Great news for the Federal community with the tender for the repair of the Federal Drive landslip awarded.
At the March meeting Councillors resolved to award a contract for the remediation of the landslip and the reconstruction of Federal Drive.
The cost of this project is more than $20 million which reflects the significant work needed to rebuild the road and stabilise a steep slope.
“We were hoping to award this tender sooner, but the tendered costs significantly exceeded the original estimate,” Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Lyon, said.
“Because the project is funded by the NSW Government, given the significant difference in price, staff had to be certain that the Department of Transport was prepared to fund the entire project,” Mayor Lyon said.
“Council simply does not have the financial reserves to absorb a project of this magnitude, so we had to be certain the Natural Disaster funding was in place.
“In fact, this is an example of the problems that Councils are facing in relation to the flood damage in that initial estimates have not been able to account for the impacts of resource shortages, price increases and demands across our region,” Mayor Lyon said.
Staff are now finalising the work program with the successful contractor and all going well work with start in late April.
“I am told that the timeframe for this project is roughly 12 months but that is dependent on a lot of things including the weather.
“I know this is frustrating for the Federal community and I thank residents and businesses for their patience.
“Our staff are hoping that, as work progresses, there will be a partial opening of Federal Drive prior to Christmas which will make the daily commute easier for some people,” Mayor Lyon said.
The rehabilitation of Federal Drive includes:
- Reconstruction of the road
- Drainage work including the replacement of four culverts
- Repair and reseal of the road pavement
- Stabilisation of the land slip (soil nailing, tree removal, earthwork)
- Revegetation of the slip face
- Installation of guardrails
Information about the reconstruction of Federal Drive is on Council’s website.
