The Washpool Flood Mitigation - Gwydir Highway

The project will raise and rebuild a section of the Gwydir Highway at Washpool to ensure the road is better able to cope during and after flood events; a welcome improvement to local residents, tourists and freight operators who are often cut off after heavy rainfall.

Work completed so far includes replacement of an existing three cell box culvert with a 20 cell culvert structure which will reduce the duration of road closures.

The highway will also be raised and widened with the addition of 1.5m wide sealed shoulders as well as upgrading roadside drainage, improving safety for motorists and reducing ongoing maintenance costs.

Work started in October 2020 and the project has been impacted by a number of challenges including COVID restrictions, significant rainfall and flooding of the site and more recently, crews being diverted to carry out emergency repair work prioritised on the state road network.

The work is expected to be completed by late 2023, weather permitting. This includes the culvert construction works delivered by Transport for NSW crews, and the associated road upgrades to be delivered by Moree Plains Shire Council on behalf of Transport.

February 2023

Due to resourcing impacts from crews being diverted to support natural disaster recovery works across the state and ongoing wet weather impacts at the project site, the delivery schedule for the remaining section of work has been reviewed.

The overall completion milestone for the project is on track for completion by late 2023, weather permitting.

The two-way sealed side-track continues to operate on the southern side of the highway to maintain traffic flow around the project site while construction works are being carried out.

Main construction work on the Gwydir Highway at the Washpool includes:

• Providing a wider and more durable road formation above the new culverts
• Improving drainage at the site by reshaping the table drains
• Providing standard scour protection measures upstream and downstream of the new culvert structure
• Maintaining the existing clear zone and carrying out localised vegetation control including trimming or weed removal.

Moree Plains Shire Council will continue to carry out work on associated road upgrades to complete the project by the end of the year, weather permitting.

• September 2022 project notification

  Work continues on Washpool Flood Mitigation project.

• May 2022 community update
  The Washpool Flood Mitigation.

9 May 2023
Finish line in sight for Washpool flood mitigation work