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The sound of rainforest songbirds will soon replace the sound of earthmoving and drilling equipment on Urliup Road.
Tweed hinterland connection road between Bilambil and Urliup was badly damaged during the 2022 floods with 6 slip sites posing a risk to traffic.
Council engaged contractors Hazell Bros to carry out $5 million worth of flood restoration works to repair the slips, which started in March with an estimated completion time of 42 weeks.
The works involved securing downslope and upslope sites with soil nails and anchors, gabion baskets and shotcrete.
Specialised drilling crews were brought in, using ropes to access the slip sites with purpose-built drilling machines.
Council Project Manager Brad Turner said Hazell Bros and their subcontractors have worked efficiently to have the damage on Urliup Road restored well ahead of schedule.
“It has been great to work with the team on this project and see their commitment to accommodating the local community who have been affected by the works,” Mr Turner said.
Hazell Bros senior supervisor Troy Aberdeen said due to the skills and proficiency of the drilling crews, the Urliup Road project was completed well ahead of schedule with the road fully open to through traffic again early this month.
“We had estimated that this may take until October but factors have gone our way and we are pleased to be able to restore the road quickly,” Mr Aberdeen said.
“On behalf of Hazell Bros, we would like to thank the Urliup community for their patience and understanding in what has been a technically challenging job. They have been great to work with.”
Urliup Road resident Peter Oldham said the community was delighted to hear that the road would be open again well ahead of the initial completion date.
“This is very welcome news for us all and we sincerely thank the contractors for their courtesies and consideration,” Mr Oldham said.
“We first met with the Hazell Bros team in January and they explained the impact of the restoration work on residents’ movements.
“They have kept us informed about the project and worked with us to address any of our concerns. It has been interesting to observe what the crews have been doing over the past four months. I commend them on their safety regimes and how they have managed the worksites.
“It will certainly be a lot quieter around here when they finish up.”
Completion of these 6 slip sites reduces the total number of ‘road damages’ still to be fixed to approximately 550. A total of 3,780 items were identified as ‘road damage’ across the Tweed Shire from the February and March 2022 events, with the vast majority now restored. The remaining damage items are large and complex, with completion expected by mid-2026.
