It could be Casino’s longest driveway and certainly the only one leading down to Richmond River.
Halstead Drive runs beneath Irving Bridge in the heart of Casino.
The drive was destroyed in the 2002 floods and for years it remained a wreck.
Halstead Drive is on Crown land and the repairs costing $2.5million was funded through the Crown Lands Flood Recovery Program.
The State Government gave the rebuild a $980,000 funding injection last year so Richmond Valley Council could finalise the engineering and reconstruction stage after initial works to remove debris, undertake geotechnical investigations and prepare a resilient rebuild design were completed.
The reconstruction of Halstead Drive included:
- major stabilisation and anchoring of the river embankment to prevent future erosion
- new drainage infrastructure designed to handle runoff
- installation of retaining walls and gabion structures to reinforce the shoreline
- revegetation using native plants to naturally strengthen the riverbank
- reconstruction of the road to contemporary, flood-resilient standards.
The restored road can be used by pedestrians and essential emergency and maintenance vehicles but will not be open for cars to go down to the end of the drive.
On Friday, March 13, the gates were closed and because of the rain there were rocks and mud on the drive.
Who will maintain Halstead Drive for people going down to the river? Is that a council or Crown lands responsibility?
Minister for Recovery and the North Coast Janelle Saffin said by transforming Halstead Drive into a flood-resilient pedestrian and emergency corridor, we are safeguarding vital river access while strengthening the riverbank itself.
Richmond Valley mayor Robert Mustow said restoring this access point to the river through Halstead Drive is a vital part of our community’s recovery following the flood.
“It provides a pedestrian link to the river and allows for the continued maintenance of the Irving Bridge and our stormwater outlets,” Mr Mustow said.
This information was provided by the office of Janelle Saffin MP.