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Flood restoration work on the Tweed's road network continues with Council engaging contractor Hazell Brothers Group to restore six damaged sites caused by landslips from the 2022 floods along Urliup Road.
The $5 million restoration project involves extensive ground restabilisation and road reconstruction works to restore the road to its pre-flood condition.
The project will be undertaken in three stages over a period of approximately 42 weeks, with works currently scheduled for completion by October 2024, weather permitting.
The contractor has commenced work on five of the six sites along Urliup Road, with site establishment, vegetation clearing and temporary access construction completed.
Work crews have also completed preliminary excavation works on the first site and are preparing to commence reconstruction with gabion baskets and soil nails.
Stabilisation works on the upslope slip are more than halfway completed with specialist rope access technicians installing rock anchors for stabilisation using a specialised machine called a Marini.
Council is also in the process of acquiring some private land adjacent to Urliup Road to help with the restoration process, while an easement has been created on a downhill slip site for future maintenance.
Acting Director Engineering Danny Rose thanked the community for their patience while these vital flood restoration works are undertaken.
"This is a challenging project for our flood restoration team, with six landslides and steep and narrow terrain to navigate but we are pleased to see some great progress on restoring Urliup Road to its pre-flood condition," Mr Rose said.
"It has taken some time to get to the point we are at now with design and approvals and preparatory work recently completed – and we still have at least six months of construction work ahead of us before completion.
"We thank the community for their patience while we undertake these works."
Mr Rose said while there would be some disruption, particularly for local residents over coming months, Council and its contractor would communicate and provide updates wherever possible.
With works commencing, the road will be temporarily closed to traffic between 9 am and 3 pm, Monday to Friday, between 1041 to 1110 Urliup Road during Stage 1, weather permitting.
Outside of these times, sites will remain open under a single lane will traffic lights to ensure the safety of motorists and on-site crews, and to help facilitate the movement of heavy machinery and equipment.
Motorists are urged to use Hogans and/or Dulguigan roads as alternative routes during work hours. Electronic signage at the start of Urliup Road (both ends) will advise of changed conditions plus any up-to-date information.
To ensure the safety of Council's waste recovery contractor, temporary arrangements for a communal collection point for waste recovery services will remain in place until after the roadworks are complete, when the service will return to normal.
