Hornsby floods: Northern Sydney residents impacted as repair works continue on key road link

Transport officials say it could take another two and a half months to repair damage to a key transport link in Sydney’s north as residents continue to face long and frustrating detours.

Residents in Sydney’s north are facing ongoing transport woes almost two months after a landslip cut off one of the region’s vital road corridors.

The impacts of this year’s record rainfall events are continuing to be felt in the Hornsby Council region following the closure of Galston Rd due to a landslip on February 26.

The road, which traverses Galston Gorge, is the only direct transport route from the upper north shore and Hornsby to towns including Arcadia, Glenorie and Galston in the west.

A photo of the damage at Galston Rd.

Impacted residents say they are now working from home or avoiding travel unless necessary to avoid long detours via Cherrybrook or Berowra Waters which can add up to two hours to the round east-west journey.

Adding to their frustration in recent weeks, the alternative Berowra Waters route – which requires a short ferry crossing – was earlier this year placed under additional pressure when a larger ferry was replaced a temporary vessel which according to Hornsby Council had “restricted vehicle carrying capacity”.

One of the detours involves a ferry trip at Berowra Waters.

Transport for NSW said the temporary vessel had the same capacity as the larger ferry, which was returned to service late last week following upgrade works.

Karen Prentice – owner of Berowra Waters’s popular What the Fish restaurant – said many residents and visitors have been giving the tourist hotspot a wide berth.

“Because of all the extra cars having to detour, people are having to come to the ferry much earlier in the morning just to get to work on time,” she said.

“A lot of the locals are also staying home and we haven’t seen as many visitors as we usually get – I think people are avoiding the area.

Galston Rd could remain shut until the end of June.

“There seems no enthusiasm to speed up the reopening of Galston Rd and that’s what’s leading to the general frustration and aggro.”

Transport for NSW said it expects Galston Rd to remain closed for up to another 10 weeks after heavy rainfall resulted in deposited rock, trees and soil to block the roadway.

“There are six slippage sites damaged by heavy rainfall, of which five have been remediated to date,” a spokesman said.

“This work includes around 550 tonnes of rock being removed from the slopes, including some large boulders, while shotcreting and rock bolts have been used to stabilise rock faces.

Sonja Cameron pictured at her Arcadia nursery.

“Our teams have been completing work as safely and quickly as possible.”

Sonja Cameron, who owns Cameron’s Nursery in Arcadia, said the closure of the Galston Rd coupled with recent ferry constraints has put the patience of residents to the test.

“You get to a point where you just don’t go anywhere because the detour you have to go through is a lot more kilometres in the car and that hurts especially when petrol prices are so high,” she said.

“Local businesses in Galston village are all hurting – there’s not the visitor spending you’d get this time of year for a tourist trail and the people aren’t coming through.

A photo of one of the boulders on Galston Rd.

“The community is very forgiving but a lot of the frustration is we haven’t been told when the issues will be fixed and why its taken so long.”

In Galston, Craig’s Butchery owner Craig Bell estimated his trade has taken a 25 per cent hit due to the closure of Galston Rd.

“A lot of our customers are on just the other side of the gorge and would usually drive over because they like our snags but can’t get here,” he said.

“The extra time in the car is a big bummer for everyone, it’s not good for anyone.”