Jenolan Caves Road is set to open later today (Friday, August 12), for Caves House patrons and Jenolan Caves ticket holders, almost six weeks after a landslip in heavy rain closed the road.
The road's reopening follows three difficult years for the precinct, who have not only had to work around COVID-19, but regular landslips, all after the site was largely cut off during the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.
NSW Deputy Premier and Bathurst MP, Paul Toole, said crews had worked around the clock to remove more than 100 tonnes of debris from the Two Mile section of Jenolan Caves Road to restore access to the tourist precinct from 4pm.
"They have installed about 300 metres of traffic separation devices between the Caves House precinct entrance and the upper visitor car park that will strengthen the slope to allow the safe passage of patrons and essential maintenance staff.
"Reopening the road for people with Caves House bookings or managed caves tour bookings is a huge win for tourism operators."
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said crews would remain onsite to continue working towards opening Jenolan Caves Road to all traffic.
"Transport is developing slope stabilisation treatments to remediate these failures and specialist contractors will be engaged to carry out the work.
"July's deluge also triggered a 75-metre downslope failure immediately west of Burma Road and immediately above the upper visitor car park, and Transport has engaged specialist technical consultants to develop geotechnical and civil design treatments for this failure."
Additional traffic management measures will be in place during the day for the Jenolan Caves reopening from Friday, August 12. The road will remain closed after hours.
Single direction travel will be managed by hard road closures and a staffed escort vehicle between the precinct entrance and the upper visitor car park during hours of operation.
