Bruxner Highway – Mallanganee slip update – 8 March 2022

If work to clear the landslip on the Bruxner Highway at the Mallanganee Range continues at its current rate, there is a chance the road will re-open to traffic at the weekend.

If it does not open this weekend, it will re-open by no later than next Friday.

Specialist crews and equipment were on site yesterday (Monday) to deal with the unstable material and large vegetation above the roadway, which was making it unsafe to clean-up of the slip. This crew are now working with Council crews and contractors to remove the slip material and clear the roadway.

The road remains closed until such time as this work is completed. The detour that is suitable for through traffic is along the Summerland Way via Casino and Kyogle, then Mount Lindesay Road to Woodenbong, and then Clarence Way via Bonalbo and through to the Bruxner Highway.

The inconvenience this presents for many residents and local businesses is unfortunate, however Transport for NSW and Council are working together with our contractors to open the road as fast as can possibly be done safely.

There has already been too many lives lost during this disaster, and neither Transports for NSW nor Council will put more lives at risk by allowing road users to access this area when it is not safe, or by undertaking works in a manner that does not adequately protect those workers involved.

There has been much said about the use of Bulmers Road over Hogarth Range as an alternate route to the Bruxner Highway to get vehicles around this slip area, and to allow people to avoid the inconvenience of the identified detour. This road has parts in Kyogle Council area, Richmond Valley Council area, and a section through the Mallanganee National Park. This road is not of a standard that is suitable for it to be used by heavy vehicles or high volumes of traffic. The road is only suitable for use by the local traffic, and it has been signposted as such, and a reduced speed limit imposed, to reinforce this to all road users. National Parks are looking to put in place traffic lights today to control vehicle movements through the narrow section within the Mallanganee National Park.

The promotion and use of this road by other than local traffic is irresponsible and has the potential to place lives in danger. In the interests of public safety, all non-essential travel from one side of the Mallanganee Range to the other should be avoided, and any essential travel needs to be via the identified detour along the Summerland Way and Clarence Way despite the inconvenience that may cause.