Concerned local residents are calling on Wollondilly Council to reopen Wilton Road as soon as possible.
But council says it may be at least a year before the damaged retaining wall on the western side of the Broughton Pass bridge can be repaired.
It may cost as much as $1 million or more for the repairs, council has told the Voice in Macarthur.
The retaining wall collapsed during the June 5 storms, taking with it part of the roadway.
Wollondilly Council closed Broughton Park indefinitely following the storms and is now awaiting the results of a geotechnical report.
This will be available next month and council says it will provide a more accurate picture of both the cost of repairs and how long they will take to complete.
But the closure has severely affected a lot of residents who travel between Appin and the southern townships of Wilton, Douglas Park, Bingara and Picton.
Sue Gay, the spokesperson for Help Save Appin group says local business and families are suffering financial hardship as a result of the closure of Broughton Pass.
“Are businesses just expected to be run into the ground and families to go broke,’’ Ms Gay said.
“Mothers are now having to get their children out of bed very early to allow them to make the long trip to schools to then drive back to attend work.’’
Affected families now have to go the long way to Appin, travelling along the Hume Highway, Narellan Road and Appin Road.
Wilton resident Fiona Bullivant is a case in point.
Before the closure it took her six minutes to get to work. It now takes her 45 minutes – and that’s just one way.
Ms Bullivant lives in Macarthur Drive, Wilton and works at Wilton Road, Appin.
Her home and her work are essentially either side of the road closure at Broughton Pass.
The two locations are 5.8 kilometres apart but with Broughton Pass closed Ms Bullivant now has to travel almost 50 kilometres to get to work, which costs her almost $50 more in fuel.
“This road closure is extremely disruptive. I can no longer pop home at lunch time to meet tradespeople fixing my hot water service, for example,’’ says Ms Bullivant.
“Picking the kids up from school is no longer an option, meaning that all orthodontist appointments will require up to half a day of leave to get from Appin to Picton (via alternate route) to get them from school in order to then get to Campbelltown before the orthodontist closes for the afternoon.
“Wilton Road is also an essential alternate route for the many times that Picton Road and Appin Road get closed due to accidents.
“It is more than just a road linking two communities. It is a route commonly used by people heading to Campbelltown from the Southern Highlands, Southern Illawarra and Picton and surrounds.’’
Wollondilly Council told the Voice in Macarthur it is working as quickly as possible to rectify the situation.
But it says it cannot do anything until the geotechnical report is completed, sometime in September.
“But we expect that Broughton Pass will most likely not be reopened for 12 months,’’ a council officer said.
Typical of how Macarthur gets dudded, development $$ everywhere but WSC has none? maybe @JaiRowell @AngusTaylorMP prioritise ?
The good news is that the state and federal government will pick up the bill and the state government has helped council ensuring that they put in the application for funding and assisting them through the process.