The crumbling of the road between Urbenville and Woodenbong

ABOVE: A country road in Kyogle LGA. Photo: Terry John Gallery on Facebook. Used with permission

Susanna Freymark

For more than six months, drivers using the Clarence Way between Urbenville and Woodenbong have watched the road be repaired. As time went on they watched the top layer of the road crumble.

Kyogle Council has been doing a major upgrade of the Clarence Way for the full length between the local government boundary near Urbenville through to Woodenbong since mid-2021.

Council’s general manager Graham Kennett said construction works on the site have currently been paused due to an issue identified with the final layer of pavement material.

“Council is working closely with its suppliers and contractors to verify the exact nature of the issue and the treatment required,” Mr Kennett said.

There have been delays to this process due to a number of factors including those normally associated with the end of year period, cases of covid affecting key contractors required to complete the necessary testing and sampling, and of course the extended period of wet weather, he said.

The repair of this part of the Clarence Way is funded by $3mil from the State Government and $2mil funding from the Federal Government, with Kyogle Council contributing up to $2 mil of its own funding to allow the full length to be completed.

Mr Kennett wanted to reassure the community that the council was focused on rectifying the road issues as soon as possible so that the project can be completed as originally planned.