JENOLAN Caves will be temporarily closed from Friday morning with heavy rainfall forecast in the area.
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Jenolan Caves has temporarily suspended all activities including the hotel, café, restaurant, cave tours and bushwalks with roads in and out of the facility expected to be closed until to close from 7am.
Transport for NSW director Western Alistair Lunn said there were concerns about how an inundation of water would affect the recently bushfire-ravaged landscape.
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"Closing the road again is the last thing we want to have to do but for safety reasons we have no choice. We are working closely with Jenolan Caves to ensure they are aware," Mr Lunn said.
"Loss of vegetation, particularly ground cover, in fire affected areas has resulted in large areas of exposed soil on steep slopes which in turn are more susceptible to landslides and erosion.
"There are also a significant number of loose rock fragments which have an increased likelihood of rolling down the slope and on to the road.
"Given current weather forecasts are predicting heavy and prolonged rainfall in the area over the coming days, the first in the area since the bushfires, it is essential for safety reasons that the road is closed until it can be assessed safe for traffic."
Jenolan Caves posted on its website that the RMS had closed all roads in and out of Jenolan from 7am on Friday, February 7 until Monday, February 10.
"Both Jenolan Caves Road and Edith Road will be closed," the website stated.
Mr Lunn said a geotechnical assessment of the road will be carried out by crews as soon as it was safe to do so once the rain had subsided.
Go to RMS Live Traffic for the latest road conditions.
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