Urliup Road opens early

THE URLIUP community has finally received a reprieve from construction noise with its hinterland connection road soon to open, well ahead of schedule.

Specialised crews played a major role in flood restoration repairs on the road, which was badly damaged during the 2022 floods and six slip sites posed a serious risk to drivers.

Work on the $5 million restoration by contractors Hazell Bros began in March and was estimated to be completed in 42 weeks.

Specialised drilling crews used ropes to access the slip sites with purpose-built drilling machines.

Hazell Bros senior supervisor Troy Aberdeen said that due to the skills and proficiency of the drilling crews, the road would be fully open to through traffic early this month.

“We had estimated that this may take until October, but factors have gone our way, and we are pleased to be able to restore the road quickly,” Aberdeen said.

“We thank the Urliup community for their patience and understanding in a technically challenging job. They have been great to work with.”

Council Project Manager Brad Turner said Hazell Bros and their subcontractors had worked efficiently to restore the damage ahead of schedule.

“It has been great to work with the team on this project and see their commitment to accommodating the local community affected by the works,” Turner said.

Urliup Road resident Peter Oldham said the community was delighted to hear that the road would reopen.

“This is very welcome news for us all, and we sincerely thank the contractors for their courtesies and consideration,” Oldham said.

“We first met with the Hazell Bros team in January. They have kept us informed about the project and worked with us to address our concerns. It will certainly be a lot quieter around here when they finish up,” he said.

A total of 3,780 items were identified as ‘road damage’ across the Tweed Shire from the February and March 2022 flood events, with the majority now restored.

Due to their complexity and scale, the remaining 550 items are expected to be completed by mid-2026.

To find out more, visit www.nsw.gov.au/flood-restoration-works