorists not to drive past the roadblocks and signage.
"The road is closed for your safety, and we didn't make the decision to close the road lightly," she said.
"Please use alternate routes via West Dapto Road and Bong Bong Road to travel safely to your destination and continue to follow the road rules."
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