A community-led petition to have the Brown Mountain highway "fixed" is gaining traction in the lead-up to the March state election.
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Both the NSW Liberals and the current Labor Member for Bega have verbally committed to raising the prospect of the stretch of highway being recognised as a "road of strategic importance".
Such recognition would subsequently attract the potential of federal funding for more significant repairs, or indeed a replacement.
The Snowy Mountains Hwy at Brown Mountain has long been a bane of motorists and a lynchpin for the Far South Coast retail and tourism economy.
Every storm event invariably leads to anxiety over its condition - anxiety well deserved given the multiple landslips and rockslides that have occurred on the mountain pass over the years.
Currently a section of the highway pass is single lane under alternating traffic light conditions while repairs and strengthening works on several landslip sites are carried out.
In recent years the highway has even been closed to traffic entirely while fallen boulders and landslips were cleared, creating significant negative impacts to the economy of the Far South Coast.
Looking to get the "unsafe, unstable, unreliable and unsustainable" road recognised at a federal level, Jon Gaul of Tura Beach took to Change.org.
The online petition and community advocacy was flagged during a visit to the Bega Valley last week by NSW Minister for Regional Roads and Transport Sam Farraway.
Here to announce state government funding for several timber bridge replacements in the Bega district, Mr Farraway also responded to questions regarding listing the Brown Mountain as a road of strategic importance.
Mr Farraway said petitioning the Commonwealth government to have the road included "certainly has my support as NSW regional roads minister".
"I will be following a process with Transport for NSW who will be engaging with the federal transport agency to start the process of lobbying Canberra to get Brown Mountain on to the ROSI list.
"This certainly has my support. We are now looking for the support of Prime Minister Albanese and Kristy McBain.
"We will put in the formal request over the coming months and let's hope it's added to the list and funding opportunities become available into the future."
Meanwhile, sitting Bega MP Michael Holland said Labor was also supportive of the push, saying he would "support any advocacy to the federal government".
"The South East of NSW has no roads listed on the national Roads of Strategic Importance list," Dr Holland said.
"The importance of east-west connectivity is self-evident in the Bega electorate with our essential highways of the Snowy Mountains Hwy and Kings Hwy.
"This importance extends to passenger, freight and emergency services. It needs to be a safe and secure connection to the ACT and southern NSW.
"The Far South Coast will increase in population, experience increased tourist traffic and increased freight traffic from businesses in the Bega Valley and the Port of Eden."
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Dr Holland said he met with representatives of the Fix the Brown Mountain campaign in December 2022.
"We agreed that it needs to be a bipartisan approach with cooperation at local, state and federal levels," he said.
"I have raised the issue with Jenny Aitchison, the shadow Minister for Regional Roads and Transport, who has been thoroughly briefed on roads and transport in the Bega electorate."
Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick said it was great to hear there was support for the long-spoken about move.
He highlighted how important the route was for the Bega Valley not just for local, tourist and freight traffic, but also as key access to Canberra Hospital.
"It will be pleasing news for the community to hear there is some action being taken and their voices are being heard," Cr Fitzpatrick said.
While a result was still only a hypothetical and with an unknown timeframe, it was encouraging to have both sides of state politics commit to raising the issue.
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