The Kings Highway in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, reopened to traffic on 14 January after it was closed due to damage caused by the Australian bushfires.

The Kings Highway stretches from the country’s capital Canberra to the Batemans Bay, a town in NSW’s South Coast.

Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole stated that the crew of Transport for NSW has worked hard to reopen the roads that were damaged by the fires.

The reopening of the roads will restore road connections to the communities that were majorly affected by the fires.

Toole said: “The fires have caused substantial damage and loss to local communities, including cutting off key transport routes like the Kings Highway, which has been closed between Braidwood and North Batemans Bay.

“Reopening these roads is critical to supporting recovery efforts and movement of supplies into the region, as well as supporting the return of visitors to the area.

“Up to 70 workers a day have been on the ground to reopen the Kings Highway since the recovery effort began on Monday 6 January, and today I am pleased to see it will be open to all road users weeks ahead of schedule.”

The closure of the highway led to the loss of trade in the region as it is the main connection to and from the South Coast.

Around 1,200 hazardous trees were removed as part of the work along the 43km highway section. In addition, 43 damaged guardrails and 500 cats eye reflector lights were repaired.

The bushfires along the South Coast are still burning and the efforts to contain the fires are being carried out.