The reconstruction of one of the region's most flood-affected areas, Comboyne Road, is progressing well and due for completion mid-year.
Over the past eight months, contractors PJ Warner have been carefully undertaking repairs to restore slips along Comboyne Road's steep embankments, which were washed away during the March 2021 floods.
With embankment works almost complete to address two of the road's more difficult sites between Byabarra and Comboyne, attention will now turn to the third site at "Chook Corner". Once all sections of road embankments have been repaired and stabilised, it will just leave road pavement reconstruction to be completed.
In the meantime, minor delays should be expected at all three of the impacted sites in the short term, so please exercise caution and follow the direction of traffic management throughout the works' zones.
Port Macquarie Hastings Council Director Community Infrastructure, Robert Fish, said with good weather the reconstruction program should be complete within the next three months.
"We are on schedule to be completed by mid-year, which was our original target when work on the project commenced in August last year," Mr Fish said.
"The work undertaken by our contractor to remain on target has been significant. I appreciate the significant effort they have put in during the construction phase, which follows from Council navigating the necessary approvals and securing funding to engage a contractor to undertake these major repairs.
"I want to thank the Comboyne community and those that use this road regularly for their patience during the past three years and look forward to when we can open Comboyne Road without impacts to road users."
The $7 million Comboyne Road Restoration project, jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, is part of Port Macquarie Hastings Council's (PMHC) long-term flood recovery works, which commenced with the first of several major rain and flooding events in March 2021.
