'Worst road' still not fixed 15 months after landslip

THE council says it is working hard to repair damaged roads, but residents in this area are furious that the most urgent works haven't been done.

Concerned residents Murray Ings, John Sheldon, Ian Hooper, Gary Ryab, and Michael Langham at Oakey Creek Road which is one of the many roads that need to be repaired in the region. Picture: Marc Stapelberg

TOO complicated and too expensive.

Those are the reasons why Lismore City Council still hasn't fixed Oakey Creek Rd at Georgica, 15 months after last year's devastating floods.

The road has been barricaded and closed off to all traffic after the weather event washed away half the road and caused a dangerous landslip.

The council's civic services manager, Darren Patch, said the council was in the process of negotiating a final design and outcome with the NSW Roads and Maritime Service.

"This flood damage is by far the most complicated and expensive to repair,” he said.

"Geotechnical engineers are currently finalising a couple of design options, one being bulk earthworks and the other involving bored piers and rock anchors.

"It is still planned for this road to be opened once the remediation works have been completed.”

The council recently approved tenders for eight work packages for major slip repairs, including Mountain Top Rd, for a cost of $2.7million.

"These major slip remediation works are due to commence during July and should be completed within the next three to four months, weather permitting,” Mr Patch said.

But Georgica resident Murray Ings said the repairs couldn't come soon enough.

"Does it take someone to get killed on that bridge or on the slips, or the school bus to go over? What are they waiting for?” he asked.

"The school bus uses (Mountain Top Rd) eight times a day and that's an absolute shocker, you've got to go up into someone else's driveway to avoid the landslide.”

Since the flood, Mr Ings has spent more than $50,000 on his car due to damage caused by driving on local Jiggi and Georgica roads.

"I have done eight tyres because the stones are actually going through the tread, straight through busting the belts and the tyres so you've got to throw away,” he said.

"My last four-wheel drive we basically had to write off because it was just hammered to pieces.

"I ended up buying a brand-new Ranger... I only had it for three weeks and I put a stone through one of the brand-new tyres. It just doesn't stop.”

With land rates in the Lismore local government area also sky rocketing, Mr Ings said he wanted to see his dollars going into fixing the roads.

"Our land rates are four times the price of anyone else's and what have we got for it? We haven't got anything,” he said.

"It doesn't add up, it's not fair, you try talk to council about it and it comes to a dead end with a silly answer.”

While the council has not completed work on these major landslips, gravel restoration works have been completed on Gwyne Rd, Jacobson Rd, Lane Rd, Lodge Rd, McGuiness Rd, McLennan Rd, Mountain Top Rd and Warby Rd in the Jiggi and Georgica area.

"They are heaps better from what we were driving on before,” Mr Ings said.

"It was just ridiculous, they weren't roads.”

The council has engaged up to four contractors to undertake flood restoration works on its gravel road network.

"To date we have completed flood restoration works to more than 110km of our unsealed road network out of a total 184km for an amount of $5 million,” Mr Patch said.

The remaining 74km are expected to be completed by the end of 2018, weather permitting.

"Which will be a total of $10 million in grant funding for this work,” Mr Patch said.