Landslip on Snowy Mountains Highway following South Coast storms, floods

Significant rainfall and flooding during last week saw widespread damage to roads, causeways and bridges across the Far South Coast, with a full assessment yet to be confirmed.

The torrential downpour also resulted in another landslip on the Snowy Mountains Hwy on the notorious Brown Mountain pass.

The Fix the Brown community campaign has been calling for governments to fund a $15million expert engineering study of Brown Mountain to recommend how to upgrade it to a safe, reliable all-weather link - or identify a viable alternative route.

Campaign coordinator Jon Gaul said Saturday's storm damage was yet another example of the state highway's instability and unreliability.

He said Saturday's incident occurred exactly where attempts at stabilisation took place in 2020.

"Temporary band aid solutions don't address public safety," Mr Gaul said.

"They found $4billion for the 'spaghetti junction' Rozelle Interchange in Sydney, just opened amid confusion. But they can't rake up a modest $7.5m each for a $15m expert, external engineering study to work out how to fix the notorious Brown Mountain Road."

Mr Gaul said the Brown Mountain section of the Snowy Mountains Highway was a vital transport artery linking the NSW Far South Coast to Canberra, Cooma and the Monaro.

However the road was unstable, subject to frequent landslides, landslips, tree falls and rock falls, and subject to regular closures and single-lane blockages.

"Saturday's latest landslip will impact important summer tourism access to the Sapphire Coast as well as essential fuel and retail and wholesale supplies, vital health access to Canberra, education, agriculture and friends and relative's visitation," Mr Gaul said.

"The road is not capable of carrying B-double truck traffic adding cost and delay to transport and affecting livelihoods and cost of living."

READ ALSO: Combined business chambers throw their weight behind Fix the Brown Mountain campaign

A short section of Brown Mountain has been subject to single-lane access since another serious landslip in March 2022, which Transport NSW says won't be fixed until mid-2024 - 27 months of single lane blockage and delays.

"Now commuters are faced with a second restricted traffic zone on the dangerous misty covered mountain pass," Mr Gaul said.

"Will this latest landslip take two and a half years to fix?

IN OTHER NEWS:

"As a result of our Fix the Brown Campaign petitions and citizen advocacy, the three local elected representatives in southg-east NSW - Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Kristy McBain, State Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, and State Member for Bega, Dr Michael Holland - wrote a joint letter to the NSW Roads Minister detailing Brown Mountain issues and appealing for action. That was in May.

"I have not been told a reply has been received," Mr Gaul said.

"Who's got the answers? Who's raising the questions.

"The only action seemingly taken by the federal government has been to take away funds from road improvement and initiatives like the Jindabyne bypass."

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