Savage weather, which some have labelled a once-in-a-generation event, continues to cause devastation and wreak havoc on major roads, with the Bells Line now said to be completely out of action for the foreseeable future.
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A landslide and debris from it originally cause the highway to be closed near Mount Tomah over the weekend however, as reported by the NSW Transport Management Centre, it now appears the highway is shut with no forecast for when it will reopen.
Early on Tuesday morning a TMC spokesperson confirmed an additional landslide on Monday brought down more large trees and caused extreme damage to the road, with rain also impacting it and the mountainside's structural integrity.
"The road has been closed again due to safety concerns and will remain closed until further notice. The landslide has brought down a lot of trees, so there is no forecast as to when the road will reopen," the spokesperson said.
With one of the major roads linking the Central West to the eastern seaboard now closed, motorists are advised to use the Great Western Highway but allow for plenty of extra travel time as that route also remains impacted.
One of two westbound lanes remains closed on the Great Western Highway near Victoria Pass, also due to a landslide and resulting debris. The TMC suggested that lane will remain closed until rain lets up and allows the area to be properly assessed.
Further down the road on Bells Line the North Richmond Bridge between Pitt Lane and Chapel Street also remained closed due to flooding.
Bathurst's State Emergency Service unit also advised, on Tuesday morning, the low-level bridge on Hereford Street remains closed until further notice due to the Macquarie River well and truly overflowing the crossing.
The river was falling on Monday night after peaking that day, but further rain on Tuesday was likely to cause it to rise again.
Further south, the low-level Abercrombie Road bridge across the Abercrombie River is still under water with motorists being turned around on either side.
Elsewhere, the Jenolan Caves Road between the Great Western Highway and Edith Road was closed in both directions with drivers to take an alternate along the Great Western Highway to Bathurst and then O'Connell Road to Oberon.
That road is expected to be closed for several days.
The Jenolan Caves precinct was closed to the public on Friday and, in an update on Monday night, was still expected to be closed throughout Tuesday.
A number of local roads in the Central West are also still impacted, with the TMC advising anyone needing to travel to stay stay informed via Live Traffic and drive to the conditions.
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