Woodburn resident David Freeman has a simple message for Prime Minister Scott Morrison: "Step in and say to the Army, 'We want Bailey bridges, we want these roads open to expedite the recovery process'."
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On January 4, as the Currowan fire ran north from Lemon Tree Creek, it destroyed the bridge on Wheelbarrow Road, cutting access to the Princes Highway south of Ulladulla.
For Mr Freeman, the 12km drive into Ulladulla now involves a 35km trip through Milton.
"There are people all along Woodburn Road, Clyde Ridge Road, and Three Falls Road, Brooman. They're all having problems with bridges and they all have to go that extra distance to get around Wheelbarrow Road," he said.
"It's a safety issue."
He is worried he and other residents would be trapped if the road to Milton was blocked in another fire emergency.
"If anything happened, we'd lose our only way out."
Shoalhaven City Council has been told the Army would not provide temporary bridging.
Mr Freeman said the Prime Minister should use his authority to direct the Army to help out with Bailey bridges to help the district recover.
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"It doesn't matter who's working out here - tradespeople, fencers, contractors - they're all spending hours a week driving the long way around. It's really not acceptable."
Mr Freeman and his old friend Les Rash were cleaning up the property on Wednesday ahead of the forecast return of heatwave conditions on Friday and Saturday.
"I'm exhausted, physically and mentally," the 70-year-old said, choking back tears. He's had trouble sleeping ever since he and his wife stayed to defend their property.
"Every time you get a gust of wind or you see a cloud you think, 'Is there fire or smoke in that cloud?'" he said.
Fixing the bridge and restoring access to Ulladulla would help soothe that lingering anxiety.
