Kempsey Shire Council has delivered a feat of "extraordinary engineering" to open an overland access road as a short-term solution to the Toose Road landslide.
On Thursday 31 March, during the flood and extensive rain, a major landslip of around 90 metres in length closed Toose Road in the Upper Macleay.
Inspections of the site by Council, and two independent specialist geotechnical reports, determined that the slip was, and is, still moving and dangerous. Ground penetrating radar showed up to 35 metres of unstable material between the road and solid rock. As such it is unfeasible to repair.
With a small community suddenly cut off, Council and made a commitment to residents and landholders to build an alternative private access road to enable vehicle access to this isolated area.
Council has now opened the Toose Road Access track, a steep and winding road that connects Fifes Creek Road to Toose Road. The track is strictly for impacted residents and essential travellers only. It is restricted to four-wheel drive vehicles in dry weather following the clear safety protocols.
The work has involved widening and resheeting existing linking roads, converting gates to cattle grids, cutting, clearing and building kilometres of new road and specialist equipment for the final challenging cutting.
Kempsey Shire Council General Manager, Craig Milburn, said while the access road wasn't the ultimate solution it represented an extraordinary effort by staff to deliver a viable option.
"This access road is an extraordinary piece of real time engineering and problem solving," said Mr Milburn. "I could not be more proud of how hard our staff have worked to solve a genuinely unique challenge and meet the promises we made and restore access to this isolated area."
"Council has invested months of resources, around $1.6million of disaster declaration funding, and significant expertise in constructing this road."
Mr Milburn also assured residents impacted by the landslide that, as they have stated since April, this is only one part of the ongoing assistance, with the ultimate goal of a permanent access road that will required at least two years to design and build.
"I view this track as a remarkable short-term response. Throughout the complicated construction we clearly told residents that the steep terrain meant it would be 4WD only and could not be assessed for larger vehicles.
"We understand how frustrating it is when, at a glance, it looks like the old road could just be fixed with a bulldozer, but it just can't. Sadly, there is no one quick fix. Along with the state government we have already delivered extensive support to the community, now we've created this short-term access and we continue to work towards a long-term solution involving a new bridge."
Working in partnership with Council, Local Land Services and Resilience NSW have worked directly with landholders for months to assist with fodder, stock movements and animal welfare management.
Temporary stock yards have been put in place to assist with mustering stock to cross the river when water levels permit. More than 250 head of cattle have been moved this way.
Council's community and recovery staff have also been working with the families that live on properties that are isolated helping with the day-to-day needs and supplies. This has included hiring cars and stationing them across the river, coordinating air lifts of people, supplies and animal feed and bringing in mechanics to service farm machinery. Council and the recovery agencies have coordinated at least six air drops of suppliers and fodder into the area
Affected residents have also been advised of funding opportunities and connected to business advisors to help them review business operations and look at continuity planning.
Residents and essential travellers seeking to use the Toose Road Access track should contact Council on 6566 3200 for details safety protocols and how to get access.
