More of the Oxley Highway re-opens to traffic
6 May 2021
A 12 kilometre section of the Oxley Highway between Yarras and Mount Seaview has opened to traffic.
Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for Disaster Recovery John Barilaro said crews from Transport for NSW, Walcha Council and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council have been working to restore access along the highway as quickly as possible.
"This is an important step as we re-open a widely used corridor, allowing residents and local businesses to get back to some sort of normalcy," Mr Barilaro said.
"The NSW Government is committed to building a safer and stronger regional NSW by helping communities get back on their feet as quickly as possible after the devastating floods."
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said crews had now restored access to 12 kilometres of the Oxley which had been devastated by landslips.
"We know how important the Oxley is in providing connections for locals, visitors and freight alike - and we've now been able to restore access to about 12 kilometres of the 33km of highway impacted," Mr Toole said.
"Crews also remain on the ground all over the state working hard to fix damage to the road network, and have been able to open 28 of the 30 affected roads since the flood event."
Member for Oxley Melinda Pavey said the local community will welcome restoration of access between Forbes River Road and Mount Seaview Road.
"We appreciate this has been a long process as it's been dangerous for repair crews to access some of the repair sites – particularly where the land has slipped below the roadway," Mrs Pavey said.
Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said progress on re-opening the Oxley Highway is great news for centres west of the Great Divide including Tamworth and Gunnedah.
"The Oxley Highway provides an important link to the coast, and allows coastal communities access to the New England, North West and beyond," Mr Anderson said.
"To see work progress to re-open sections to a single lane will be very welcome news for our businesses and communities. I thank them for understanding the challenges we are facing to get traffic back on this vital transport and freight route as soon as safely possible," Mr Anderson said.
The stretch of highway between Mount Seaview Road and Gingers Creek is expected to re-open to single lane traffic by the end of July, weather permitting.
For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit the Live Traffic NSW website or call 132 701.