Her neighbour Kathleen Wansey said the underground drilling caused her floors and front door to shift, while new cupboards cannot be opened because they scrape the floor.
“Repairs are opening up again in the masonry,” she said. “Under the house is always wet. There is significant subsidence in the back garden, and the septic system now sits well above the recommended soil line.”
The aftermath of underground drilling, which Medlow Bath residents say has damaged their properties.Credit: Noel Painton Smith
Wansey said the property damage caused by underground drilling added to the impact of the roadworks on her health.
“The vibration and noise not only makes it impossible to sleep or work, but it affects the air pressure in my ears – a bit like driving in the car with one back window open,” she said.
However, they said their concerns about the stability of their home had not been taken seriously by Abergeldie and Transport for NSW.
Abergeldie executive general manager Mark Whelan directed questions to Transport for NSW, whose spokeswoman called the frac-out a “geotechnical event” that was not a “reportable incident” to the state’s Environment Protection Authority.
She said the agency “appreciated” construction projects can impact residents and looked to minimise potential impacts wherever possible.
An EPA spokeswoman said the incident had already been cleaned up before the environmental agency was notified, “so we are unable to say whether or not it was a reportable incident”.
“At all times, Transport for NSW has assured property owners that any damage found to be a consequence of the Medlow Bath Upgrade will be remediated by the contractor,” the spokeswoman said.
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A technical report into the incident was sent to residents the same day this masthead sent questions to the transport agency.
Complaints about the roadworks’ impact, meanwhile, prompted the transport agency to offer Painton Smith and Wansey up to $700 a week to live elsewhere.
The Transport for NSW spokeswoman said the sum was more than the median rent for the area, but Painton Smith said it was not enough to rent a property equivalent to her home.
“When it comes down to it, they are expecting me to be responsible for rental upkeep and utilities when they know my husband has terminal cancer,” she said.
Wansey said the impact of the roadworks and inadequate accommodation offer had forced her to give away her cat.
“There was no way I could find a reasonable place to live in with my pets,” she said. “Nor could I afford to run and maintain two houses even if, as a single working older woman, I had the capacity.”
The Transport for NSW spokeswoman said noise and vibrations were closely monitored “and to date has not exceeded its set limits”.
She said additional noise blankets had been installed around homes and machinery, while residents had been offered earbuds, noise-cancelling headphones, alternative accommodation and space to work. Some properties were also offered double glazing.
The spokeswoman said the company had amended its standard relocation agreement after residents complained that it was unfair and imposed out-of-pocket expenses.
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“As part of the relocation, Transport covers costs with the exception of the bond, which provides surety for the property’s upkeep and utilities,” she said.
She also said residents were given regular updates on the project to “help them plan their week”.
“Construction can be changeable, and in the Blue Mountains, weather regularly impacts works,” she said.
Blue Mountains Labor MP Trish Doyle said investigations were under way at a number of properties following the drilling incident.
“I appreciate that some Medlow Bath residents feel aggrieved by the impacts of roadworks through their village,” she said.
Doyle said she had asked the transport agency to “re-engage on some of the matters” raised by Painton Smith and her neighbours.
