Tyalgum Road has reopened to the public, albeit with some restrictions, following completion of a temporary access road through the landslip site near the village of Tyalgum.
In March 2023, local contractor SEE Civil Pty Ltd was appointed to undertake the major restoration project, with stabilisation and construction of the single-lane temporary access road completed on schedule, as the first stage of fixing the flood-damaged road.
The sealed, single-lane roadway is expected to open from 7 am on Monday 30 October to both directions of traffic, under traffic light controls.
The extreme slip – 100m in height, 60m in length and up to 10m deep – slipped down a hillside to the Oxley River during the flood of February-March 2022, taking out a section of Tyalgum Road.
The severely damaged section of road was instantly closed to traffic, leaving residents of the hinterland village – nominated as a Business NSW 2023 Top Tiny Tourism Town – no choice but to travel the longer alternative route via Chillingham.
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said it was a big relief for everyone to finally see Tyalgum Road ready to be opened again.
‘The repair of the extreme landslip just outside of Tyalgum is the biggest and most complex of all of our restoration jobs in the Tweed following last year’s devastating flood,’ Cr Cherry said.
‘But thankfully, we will see cars, motorbikes and bicycles travel through this important community connector road once again.
‘It has been a difficult and complicated process for the project team and contractor SEE Civil to get to this point but it has been even more difficult for residents who have been impacted by this road closure – and we thank them for their patience.’
Council’s Manager Infrastructure Delivery Tim Mackney said he was looking forward to seeing traffic on the temporary access road but cautioned public safety and project integrity remained at the forefront of the restoration project.
‘While the slip is currently stable, heavy rainfall has the potential to reactivate movement,’ Mr Mackney said.
‘We are monitoring this current rain event but expect the temporary access road will open on Monday. Once opened, SEE Civil will continue to monitor rainfall and any ground movement to ensure the ongoing safety of road users.’
With this in mind, Mr Mackney said there was still potential for the access road to be temporarily closed to traffic in the event of detected ground movement or heavy rainfall in the coming months while the permanent works to fix the slip continue.
‘Council understands the frustrations endured by the Tyalgum community since Tyalgum Road’s closure early last year and appreciates the resilience shown by individuals and businesses while waiting for the temporary road vehicle access to open ahead of Christmas this year,’ Mr Mackney said.
‘However, Council is obliged to acknowledge and address any safety concerns or risk indicators which may arise from the project and respond accordingly, within industry standards and timeframes.’
Council will advise the community via its various communication channels of any imminent change/s or the need to temporarily close the access road should a concern arise.
SEE Civil remains on-site at Tyalgum Road, continuing work on the reconstruction of the permanent road which is due to open without restrictions by March 2025 –weather permitting and pending final approvals.
Keep up to date with Council’s flood restoration works at tweed.nsw.gov.au/flood-restoration-works.
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