Road reopening still six months away

HORSESHOE Bend Road will stay closed until at least November as the Surf Coast Shire Council continues work to repair a collapsed road section.

The shire intends to release contracts for the rebuild to tender next month and have construction begin in September, which will likely take around three months.

The road has been closed since late last year when part of the road near the Thompson Creek bridge was significantly damaged during a flood.

The council says that its process has been slowed down by high demand for geotechnical engineers, whose assessment was delayed due to widespread flooding across the state.

Those assessments found that the road was unsafe for drivers even in a single-lane configuration, due to road surface condition, limited width and sight distance.

“I’m pleased that the tender process will start in the coming weeks, and that the reconstruction works can begin in September,” Cr Mike Bodsworth said.

“I know the process is taking time and we thank everyone for their patience during this extended road closure.”

The proposed works will include a new guardrail and aim to mitigate impacts of future flooding events.

The shire said construction had been staged to later in the year to avoid winter, when conditions would likely cause further delays.