Cawongla Road - Closure For Culvert Replacement

Following the February and March 2022 natural disaster, four culverts on Cawongla Road suffered extensive damage and require replacement.

For the safety of motorists and due to the nature of works, a full 24hour hard road closure is required for both work sites. The closure will be in place for the duration of these works . Works are occurring concurrently at both sites.

Site 1: One culvert replacement adjacent to 169 Cawongla Road, Cawongla approximately 1.25km south of the Quilty Road and Cawongla Road Intersection.

Site 2: Three culvert replacements approximately 500m south of Larnook Public School, adjacent to 1224 Cawongla Road, Larnook.

Please review the road closure locations to determine whether accessing from Kyogle Road or Rock Valley Road is most appropriate for your property. Due to the nature of works, access through the work sites is not possible.

Road closure is expected to be in place approximately 6 weeks during November to December 2022, subject to weather, material and contractor availability. After this time, road will open to single lane traffic while final stages of the works are completed.

Council is proposing to complete the works under extended working hours to ensure the works are finalised as soon as possible. Additional works may include but not limited to extended hours on weekends.

Arrangements have been made with Larnook Public School for students, families, and staff of the school. Further communication regarding changes for access to the school will be communicated from the school principal and relevant bus companies directly.

Council has consulted with Richmond Waste; rubbish collection will be impacted. For collection service updates and information, Richmond Waste has provided their Operations Department number to contact directly – 02 6621 7431.

Larnook RFS have a plan in place for service vehicles due to location of the station. Council will advise other emergency services. However, in the scenario emergency services are required please note the road closures on your call to assist, and consider if your closest hospital may be Nimbin, Kyogle or Lismore.

What are the works?

The roadworks comprises reconstruction of a total of four collapsed culvert lines. This includes the following work:

• Clearing of vegetation and trees adjacent to the embankment failure
• Excavation and removal of the existing road surface and embankment material
• Reconstruction of arch culvert
• Road embankment reconstruction at each culvert location
• Road pavement reconstruction

Tree clearing, temporary fencing and site establishment will commence from the first week in October, in preparation for the works to commence.

These works are the commencement of flood remediation works for Cawongla Road. Funding is currently being reviewed for further pavement repairs. Temporary patching is currently being carried out for sections of Cawongla Road until further funding is approved by Resilience NSW.

What do I need to do?

Please commute through the detour at low speed, obey adjusted speed limits and directions from any traffic controllers, and drive carefully. Please also adhere to all road closed signs. We will ensure all driveways and farm gates that intersect the road match any changes to the road profile and are safe for property owners/residents.

At times the roadworks may create dust, which will be managed by a water cart during work hours.

Who should I contact with questions/concerns?

We apologise in advance for the disruption and delays you may experience whilst we upgrade the road. We ask that commuters please plan extra travel time during the construction period, in particular the road closure period.

Further updates will be shared via this page.

Additionally, to receive updates directly please contact Lismore City Council via email council@lismore.nsw.gov.au or call (02) 6625 0500 to register your details and feedback. Please reference ‘Cawongla Road’ in your correspondence.

Additional FAQs

Will there be works planned for Quilty Road?

Two weeks of remediation works will be carried out on Quilty Road prior to Cawongla closure occurring. This includes:

Shoulders widened to allow passing vehicles

Pothole patching with gravel overlay to improve driving conditions

Landslip damage has been cleared, with gravel road graded

Repair of damaged culverts

Vegetation management, cutting back the vegetation at the sides of the road to allow more space for vehicles

*Please note, that not all traffic will be diverted via Quilty Road. Just motorists accessing properties between the two work sites.

Landslip and current conditions on Martin Road

Council are currently prioritising projects in regards to public safety, with consideration for minimising further damage and maintaining access between communities.

Martin Road is known to Council and works are being reviewed. The high priority is on Cawongla Road for now, due to the collapsed culverts posing future risk to a number of road users.

Cawongla Road Closure Period

This work is expected to take six weeks, estimated to start first week of November and carry through December. Start dates will be advertised closer to the time, pending weather, contractor and material availability. Six weeks has been advertised as the designated closure period, which takes into account additional time for unforeseen delays.

Due to old culverts needing to be removed and replaced, it is estimated earthworks to complete this task will require a potential 8+ metre excavation, resulting in a worksite inaccessible for motorists. A number of road access options have been considered, and will continue to be reviewed as works progress.

Community Consultation

Council has met and will continue to communicate with Larnook Public School and Larnook RFS representatives to ensure community needs are considered for these works. Additionally, to be emailed direct updates, you can register your contact details with Council.

Plans to manage the closure period are still being finalised with Larnook Public School, this includes the bus services. Direct communication will come from the school for families, students and staff when the plan is finalised.

Mail out to residents was sent September 12 to 100+ addresses. The letter was an early indication of the closure, and plan of works. Further more specific information will be shared closer to the closure date. Additionally, this early notice was also shared with a number of local businesses, Kyogle Council and emergency, transport and postal services.