Road Ahead: Progress on Repairs and Projects - May

Roadwork crews continued to keep busy delivering improvement works across our road network during May. 

Customer Requests: 153  

Pothole Repairs:  

• 898 potholes were filled and repaired at Wingello, Penrose, Paddy's river, Mandemar, Woodlands, High Range, Glenquarry, Wildes Meadow, Fitzroy Falls, Kangaloon, Burrawang and Robertson. 

• Throughout June, crews will focus on addressing potholes in Exeter, then Bowral, Mittagong and Moss Vale. 

Road Upgrades:  

• Sealed Drainage: 280 metres and 47 drainage structures and pollutant traps cleared. 

• Unsealed: 9.8 kilometres grading and 19.5 kilometres of associated drainage was undertaken on Red Hills Road, Gwen Road, Manning lookout Road, Rotherwood Road, Seabrooke Road, Mylors Street, King Street, and Soapy Flat Road. 

• Resealing Program: 1420 metres of works completed on Moresby Hills Road and Wilson Drive. 

• Asphalt renewal: Works completed on 130 metres of Wembly Road. 

• Heavy Patching: 4 sections along Wilson Drive, Balmoral, and 8 on Wombeyan Caves Road in Woodlands and High Range 

 Retford Park Retention Basin  

If you’ve travelled down Old South Road in Bowral recently and noticed activity near the Merrigang Street turn-off, you might be wondering what's happening. This site is home to the Retford Farm Detention Basin, a key flood mitigation project by Wingecarribee Shire Council.  

Originally proposed in the Bowral Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan adopted in 2009, the basin is designed to reduce flood risks associated with Mittagong Creek, which flows through the heart of Bowral. 

With rainfall patterns across Eastern Australia becoming more intense and less predictable, the basin serves as critical infrastructure to safeguard residential properties and public assets from flood damage. 

In 2022, Council secured $4.6 million in funding from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment under the National Flood Mitigation Infrastructure Program. The grant, provided under a 3:1 funding arrangement, allowed for full-scale construction of the basin to proceed. 

Construction Progress 

While most of the construction is complete, recent wet weather in late May and cooler conditions have inhibited the laying of ground coverings. Working in low-lying areas with active water flow brings its own challenges, but Council is pushing ahead. 

The good news is that the embankment has now reached its final design height, meaning the basin is ready to perform its flood mitigation role when the next big storm rolls in. 

Key Features: 

• The embankment stands approximately six metres above the average flow of Mittagong Creek levels. 

• It was built using 82,000 cubic metres of site-won materials. 

• It’s designed to manage up to a 1-in-100 Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) flood event. 

• The basin can temporarily hold up to 320 million litres of stormwater — that's 128 Olympic swimming pools!  

• Stored water is gradually released through a piped culvert, flowing into Mittagong Creek and continuing safely through Bowral. 

In early 2024, Council expanded the project by adding a weir upstream of the culvert. This improves the basin’s ability to manage smaller, more frequent flood events down to a 1-in-2 AEP occurrence.