From the 9th to the 20th of March, Macquarie Pass was closed from 0930 to 1530 every day while the RTA carried out “road maintenance”. A BIG inconvenience for those for whom the Pass is their favourite playground. I got to know Jamberoo Mountain Road much better, but I still don’t like it.
Anyway, the Pass is now opened again and I have to say that the RTA and their contractors have done a super job. In the 2 weeks they have:
1. Sealed all of the remaining rough sections with top-quality, beautifully-laid hot mix. A total of 3 1/2 kilometres of new blacktop that means that the Pass is almost totally smooth, top to bottom. Several of the “dodgy” sections where irregularities in surface and longitudinal grooves used to uspet the bike have also been re-sealed and the whole of the road is now predictable and fun to ride.
Now that would have been well and truly enough, in my book, but, they have also:
2. Pruned back the encroaching bushes from the sides of the road thus making it wider and improving through-corner visibility.
3. Cleaned out the gutters alonside the road where they exist to assist water flow and stop water from flowing across the road instead of into the water table.
4. Felled a large number of older and diseased trees that used to regularly drop dead branches and twigs onto the road surface and also fall across the road and block it completely when really strong winds blew.
If you get the chance to visit the Illawarra in the near future, make sure you put a ride of the Pass on your agenda. They have done an excellent job, in my opinion.