Major milestone for Guyra main street upgrade

Guyra’s main street is set to fully reopen to traffic by the end of this week, after initial road resealing between Nincoola Street and Ollera Street is completed.

Wet conditions hampered the project for a couple of days during the past fortnight but contractors BMR remain on track to finish the road reconstruction during the next few days.

The contractors will then return next week to apply the top layer of asphalt.

“We were obviously more than happy to see the rain, given the current drought conditions, but it did mean the contractors had to wait for the surface to dry before road sealing could begin,” Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray said.

“That did slightly reduce the amount of additional water needed for the roadworks, which sourced water from a nearby bore to further preserve our town water supply.”

The roadworks team also encountered some existing groundwater, which required deeper excavation to ensure the new road surface had a stable base.

“As a result, a deeper base had been created for the new road, which will help to extend its lifespan,” Councillor Murray said.

The $700,000 roadworks are a major step in Stage 2 of an upgrade of the Guyra Central Business District.

The $600,000 first stage included main street upgrade designs, identifying and remediating disused fuel tanks beneath the road and footpaths, dealing with soil contamination caused by the fuel tanks, inspecting infrastructure beneath the road and assessing the structural integrity of shop awnings.

Stage2 will also include street scaping and new traffic furniture along the newly reconstructed section of Bradley Street, as well as liaison with property owners to address any structural and safety issues with shopfront awnings.

“Council officers are continuing to liaise closely with business operators, to keep them informed about the project’s progress and involve them in ongoing planning,” Cr Murray said.

 In addition, Essential Energy will begin planning and designs for electricity infrastructure along Bradley Street, to remove powerlines from the shop awnings.

Restructuring and resurfacing Bradley Street between Nincoola Street and Mackenzie Street is scheduled to be undertaken as Stage 3 in the 2020/21 financial year.

Published on 25 Sep 2019