Flood-hit roads get region’s biggest rebuild

A CONTRACT for the Northern Rivers’ largest road restoration package has been awarded, with works to repair more than 60 landslips across the Lismore region.

The joint venture between CMC Group and JF Hull Holdings will focus on critical repairs to restore roads damaged in the 2022 floods, reconnecting towns and improving reliability.

While the package is concentrated in the Lismore local government area, it forms part of a wider recovery program that has already delivered more than 50 transport projects, with almost 140 others underway or in planning. Some projects have faced delays or new damage after severe weather from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in March.

The new contract will run over three years and use a locally based workforce. It is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.

State recovery minister and Lismore MP Janelle Saffin said strengthening local roads was central to the rebuild.

“Our mission as we build back and emerge from recovery is to be improving the resilience of our infrastructure as we go,” she said.

Lismore mayor Steve Krieg said the projects would help reconnect villages and boost the local economy.

“Lismore is not just rebuilding – we are rising,” he said.

An additional $17 million has also been allocated to Lismore City Council for road restoration and flood resilience works, including the replacement of several causeways across the region.