Since the May 2025 flood, Council has completed $42 million worth of emergency and immediate repair work, with a large quantity of reconstruction work now in the pipeline.
With the NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSWRA) having now assessed most of Council’s funding submissions for emergency works, the focus is now moving to Essential Public Asset (EPA) reconstruction works. These are recovery works which may not be considered an emergency but are needed to restore assets back to the condition they were in prior to the flood event.
Mayor Claire Pontin said that at current estimates, there is over $240 million worth of EPA reconstruction works needed across the MidCoast.
“So far, Council has submitted EPA reconstruction funding claims to NSWRA to the value of over $112 million,” said Mayor Pontin.
“These works require extensive planning and design, with each stage needing NSWRA approval before we can go to tender.
“For each project, there are quite a few steps that happen behind the scenes before reconstruction begins on the ground.”
Depending on the type of work, these steps can include geotechnical investigations; preliminary design; scoping and costing; detailed design; and contractor engagement.
As approvals come through from NSWRA, the community will see more reconstruction work getting underway on our roads and bridges.
In some cases, such as The Bight Bridge, Council has been able to collaborate with NSWRA to do multiple steps at the same time. NSWRA agreed to fund the technical investigations and preliminary designs of The Bight Bridge replacement simultaneously, which saved time. The preliminary designs are currently with NSWRA, with a response expected in coming weeks. Once this happens, Council will be able to obtain competitive tender pricing and seek upper limit funding approvals. NSWRA will then need to consider detailed bridge designs and the engagement of a contractor.
Tiri Bridge is at a similar phase, with preliminary approval from NSWRA expected soon.
Funding claims for major sealed road corridors, including The Bucketts Way, Thunderbolts Way and Manning River Drive have been submitted and are awaiting NSWRA assessment.
Design and investigation is currently underway for Thunderbolts Way at Mares Run, and the slip at River Road, Glenthorne, while the claim for Baxter’s Ridge Slip is currently being assessed by NSWRA.
Across the MidCoast, Council has identified well over 4,000 separate damage locations on our roads, over 100 landslips, and over 70 damaged bridges.
Mayor Pontin explained that to put it into perspective, Council would ordinarily do around $60 million worth of road renewals and maintenance across a financial year.
“The EPA reconstruction work alone is the equivalent of several years’ worth of normal roadworks, explained Mayor Pontin.
“We have engaged a number of contract staff to help work through the thousands of damage claims we are submitting to NSWRA.”
View the full Flood Recovery Transport Update at https://www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/Your-Council/Council-meetings/Agendas-and-minutes, pages 122 – 134.
