NSW pollies say Tweed flood bill could easily exceed $20 million with many damaged roads and bridges

THE bill to repair roads and bridges devastated by ex-Cyclone Debbie is expected to top $20 million. State MPs said they would tip in $5 million.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest at Tumbulgum during the recent floods. Picture: Mike Batterham.

THE bill to repair roads and bridges devastated by ex-Cyclone Debbie is expected to top $20 million.

Roads Minister Melinda Pavey and Tweed MP Geoff Provest yesterday toured many parts of the region where people were left homeless and lost their lives during the severe flooding this month.

Flood clean up at Tweed River Towns. A trail of devastation in South Murwillumbah. Picture Glenn Hampson

Mr Provest said the repair bill would almost certainly be more than $20 million but a figure was likely to be agreed upon with the Minister after meetings this week.

The Nationals representative said the Government would face the tough predicament of working out which of the 15 bridges damaged in northern NSW could afford to be upgraded and which would be replaced.

“The bridges are the ones that require extra work, the extra engineering,” he said.

Mr Provest said he would like to be able to upgrade each damaged bridge to make them floodproof in future weather events.

Flood clean up at Tweed River Towns. John Lawrence and son Balin Lawrence mourn the loss of their soccer table during clean up in Condong. Picture Glenn Hampson

But the long-serving state member said it was an unrealistic aim due to the cost.

“To make them floodproof you should build them higher,” he said.

Some of the areas Mr Provest and Ms Pavey visited yesterday included Tweed Heads, Tumbulgum, Condong, South Murwillumbah and Urliup.

Among the 15 bridges reportedly affected in northern NSW were those on Cedar Creek Road, Midginbil Road and South Pumpinbil Road.

Cars drive past landslides on the Kyogle Rd near Uki, New South Wales. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy).

NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said she thought the state’s contribution to the Northern Rivers recovery would be about $5 million while the rest of the more than $20 million required was likely to be tipped in from a Commonwealth recovery fund.

Ms Pavey said while she was shocked at the damage caused throughout Tweed and its surrounding areas, she was impressed by the way state-operated roads stood up to the weather event.

“It could have been so much worse,” she said.

A man gages crossing a washed out road in his 4WD on the Kyogle Rd near Nimbin, New South Wales, Sunday, April 2, 2017. (AAP Image/Tracey Nearmy).

Tweed Shire councillor Warren Polglase said $20 million was a conservative figure and while the majority of funding to fix the region’s roads and bridges would hopefully come from the State Government, he hoped the Commonwealth would also come to the party.

“Twenty million is a big hit for the Tweed Shire Council and we definitely don’t have the resource base (to foot the bill on our own),” he said.