Photos of the landslip damage at Bulli Pass shows the edge of the road with nothing underneath to support it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As well as the unsupported section of road, other images show rocks along the roadside breaking away and coming to rest on the road surface, and guardrails not far from toppling away down the cliffside.
While people have been laying into Transport for NSW about the inconvenience of closing the pass at night for five months to fix landslip damage, the photos should give them pause for thought.
The heavy rains of March and June 2022 which caused the long-term damage to numerous roads in the Kiama LGA also saw earth supporting the Bulli Pass road washed away.
Starting on Tuesday, February 27, the pass will close from 7.30pm-4.30am from Sunday to Thursday.
The left-hand northbound lane about one kilometre downhill from the hairpin bend will be closed both day and night until repairs at this site are completed.
Three of the four landslip sites are located at the top section of Bulli Pass between the M1 Princes Motorway and hairpin bend, with another about one kilometre downhill from the bend.
If the pass was left unrepaired the road might be safe in the short term but would get worse over time.
A Transport for NSW spokesperson said there would be no risk to motorists using the pass during the day.
"As work is carried out over the coming months, Bulli Pass will remain safe for motorists to use during the day," the spokesperson said.
"Repair work will include reinstating a small section of rock fencing that has been impacted by one of the landslips."
There is also some cracking of the road surface at one of the four repair sites which has been sealed for the time being and will be fully repaired once the slope stabilisation work is completed.
The spokesperson said the night-time closure provided both safety for the workers and minimised inconvenience for drivers.
"The steep and narrow road at the landslip sites in the top section of Bulli Pass increases safety risks and requires the road to be closed to all traffic in both directions during work hours, to keep motorists and workers safe," the spokesperson said.
"Transport for NSW is committing multiple crews to work side by side who will carry out these repairs under night closures to minimise the impact to the community."
The treatment to be used on Bulli Pass is the same as on Lawrence Hargrave Drive at Stanwell Park in 2021 with no slope failures since in those treated sections.
However, while Bulli Pass will only see night-time closures, Stanwell Park residents had to contend with a full two-month closure of Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
The repair work includes installing more than 500 soil nails - steel rods which can be between 10 and 20 metres long - into the side of the mountain to hold the slope in place.
Then shotcrete - a spray-on concrete - will be applied to the areas. Shotcrete is often used to slow down erosion in landslip areas.