There was a whiff of irony mixed with the smoke haze which drifted across the Kings Highway on Tuesday as police warned of the traffic patrolling to come over the festive season.
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For the first time in the 11 years in which NSW and ACT police have shared the effort in patrolling their sections of the busy Kings Highway over the summer, at least half the highway has been closed to through traffic.
The Clyde Mountain section between Braidwood and Nelligen may continue to be closed, albeit re-opened at intermittent times, over the weeks to come, according to the NSW Rural Fire Service.
For the first time, the Kings Highway initiative, which usually brings together representatives from the South Coast shires, the ACT and local police, had to be split into two events because of the severed public highway access.
The highway was shut on Sunday after flare-ups in the wake of the Currowan Creek bushfire which began over two weeks ago.
The South Coast bushfire has consumed almost 93,00 hectares of forest and in doing so last week burned fiercely all the way to the coastal fringe, including into the traditional Canberra holiday haunts of North Durras and Bawley Point.
The fire has repeatedly caused issues for access from Braidwood to the NSW South Coast.
Thousands of holidaymakers from the ACT and surrounding region use the 141km highway during the forthcoming summer holiday season, which begins in earnest on Thursday when ACT public schools close for the year.
Tourism is the primary industry for the local Eurobodalla Shire and the passing trade to and from the South Coast was quoted in a council report as "absolutely vital for the economy and employment within the township of Braidwood".
The highway only reopened late last week after being shut for more than seven days due to firefighting and backburning operations in the aftermath of the Currowan Creek blaze.
But Sunday brought a flare-up on the steep Clyde Mountain section of the highway, on the eastern side of the range, which moved a firefront quickly uphill in the Misty Mountain Road and Government Bend sections.
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While the firefront didn't cross the highway, an easterly wind licked the flames along the perimeter, and trees damaged by the fire forced it to close again.
"This remains an area we need to keep a close eye on; we had another spot-over fire this afternoon north of Government Bend," rural fire service spokesman Phil Paterson said.
"We have had two water-bombing aircraft working specifically in that Government Bend area to stop it escalating. We also have some heavy plant and our remote crews on standby ready to go in when it is safe to do so."
A total fire ban is in place across NSW until midnight Saturday.
Police advised Canberra motorists intending to use the highway to check before they leave with the LiveTraffic app and website, which is updated by NSW Transport.
However, on Tuesday afternoon the app, which claims to display "live traffic updates and traveller information", was still displaying traffic information from 24 hours previously.
Even after the Kings Highway is clear of a fire threat and any debris removed, the key safety issue which remains is fire-damaged trees.
Tree assessment teams examine those may fall and if uncertain, fell the tree and safely remove it. By necessity, it's a slow and careful process.
Some road markers and warning signs also have been fire-damaged, which poses a risk to drivers who are unfamiliar with the winding mountain road.
With the Araluen Rd accessible only to local residents, alternative access routes from Canberra to the South Coast include via Cooma and Bemboka to Bega, or via Kangaroo Valley to south Nowra.
"The incident management team is very much aware of, at this time of the year, the impact that closing the highway has on the local community and on people who plan to travel to the South Coast," he said.
"The safety of people using the highway is our major concern."