Waterfall Way has reopened to single lane traffic west of Thora after a massive landslip blocked access during the extreme weather that impacted the North Coast early this month.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said crews from Transport for NSW, Bellingen Shire Council and specialist contractors worked tirelessly to clear fallen trees and thousands of tonnes of debris from the road, restoring access to local communities and businesses.
“We know the importance of this route to local communities and visitors, so restoring access as quickly as we could, has always been our priority,” Mr Farraway said.
“It has been challenging but our crews have thrown everything at it to get it open again.
“Some further slipping was detected during the clean-up and we had to make sure the potential for more landslips did not pose a risk to motorists.
“It’s great we now have one lane operating but we know there is more work to do to get traffic moving freely.
“Slope stability is one of the biggest issues we face on Waterfall Way and we will continue to implement measures to make the road more resilient.”
Member for Oxley Melinda Pavey said reopening the road near Thora was not the only piece of good news for Waterfall Way.
“Crews have now completed work at Myers Bluff and that section of road has reopened to two lanes,” Ms Pavey said.
“This section of Waterfall Way was damaged in the flooding of March 2021 and has been under single lane restrictions since then.
“Again, this was a challenge for the geotechnical team and work crews, as there were numerous smaller follow-up slips over the past 12 months.
“The team is now confident the road is safe to open to two lanes of traffic, removing a pinch point in this corridor.
“Work to restore this section of road to its previous condition will continue in the coming months.”
Transport for NSW and Council will continue to monitor the road, which may need to be closed at short notice in the event of further slips.
