Johnston Road - Landslip Closure

Following the February 28 and March 2022 flooding events, a road embankment landslip and tension cracking have occurred on Johnston Road, approximately 1km from Bangalow Road.

There is currently an interim road closure in place, allowing local access only. Geotechnical borehole drilling and the installation of inclinometers and piezometers will commence from Monday 22^nd of August for one week (subject to weather and ground conditions). For the safety of motorists, a full road closure at the slip location will be in place for the duration of these works , with access granted to the properties located within the road closure only. To ensure your travels are not delayed, please review the road closure location to determine whether accessing from Eltham Road or Bangalow Road is most appropriate for your property.

Minor surface grade repairs, shoulder works and signposting for longer term traffic arrangements will also take place during this time. On completion of these works, the road will be reopened to one lane of traffic under a give-way arrangement at the slip locations. This arrangement will remain in place for several months until full remediation work commences.

A detailed site survey will be needed to get a full understanding of the landslips impact to the surrounding area, and to undertake the detailed design of the restoration. The survey will take approximately 2 days and will be completed after the geotechnical investigations, dates TBC. The survey will involve a combination of traditional (on foot) and drone survey, as per the extent in the following image. During the survey you may see surveyors working on the side of the road, or a drone flying overhead.

On-going monitoring of the inclinometers and piezometers will be required for a few months following the installation (timeframe will be confirmed from the data recorded). This on-going monitoring will ensure the slips behaviour / displacement is fully understood and the design of the remediation is robust and fit-for purpose. The on-going monitoring will involve a geotechnical engineer re-visiting the instruments once per week and taking readings by hand for approximately 30 minutes at each location. The instruments will be located within the shoulders of the road to enable the readings to take place with no impact to traffic. The approximate locations of the instruments are shown below.

The geotechnical investigations and survey will determine the detailed design and cost of the repair, which will be included in an application for funding to complete this work. Approval for funding is anticipated to be received by the end of August. Construction is planned to be commenced by the end of 2022, subject to approvals, contractor availability and weather.

Further updates will be shared via this page as works continue.

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 ‘Johnston Road’ in your correspondence.