Roads Update
After the rain last week and across the weekend the focus this week has been on repairs – getting things back to where they were in terms of getting roads open for local access. As we said last week – we are taking one step forward and three steps back.
Again – causeways have been closed, roads damaged and the potholes have re-opened and new ones have appeared.
Here is the latest information.
Upper Wilsons Creek
Crews at Upper Wilsons Creek this week were repairing culvert crossings and improving access while the sun was out.
Huonbrook
Aside from continuing to work on creating access, maintaining access and renewing access we had a crew working on building a carpark adjacent to the impassable slip so that residents have a place to leave their cars.
Main Arm
This week Council staff met with residents about a range of issues but the common themes are road and causeway damage, initial and long-term repairs.
A team has been replacing guideposts on Main Arm creek crossings and another has been clearing out culverts and causeways in Main Arm.
How to report your damaged road
We appreciate local knowledge so please report what you can to us via on the front page of our website.
Other roads around the Shire
Byron Shire’s road network has been significantly impacted by the recent flooding events.
Council’s estimate of the cost of recovery and rebuilding after the recent flood events is around $180 million.
Over 200 new infrastructure projects have been added to Council’s works program over the last month, in direct response to the scale of damage caused by the natural disaster.
We want our community to understand that the floods have caused major damage to our road and infrastructure network.
The size and complexity of some projects, combined with the fact that land slips in our Shire are still moving means some of our rebuilding is going to take years to complete.
We moved quickly on temporary works to repair damaged bridges, causeways and roads so that people had access in and out of our significantly affected hinterland communities.
Now we face the bigger task of rebuilding and that is the marathon ahead for us as an organisation.
Drains
We continued cleaning and vacuuming out the drainage network, including some open drain clearing work this week. Our crews are focusing on priority areas for general maintenance.
NSW Flood Inquiry
Thank you to everyone who shared their flood stories and experiences with Council via our Your Say Byron Shire web page. Your input will be included in our submission to the Inquiry.
