Bain moved into one of the Barry family homes named "Lismore" and proceeded with the project. It was opened in October 1873 by Sir Henry Barkly and named the 'Southey Pass', after a former Colonial Secretary, but the locals preferred the original Tradouw Pass version and so it has remained despite the whims of officialdom.The road has suffered severe flood damage in it's 130 plus years of existence with several rebuilds being required. In 1979 a major rebuild took place which was not only a huge engineering success, but also an environmental one. Much of Bain's original stonework has been preserved and near the bottom of the pass at the modern, curved Andries Uys (1966) bridge over the Gats River, you will still find Thomas Bain's original timber 12 meter span bridge more or less intact.