The intersection at Jonson Street and Byron Street has now re-opened to northbound and southbound traffic, say Byron Council, following the installation of new drainage, as part of the Byron Bay Drainage Upgrade.
“We’ve installed over 100 large box culverts so far, and now we will be moving down Byron Street,” said Christopher Soulsby, Council’s Manager of Assets and Major Projects.
“While some footpath work on part of Jonson Street will continue in July, we have now replaced the footpath on the other side of the street near the laneway between Guzman Y Gomez and Byron Hot Bread Kitchen, and the laneway is also now open to pedestrians again,” said Mr Soulsby.
“From July to November we will now be focused on Byron Street. Toward the end of this period the intersection of Byron Street and Fletcher Street will need to temporarily close to complete the first stage of the town centre catchment,” he added.
The rail corridor and pedestrian footbridge between Butler Street and rail corridor remains closed for now.
“It’s a great time to get down to the Byron Bay’s town centre and support local businesses. We’ve also got the Byron Writers Festival coming up in August, which will see the town centre come alive with book lovers. If you’re visiting for the festival – we encourage you to stay a while and grab something to eat or do some shopping while you’re there,” said Byron Shire Council Mayor Sarah Ndiaye.
Impact on local business
Yet like previous – and recent – drainage and road works in the middle of Byron, local businesses have had to deal with a drop in revenue after the prolonged road closures. The Byron Bay Newsagency reported a downturn of 50 per cent since works began, and were not offered any compensation.
Council say they are actively seeking funding to begin the next stage of the town centre catchment on Fletcher Street.
“The aim of the project is to reduce the risk of flooding impacts in the town centre”.
For more information about the Byron Bay Drainage Upgrade please visit Council’s website.
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