Council staff have updated the status of the hinterland Federal landslip that cut access at Federal Drive, north of Federal village on February 28, 2022. The road that connects Federal to Goonengerry has been closed a year this week.
In response to resident Val Hodgson contacting The Echo as to its status, Council’s media spokesperson said, ‘The repair and reconstruction of the landslip and roadway on Federal Drive went to tender in early December 2022. The tender closes on Friday January 27.
‘Council’s Recovery team will then assess the tender submissions, and provided there is a suitable tender submission, a tender award recommendation report will be presented to the February Council meeting.
‘All going well, and allowing for material procurement and contractor establishment on site, works should start in late March/early April. At this stage, we expect the work to take at least four to six months’.
Hodgson told The Echo, Council’s webpage on the Federal landslip mentions that a detour is available along Kings Road, yet ‘fails to mention that Kings Road terminates at Whian Road’.
‘Whian Road is in a serious state of disrepair, and to get anywhere from this intersection, one needs to travel along it. One needs a vehicle with high clearance to negotiate the many and large potholes. We advise people to take the longer detour via Montecollum and Coolamon Scenic Drive to get from Goonengerry to Federal or Byron Bay’.
Council staff replied that they are aware of the community’s concerns with Whian Road, ‘and are looking at the cost of repairs and availability of contractors to improve the road’.
‘In the meantime, there are also detours via Montecollum and Coolamon Scenic Drive. While these detours are longer, the road surfaces are in better condition than Whian Road.
‘Council acknowledges that the community is frustrated by what some would perceive as a lack of progress on the landslip, but Council staff have been working on this project since early March 2022. It is a complex landslip, and there are no easy and quick fixes’.
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