Council
8 February, 2026
Work to start soon on two disaster-affected roads
Wombeyan Caves Road may soon lose its title as one of the worst roads in the Wingecarribee Shire.
Wombeyan Caves Road may soon lose its title as one of the worst roads in the Wingecarribee Shire.
Wingecarribee Shire Council has advised that recovery works will soon commence on Wombeyan Caves Road as well as Meryla Road.
The works are being jointly funded by the Australian Government and the NSW Government through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.
The NSW Reconstruction Authority has formally provided the funding which means the works can proceed.
The $6.1 million investment will deliver critical repairs across both roads including slope stabilisation, drainage improvements and pavement construction.
However, it still leaves a $37 million shortfall in the funding WSC says is required to repair priority roads after repeated floods and storms since 2019.
Work on Wombeyan Caves Road will commence this month and will continue through until September, weather permitting.
It will include reconstruction at seven separate locations.
Meryla Road repairs will also commence this month at three separate sites and will continue through until July.
Works on both roads will be staged to minimise disruption.
Wingecarribee mayor Jesse Fitzpatrick described the commencement of works as a “long-awaited milestone”.
“These works are the result of a complex process involving detailed planning, design and disaster funding approvals – which all take time before construction can begin.
“The works will restore damaged infrastructure and help maintain safe reliable access for residents, emergency services, businesses and visitors,” he said.
Cr Fitzpatrick said maintaining and upgrading roads was a key focus of council’s current term – although road maintenance issues are still causing discontent across the shire.
More than 60 per cent of the people who responded to council’s community sentiment survey last year identified roads as the area needing most attention.
Federal Member for Whitlam Carol Berry said she was contacted ‘regularly’ by residents of the Southern Highlands concerned about the state of local roads.
She said the works on Wombeyan Caves Road and Meryla Road were “sorely needed”.
“I know that local residents will be grateful for these improvements,” she said.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Kristy McBain said the works would be deliver “safer and stronger transport links” for local communities, ensuring local residents, visitors and emergency services can travel with confidence.
“After successive floods and storms have repeatedly damaged these key routes, we are delivering a coordinated recovery effort that will rebuild these crucial roads for the communities that depend on them,” she said.
Wingecarribee Shire Council has provided an extensive list of works being undertaken as part of its disaster recovery roadworks schedule – but only lists those works with a progress status of ‘in progress’ and not of those that are planned, subject to funding.
Council has consistently said it is making “great progress” to repairs on local roads, despite the $43 million in damage caused by natural disasters in recent years.
Read More: Southern Highlands